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Get The Downshift in your inbox 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 to and I’ll once again be your driver. Here’s what firing on Wednesday, October 7, 2026: 🔊 A new episode…

A BYD Sealion 05 on display at the Beijing Auto Show in April 2026. Credit: CnEVPost. The EU is preparing safeguard measures targeting Chinese hybrids, potentially using tariff-rate quotas to limit imports, according to Bloomberg. Hybrids would serve as a test case for the EU’s trade rebalancing efforts, with the measures potentially extended to other sectors. The European Union is preparing to cap imports of China-made hybrid vehicles to narrow its trade deficit with China, potentially widening a dispute over automotive trade. The European Commission, which handles trade matters for the EU, is preparing safeguard measures following a surge in…

It’s the very first day of Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days event, and we’ve got a jam-packed edition of Green Deals for you, with the many other deals we couldn’t fit here collected into our Fall Prime Day Green Deals hub here. To start, we’re getting some increased savings from Anker’s SOLIX Fall Prime Day Sale, with options like the 3,840Wh F3800 Portable Power Station down at an exclusive $1,710, among many others. Likewise, there’s EcoFlow’s Prime Big Deal Days Sale with major savings, including the 3,072Wh DELTA 3 Ultra Plus Power Station down at $1,438. From there, we have…

Pop-up headlights haven’t featured on new cars for decades, primarily because Europe introduced rules in the 1990s restricting sharp edges protruding from a vehicle’s front end. Improvements in headlight technology have also allowed designers to shrink fixed lights while still providing adequate brightness. Now, France’s Alpine wants to bring the idea back into vogue, using this month’s Paris Motor Show to present a concept that explores a new execution. A teaser video for Alpine’s PS1 concept set to debut in the French capital on October 12, reveals a hideaway headlight design where the cover pops down instead of up. First…

Entry-level luxury has never been a simple proposition, but right now it feels more complicated than ever. The average transaction price for a new vehicle in the United States has crossed the $50,000 barrier, and with automakers pouring capital into electrification, base MSRPs keep climbing to offset those development costs. That makes it harder than ever to land the car you actually want, rather than the one your wallet will tolerate. So when a genuinely luxurious option surfaces at a price that doesn’t require a second mortgage, it deserves a serious look. Toyota has exactly that answer. The Crown Signia…

AutoCanada Inc. has initiated a strategic review of its collision operations segment, operating under the ACX banner, to evaluate potential transaction structures including a complete or partial sale or spin-off. The Board of Directors formed a Special Committee of independent directors to explore alternatives aimed at unlocking shareholder value. AutoCanada’s management noted that the valuation and growth potential of the collision network, which currently encompasses 38 collision repair locations supported by 26 OEM certifications across 37 vehicle brands, may not be fully captured within its public market valuation. The decision follows a period of aggressive expansion for the ACX network…

The Type 01, Jaguar’s most important and divisive car in years, has arrived. The production follow-up to the polarising Type 00 concept, Jaguar says the electric, four-door grand tourer is its most powerful road car ever.Even though the Type 00’s design chief was reportedly fired earlier this year, most of its aesthetic has carried over to the final car, for better or worse. You can’t buy it in that hot Miami pink though — didn’t anyone tell them GTA VI is almost here? It has the same low-slung silhouette, extended side-profile, and huge 23-inch wheels as the prototype, though shifting…

The Drive 🤝 your inbox. Every weekday The Daily Brief wraps up the biggest stories and our exclusive reporting on the auto industry and car culture. Did you think the “Kia Boys” mess was long gone? Think again. According to a recently published study from UCLA, thieves will be targeting Hyundai and Kia models (vulnerable or otherwise) for at least another decade and a half. Cool. “In our study, we examine the growth in thefts of Hyundai Sonatas in Los Angeles, CA, in relation to the rise of the ‘Kia Boys’ social media phenomenon, and then use a comparative mathematical…

A front splitter is one of the fastest ways to change how a car sits visually. It pulls the nose closer to the road, sharpens the bumper line, and makes even a stock ride height look more purposeful. The problem is that most people choose one from photos taken at car meets, then discover what it is like to own one on a Monday morning: steep driveways, speed bumps, parking blocks, and a winter of road salt. The good news is that a splitter and a daily driver can coexist perfectly well. It comes down to a handful…

The upgraded audio will debut at the US Grand Prix in Austin later this month. Apple Apple TV’s Formula 1 coverage will support Dolby Atmos, starting with the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas taking place from October 22 through October 25. Last year, Apple scored the exclusive deal for the US broadcast rights to Formula 1 racing, and its coverage started with the first grand prix weekend earlier this year. The company created a dedicated channel for it in the Apple TV app, where you can watch not just the races themselves, but also practice sessions, sprint races and…