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A daily hot lap of headlines from the auto industry and car culture, curated by The Drive’s editors.
Good morning, and welcome to The Downshift, which is a lap of today’s top stories from around the auto industry and car culture, curated by The Drive‘s editorial team. Each story gets summarized into a sentence or two accompanied by a link to the source for those seeking more information. Senior Editor Adam Ismail is out today on assignment and I’ll once again be your driver, but he’ll be back behind the wheel again tomorrow.
Here’s what firing on Wednesday, October 14, 2026:
🔊 A new episode of The Drivecast, The Drive’s weekly podcast, will go live later today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.
🏕️ Acura’s lineup is going to expand in the coming years with two SUVs that should inject much-needed sales into Honda’s luxury division. An off-road oriented “adventure ready” SUV will arrive first in 2028, which is expected to be a reskinned Honda Passport TrailSport. Then around 2030 a three-row eight-passenger SUV, known as internally as the Acura XL, will arrive to serve as a new flagship. The large SUV will be twinned with a new super sized Honda model and will square off with the Lexus TX. Expect a new V6 hybrid powertrain in both SUVs. [Automotive News]
🔋 Despite a resurgence of the V8 engine and Hellcat powertrains Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa knows the endgame: the executive said he “truly” believes electrification will take hold in the U.S. market. [Reuters]
📉 Volvo dealers were counting on selling a ton of electric midsize EX60s this year, but that isn’t happening. The launch has been botched by manufacturing issues that have caused fewer cars rolling off the assembly line than expected. Volvo’s prioritizing the European market and U.S. dealers are suffering. [InsideEVs]
⚓️ The Ineos Grenadier Helmsman debuted with a nautical design influence including blue paint, a contrasting white roof, and black trim. Ineos is making the Helmsman available on both the Station Wagon and the Quartermaster pickup. [Motor1]
📋 Preorders for Ford’s $30,000 Fathom electric truck won’t open until next year, but the Blue Oval’s ready to get consumers signed up for … something, anything, today. Ford is now letting customers register to receive a preorder invite when the line opens in early 2027. [InsideEVs]
8️⃣ The 2027 BMW M760 xDrive debuted as the new V8-powered iteration of the automaker’s flagship sedan. The higher-performance variant of the 7-Series will arrive in the U.S. in the first half of next year, but pricing hasn’t been announced yet. [Car and Driver]
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As Director of Content and Product, Joel draws on over 15 years of newsroom experience and inability to actually stop working to help ensure The Drive shapes the future of automotive media. He’s also a World Car Award juror.
