Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
Short, quick, and dense, TDS gathers the latest automotive headlines from around the globe and places them in one spot. Stories are summarized in a single sentence accompanied by a link for those seeking more information.
The first cup of coffee is gone and it’s definitely time for a second, so let’s get into it.
🚘 What I’m driving: There’s a 2026 Dodge Durango Hellcat in my garage right now and it puts a smile on my face each and every time the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 fires to life. It’s been a minute since I’ve been in a Durango Hellcat, and I almost forgot how amazingly well the ancient Durango and supercharged V8 work as a package.
𐄷 Mazda General Manager of Global Sales and Marketing Manabu Osuga said, “While I can’t share with you exactly when the new MX-5 will arrive, I can tell you that we are working on it,” and that “I can tell you that we are sticking with (the design for) a car that will be under one tonne of weight … employing our ‘gram strategy’ as we did with the current series;” Osuga noted, “I am not going to say there isn’t any possibility (that we will look at electrification in the future). But right now, that technology is very heavy, and if we apply that to the MX-5, we will not satisfy our fans,” and “eventually, in the future, if the technology is there, then we will think about it. But at this moment, the internal combustion engine is the way (forward).”
🧑🧑🧒🧒 Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann has no interest in a sedan or small SUV, but said the automaker is missing a 2+2 in its lineup.
🖤 Mercedes-Benz AMG confirmed the Black Series’ return with a new GT3 road car arriving alongside the upcoming GT3 race car with both cars being part of a joint development program.
🔋 Photos said to be of the upcoming electric BMW M3 were leaked on Bimmerpost.
🤝 Porsche and Audi CEOs Michael Leiters and Gernot Döllner are planning to deepen ties between the two sibling brands to reduce cost and complexity of product development and production with platform and parts sharing for the next gas-powered Macan and upcoming Porsche three-row SUV.
🔋 Subaru teased a 420-horsepower electric SUV, which will debut next week at the 2026 New York auto show.
🤖 General Motors is now testing its eyes-off hands-off driver-assistance technology on public roads as the automaker prepares to launch the tech in 2028.
🏭 Toyota is spending roughly $1 billion on its assembly plants in Kentucky and Indiana to boost output of its three-row gas-powered Grand Highlander and three new electric SUVs.
👀 Subaru teased a lifted BRZ that might be all-wheel drive and turbocharged.
🕵️♀️ The SEC dropped its four-year investigation into Faraday Future despite recommended enforcement action last year.
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