Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
Tight, right, and light, TDS gathers the latest automotive news from around the globe and puts it all in one place. Stories are summarized in a single, sometimes long, sentence accompanied by a link for those seeking more information.
🚨 A brief heads up that I’ll be in Los Angeles next week for 2026 World Car of the Year awards testing, the 2025 LA Auto Show, and some time with Volvo. That might shift the timing of TDS, or who’s writing it, a smidge. But don’t worry, TDS will still arrive daily.
The first cup of coffee’s gone, the second is needed, and the weekend is in sight so let’s get into it.
🚘 What I’m driving: Headed into the weekend with the 2025 Jeep Wagoneer S and continue to be impressed by its efficiency but perplexed with its iOS app, which at sometimes seems to full featured and thought out while at other moments fails to load or execute functions.
📱 Tesla is reportedly developing Apple CarPlay support due to it being one of the most highly requested features by customers; the move marks a stunning reversal as CEO Elon Musk has for years slammed Apple, the company’s policies, and ignored customer pleas for the phone projection software, which combined with underwhelming sales leads to the question of whether Tesla is getting desperate.
🇨🇳 China might crack down on too-quick EVs as proposed legislation would lock the default 0-60 mph times behind an artificial 5-second wall.
🏎️ The Bentley Supersports debuted as a lighter, more powerful, louder, brasher Continental GT coupe aimed at enthusiasts that want rear-wheel drive and weight savings in their large luxury GT.
🔋 Mazda began testing an EV that is designed and developed for the U.S. market.
🔥 Ineos Automotive cut hundreds of jobs to save headcount globally as tariffs and supply chain disruptions put pressure on the finances.
📉 Nissan’s new plan calls for a pivot to hybrids, U.S. sales growth, and a blast of product; the automaker is cutting jobs at its European regional office and the S&P lowered the automaker’s rating from BB to BB-.
🧗 A Chinese SUV from Chery attempted to replicate Range Rover’s 2018 stair climbing stunt and failed.
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