Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
Tight, dense, and succinct, 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.
It’s cold, windy, about -18 degrees with the windchill, and I’m sipping the first of what will surely be many cups of coffee. Let’s get into it.
🚘 What I’m driving: Spending the week with the 2026 Honda Ridgeline Trailsport, which I haven’t been in for quite some time, and my kids’ first question was why does a vehicle that is so large have such a small back seat. My immediate impression? The transmission seems to be lazy.
🚙 Volvo President and CEO Håkan Samuelsson highlighted the demand for full-size three-row SUVs in the U.S. and China, said the automaker is looking into this segment while quickly saying nothing has been greenlit, but described an unannounced third product to be built at the automaker’s U.S. South Carolina factory as a vehicle that is “very attractive for U.S. customers” and that it could be “a bigger one;” this all comes as Audi prepares to debut the three-row full-size Q9 later in the year.
🔋 EVs just outsold gas-powered cars in Europe for the first time despite geopolitical headwinds.
🛠️ General Motors brought back the Chevrolet Corvette Engine Build Experience at the company’s Bowling Green Assembly Performance Build Center, which means customers that order a Chevy Corvette Z06, ZR1, or ZR1X can help build their car’s LT6 or LT7 engine.
💰 The 2026 Toyota bZ Woodland has been priced at $46,750, which notably is just over $5,000 more than its Subaru Trailseeker twin; Toyota’s other new EV, the CH-R, will cost $38,450.
🔌 Jaguar doubled down and recommitted to an all-electric future while calling hybrid rumors “rubbish.”
‼️ Volkswagen is recalling 44,551 ID 4 electric cars in the U.S. with two separate recalls tied to potential battery-related fire risks.
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