Good morning and welcome to The Down Shift, or TDS for short.
The Downshift is The Drive‘s new weekday early morning quick-hit news rundown that gathers all the latest automotive stories from around the globe in one place. Pair TDS with a Pop-Tart and coffee.
Today’s TDS closes out the second week of the new series and the feedback has been heard. Thanks to everyone that’s submitted thoughts via the comments and email (tips@thedrive.com). The series will continue to evolve based upon feedback, so don’t be shy.
TDS is light, right, and tight. Heavy on news and light on words. TDS is not a full-featured story, not in-depth reporting, and absolutely not something that takes a long time to read. Stories are summarized in a single (sometimes long) sentence accompanied by a link providing the ability to go further with more information.
The first cup of coffee is gone here, so let’s get into it.
🚘 What I’m driving: Headed into the weekend still with the 2025 Lincoln Navigator L Black Label and absolutely love the fact it now has a split tailgate, and that tailgate is at least all painted one color unlike the 2025 Ford Expedition.
🛻 Ford’s promised “Model T moment” on Monday might include an “affordable” small electric pickup truck called Ranchero powered by LFP batteries, but subsequently the Blue Oval’s delayed the full-size electric Lightning replacement, again.
🚙 The 2026 Jeep Grand Wagoneer was partially revealed with revised front end design featuring an updated Wagoneer S-like grille and refined LED lighting.
★ Genesis announced a new Prestige Black Trim for the 2026 G80, G90, GV80, and GV80 Coupe as a range-topper option.
🏎️ The 2026 Porsche 911 Cup dropped the GT3 from its name and the 2026 Porsche 911 GT3 R received a host of refinements.
🔋 BMW reportedly is eyeing Chinese-sourced batteries for its U.S.-made EVs and GM might bring batteries in from China’s CATL all despite the current administration’s efforts to cut out China and silo America with tariffs.
🪫 Bankrupt Swedish battery maker Northvolt has come to an acquisition agreement with U.S. battery startup Lyten, which is backed by Stellantis and FedEx.
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