Welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short, The Drive’s morning automotive news roundup, bringing you the biggest headlines from around the globe.
The Downshift sums up stories in short blurbs with links to the source for the full report. Here’s the news worth catching up on for Thursday, July 16, 2026.
🎓 A driving school (normal driving, not racing) is using VR headsets to better train its trainers, blurring the line between classroom and in-car training. [Reuters]
🛤️ Footage from the cockpit of a train plowing through Canadian wildfires is absolutely horrifying. [AP News]
💰 The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is getting $6,300 cheaper—the 2026 model starts at $61,500. [Car and Driver]
⚡ Autocar test-drove a prototype of the Range Rover Sport EV, which is reportedly “coming soon.” [Autocar]
👷 Road & Track got to test-drive an odd two-seat cargo/commercial variant of the Toyota Land Cruiser [Road & Track]
🦘 Australians shared owner experiences and impressions of BYDs, as the Chinese electric cars are soaring in popularity Down Under. [Drive.com.au]
🚙 Infiniti QX80 Red Sport, the brand’s upcoming huge high-performance SUV, is being delayed so it can be better dialed in to take on rivals. Specifically, Mercedes-AMG. [Automotive News]
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