Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
Short, snappy, and simple, TDS groups the latest automotive news from around the globe and gathers it in one place. Stories are summarized in a single sentence accompanied by a link for those seeking more information.
I’m on my first cup of coffee and will be ready for the second soon, so let’s get into it.
🚘 What I’m driving: The 2026 Lucid Air left and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t sad it’s gone. Loved it and would happily daily drive that car. Replacing the Air is the 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid, which in just a few miles of driving the kids around to activities I’ve already found quite a few things to like, and a handful of gripes, with this second-generation people mover.
💸 Ford announced it’s killing the electric Lightning truck as we know it, the nameplate will return for its next generation with a gas-powered range extender, and the automaker’s pivoting completely to a hybrid and range-extended electric vehicle lineup, which is going to see the Dearborn-based company take a $19.5 billion charge to its books for its EV bust.
💰 President Trump claimed that his administration’s changes to emissions regulations will save consumers money, but it turns out data from the NHTSA reveals consumers will actually pay more in terms of total vehicle ownership costs.
🚗 Turns out the Nissan Altima is not dead, will live on for 2026, and still costs less than $30,000 with a base price of $28,825, which is just $200 more than last year.
🪦 Maserati’s four-cylinder engine is dead.
💨 Nissan’s about to double down on Nismo by growing the performance sub-brand’s lineup to 10 models in the coming years.
🚨 Stellantis recalled another 6,000 plug-in hybrid Dodge and Alfa Romeo crossovers because the brake pedal might snap off.
🤖 Tesla reported another Robotaxi crash took place in Austin, Texas in October, marking the eighth crash since launching the service in July, despite the fact the car had a human safety monitor onboard with a kill switch; the news comes just hours after CEO Elon Musk noted the automaker’s testing Robotaxis without a human safety monitor onboard despite not having approvals or permits to do so.
🤑 The refreshed 2026 Honda Pilot is more expensive than last year’s model with a base price of $43,690, which is an increase of $1,995 and that’s for a front-wheel-drive model.
🏎️ The Audi Revolut F1 team name for the automaker’s 2026 campaign became official.
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