Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
Dense, tight, and quick, TDS gathers the latest automotive news from around the globe and puts it in one spot. Stories are summarized in a single sentence accompanied by a link for those seeking more information.
I’m on a plane heading back to the U.S. from Sweden, have far too little sleep, and am preparing for extreme cold in Minnesota upon my arrival. Let’s get into it.
🚘 What I’m driving: Nothing. But I did ride in a Euro-spec Volvo EX90 this morning with the lovely wool seats and seriously, why aren’t people associating this kind of thing with luxury rather than leather. Divine.
⚙️ Gazoo Racing President Tomoya Takahashi confirmed Toyota is developing a mid-engine sports car with a 2.0-liter turbo-4 and a prototype is already racing on tracks; but production is still four to five years off as the car is in phase one of four of development.
💰 Hyundai overtook General Motors as the world’s fourth most valuable automaker with a boost in market value based on the promise of robots.
🔥 A one-off Lamborghini Diabo VT with a W16 motor that was used as an engine test mule before the first Bugatti Veyron prototype was built surfaced.
🚙 SRT boss Tim Kuniskis said the performance division will not touch the Chrysler Pacifica.
🎨 A Ferrari 12Cilindri with crazy color-shifting paint looks like a fancy version of Ford’s Mystichrome paint.
📱 The 2026 Audi Q5 and Q5 debuted with revised interiors that updates the vehicles’ infotainment systems and tech hardware including, importantly, a revised steering wheel with scroll wheels.
🏷️ Mitsubishi is considering adding a value-oriented Outlander Sport to the lineup to offer a lower-cost option with the Mirage now dead.