Happy Friday and welcome to The Downshift, our sweep of top headlines from the auto industry and car culture every morning, curated by The Drive’s editorial team. Each story gets a short summary and a link to the original source if you want to dive deeper.
Here’s the report for Friday, October 9, 2026:
🆔 Volkswagen has revealed the ID.Tiguan, which will succeed the ID.4. It has a more conventional SUV design with a tweaked interior that features way more physical buttons than before, from the center stack to the steering wheel. The top trim will carry a 77-kWh battery and make just shy of 300 horsepower from front and rear motors. All told, expect a range somewhere in the ballpark of low-to-mid 300 miles. The ID.Tiguan will hit Europe first early next year, and the U.S. sale date is TBA. [Volkswagen]
📉 Porsche’s global sales were down 16% over the first nine months of 2026, a result the company attributes to the discontinuation of its 718 model line, as well as a 33% plunge in China, specifically. [Reuters]
🆕 Honda has updated the Civic with a new Sport-L trim, adding leather seats and other conveniences you formerly needed to spring for the Touring model to get. Meanwhile, the Sport Touring Hybrid is receiving the S+ Shift technology introduced on the Prelude, which shares its powertrain. [Honda]
⭐ Polestar has nearly sold through all of its remaining 2026 model-year vehicles in the U.S., according to CEO Michael Lohscheller. Of course, after that happens, there won’t be any more new Polestars to buy on this side of the pond. [Reuters]
🍁 A study commissioned by a think tank called Clean Energy Canada found that 47% of Canadians would prefer an automotive market that more closely reflects Europe’s with cheaper, more compact, and alternative-energy options, compared to one that mirrors the U.S. market. [Automotive News]
🔋 In other studies, BMW commissioned one of the U.S. car-buying public that found that 42% of Americans require at least 300 miles of range from an EV before considering a purchase. 53% said they’d be more likely to buy an EV if it supported super-fast charging that could add 150 miles of range in 10 minutes. [BMW Blog]
👋 If you have been waiting to snap up a McLaren 750S, now’s your last chance. The automaker has confirmed that the model will end production soon, and final orders are being collected now. [Motor1]
🛻 Honda will reportedly sell a rebadged version of Mitsubishi’s Triton body-on-frame pickup in Southeast Asia, perhaps precipitating similar options globally. [Automotive News]
🏆 Porsche specialist Manthey, which the automaker recently increased its stake in to 67%, has introduced two ultra-limited-run models. The 992.1-based 911 GT3 Cup MR 30 features a flat-six with an increased displacement of 4.2 liters, while the (deep breath here) 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport MR 30 offers more aggressive aero and even more drastic weight savings. [Manthey]
✖️ The JAS Tensei—a Honda NSX restomod designed by Pininfarina—has been completed, and sounds great, with a Judd-tuned version of the NSX’s V6 now making 420 horsepower, sending power through a six-speed gearbox, and a reduced weight of 2,750 pounds owing to carbon-fiber body panels. 35 will be built for just under $1 million a pop, which almost sounds like a solid deal until you realize that does not include the price of a donor NSX. [Road & Track]
🏁 Weekend races to watch (all times Eastern):
- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Charlotte: Friday at 5 p.m. on Fox
- Intercontinental GT Challenge Indianapolis 8 Hours: Saturday at 12 p.m. on YouTube
- NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Charlotte: Saturday at 4 p.m. on CW/ESPN
- MotoGP Indonesia Grand Prix: Sunday at 3 a.m. on FS2
- Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix: Sunday at 8 a.m. on Apple TV
- NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte: Sunday at 3 p.m. on USA
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