Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
Quick, dense, and tight, 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.
The first cup of coffee is gone, spring break is over (in this house), and it’s time to get back with reality. Let’s get into it.
🚘 What I’m driving: Been spending some time with the 2026 Dodge Durango Hellcat and have to say, it just feels so old school. It’s kind of amazing the basis of this thing has been on sale for essentially 15 years.
⚙️ Toyota Gazoo Racing marketing manager Mikio Hayashi said the automaker’s continuing to develop its mid-engine Yaris M Concept sports car and is “making this car better every day;” Hayashi added, “all the knowledge and feedback through training this car in motorsport – it’s going to be translated into something else in a road car or mass production car in the future, possibly. We are continuing this path.”
🛑 Production of the Jeep Cherokee has been brought to a halt over a supplier dispute between Stellantis and ZF over chassis modules since March 14.
💨 The iconic 5-cylinder engine will be ending its tenure at Audi in Europe as Euro 7 emissions regulations loom; the legendary engine will continue in the RS3 in the U.S. for now.
🤑 General Motors believes OnStar and Super Cruise subscriptions will “fundamentally transform” its business in the future.
💣 The conflict in Iran is threatening the money-printing market for luxury automakers including Ferrari, Bentley, and Rolls-Royce.
💸 Depreciating used EVs are about to cost automaker finance companies billions as leases come to an end.
🤺 Now that Rivian made car dealers back down in Washington other states might be next.
🚙 Tesla CEO Elon Musk is hinting the automaker might be preparing to reveal an urban transport vehicle that would be “cooler” than a minivan.
💰 Rivian just hit another milestone and unlocked another $1 billion from Volkswagen.
💵 The founder of Bollinger Motors just bought back the EV startup’s assets for $250,000.
🏁 Weekend Race Results:
- Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix – Kimi Antonelli took the win and made history for Mercedes-AMG Petronas
- NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 – Chase Elliott took the checkered flag for Hendrick Motorsports
- NTT IndyCar Series Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix – Alex Palou won for Chip Ganassi Racing
- MotorGP Grand Prix of the Americas – Marco Bezzecchi won for Aprilia Racing
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