Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
Short, dense, and quick, TDS gathers the latest automotive headlines from around the globe and places them in one sport. Stories are summarized in a single sentence accompanied by a link for those seeking more information.
🔈 If you happened to be on vacation last week we wanted to give you a heads up that The Drive launched its first podcast, called The Drivecast, with episode 1 now live on both Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
🚨 Today, The Drive will kick off The Drive Awards 2026 with category winners revealed each day this week leading up to The Drive Car of the Year 2026 winner being revealed on Friday.
The first cup of coffee is gone, the second is in hand, and it’s going to be another big week here at The Drive. Let’s get into it.
🚘 What I’m driving: Spent the weekend finishing up my week with the 2026 Honda Ridgeline Trailsport and have come to appreciate how it’s a truck that will do much of what people actually need while being easy to live with.
⛽️ Scout CEO Scott Keogh said the automaker now has over 150,000 reservations for its electric truck and SUV, though the team is surprised that roughly 85% of those are for the extended-range variant with a gas-powered generator.
📉 Tesla’s European sales slump continued with French sales falling 42% last month and 88% in Norway.
⭐️ One of Mercedes’ largest shareholders said the new S-Class is the “last shot” for the automaker’s CEO to prove the historic company can retain the luxury crown.
🪦 Lexus confirmed the LC will exit production after the 2026 model year, which was widely expected.
💰 Polestar announced an equity financing round of $400 million.
🏎️ President Trump signed an executive order to bring an IndyCar race, dubbed the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, to Washington, D.C. in 2026.
🇫🇷 Honda reportedly might enter the 24 Hours of Le Mans as soon as next year with an IMSA-spec Acura ARX-06.
🇨🇳 Ford’s reportedly in talks with Chinese electric-car maker Xiaomi about forming a partnership to build EVs in the U.S.
📉 BYD sales slumped 30% in January as demand in China cools off.
🔌 CATL said it has a new battery that fast charging won’t kill with the ability to retain 80% capacity after being fast charged for 1.1 million miles.
🏁 Weekend Race Results:
- Formula E Miami E-Prix: Mitch Evans took the win for Jaguar TCS Racing.
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