Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
Tight, snappy, and long on info and short on fluff, TDS gathers the latest headlines from around the globe and puts them in one place. Stories are summarized in a single sentence accompanied by a link for those seeking more information.
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The first cup of coffee is gone, it’s definitely time for a second so let’s get into it.
🚘 What I’m driving: Spending time in the 2026 Polestar 4 and really feeling mixed about the no rear window situation and only being able to rely on a rearview mirror that’s displaying a video feed. Overall, the system is well done, but the cabin’s ambient lighting has a strip that runs around the cabin, lights up by the windshield, and reflects into the screen when it’s dark outside.
🔥 Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda used his racing alter ego known as Morizo to confirm the Japanese automaker will debut a mid-engine two-seat vehicle Friday at the 2026 Tokyo Auto Salon; money says the car will be a GR-badged MR2 revival that likely features a hybrid powertrain, but we won’t have to wait long to find out.
📜 A US lawmaker introduced legislation that would require new motor vehicles that feature electronic door releases to include a mechanical latch that is “intuitive to use and readily accessible for the occupant.” The legislation, called the Securing Accessible Functional Emergency Exit Act, will be heard on January 13.
🤨 A U.S. Senate committee hearing on vehicle affordability that was set to feature the Detroit 3 CEOs and a top Tesla executive has been postponed after Ford CEO Jim Farley pushed back, noting Tesla CEO Elon Musk was not called to testify.
👨💼 After four months on the job, Michael Soutter resigned as Senior Vice President of U.S. Marketing and Sales for Nissan; Tiago Castro, a 23-year veteran of Nissan currently serving as Infiniti’s VP, will take over Soutter’s position at Nissan.
🐏 Ram extended its 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty to 2026 models.
⛽️ Outgoing Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said killing the gas-powered Macan without a direct replacement was a mistake; the executive noted the decision made sense at the time, but the strategy didn’t end up working out.
📌 Toyota officially spun Gazoo Racing off as a standalone brand.
🚐 A new RV trailer dubbed the Evotrex-PG5 debuted with a built-in LFP battery pack and electric motor to drive the wheels and act as a generator for off-grid camping.
👨💼 Ex-Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath has returned to his previous role as chief designer at Volvo; Ingenlath was responsible for designing the second-generation XC90, V90, and XC40.
🏁 NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps resigned after inflammatory texts were revealed in a trial.
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