BMW Isn’t Giving up on Manuals, Polestar Doubles Down on US Production, and Honda Revives a Legendary Team: Downshift

Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.

The Downshift is The Drive’s morning summary of all the auto industry headlines you need to know. News is summarized with a few sentences, including links to dig deeper if you wish. The sun’s shining outside my window and I’ve got a full cup of coffee on my desk. That’s all you can really ask for on a Monday, so let’s get into it.

⚙️ While some at BMW may feel that the manual transmission “doesn’t really make sense” anymore, the company is nevertheless working to ensure its continued existence in performance offerings, according to M division vice president Sylvia Neubauer. The exec “promised a solution” to Automobilwoche (via Motor1), saying that its engineers are investigating ways to keep the stick around despite rising torque figures.

🏭 The Polestar 3 SUV is currently made in Chengdu, China and South Carolina, but CarBuzz reports that Polestar plans to end Chinese production of the model, leaving all manufacturing to the U.S.

🥼 Honda is reviving the R&D unit it closed at the beginning of the decade in the hopes of facilitating competition with Chinese manufacturing, according to Nikkei Asia. This division achieved many firsts for the automaker over the years, including the development of the CVCC engine that was able to meet U.S. emissions regulations back in the ’70s without the need for a catalytic converter.

😵‍💫 An Automotive News interview with Jeep CEO Bob Broderdorf unpacked the company’s strategy to get Grand Wagoneer sales on track, confirming a suspicion many had: Jeep found that customers thought the Grand Wagoneer was a larger vehicle than the Wagoneer, as the Grand Cherokee is to the regular Cherokee. The non-Grand Wagoneer was discontinued late last year.

👔 Jean-Dominique Senard, chairman of Renault Group, will not seek reelection upon the end of his term next year, per Reuters via Auto News. Senard took over the company after former chief Carlos Ghosn’s arrest in 2018.

🛞 Mercedes-Benz is recalling some 3,500 G-Class electric SUVs due to wheel bolts that may loosen over time, InsideEVs reports.

🏁 Weekend Race Results:

• NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Rockingham — William Sawalich won for Joe Gibbs Racing
• NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Rockingham — Corey Heim won for Tricon Garage