Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
Tight, dense, and quick to read, 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.
I’m still in Montana and am headed to the FAT Ice Race today. So let’s get into it.
🚘 What I’m driving: Spent some time sliding a Rivian R1S Quad sideways yesterday on snow-covered roads that were closed.
💰 The 2027 Kia Telluride Hybrid’s price was revealed as $48,035 including a $1,545 destination charge, which is $7,300 more than the non-hybrid, but the main discrepency comes from the fact that Kia’s not offering the hybrid lineup with the non-hybrid’s two base models; trim-for-trim the hybrid costs $2,700 more because it features standard all-wheel drive with the price gap closing to $700 with all-wheel drive optioned into the gas-model’s mix making the entire lineup confusing.
📉 Maserati sales fell off a cliff collapsing 58% over the last two years with only 11,127 cars sold in 2025.
🚨 Ford recalled 4,380,609 vehicles due to an issue that could prevent trailer brakes from engaging.
🤩 Bugatti unveiled a one-off dubbed the W16 Mistral ‘La Perle Rare’ with the word rare literally in its name.
👋 Tesla’s Cybercab program manager, Victor Nechita, reportedly left the automaker just before the first Cybercab rolled off the assembly line.
👨💼 Audi appointed Vito Paladino as president and head of Audi North America as of April 1, 2026.
🚨 Kia recalled 85,488 vehicles due to an issue with a seat back frame failing to properly restrain occupants during a crash.
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