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Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
Short, tight, and light, TDS gathers the latest automotive headlines from around the globe and brings them to one place. Stories are summarized in a single sentence accompanied by a link for those seeking more information.
It’s day two of 2026 as the team ramps back up to full speed. It feels great to be back in the driver’s seat. Appreciate the flood of feedback and notes we’ve received in the last few weeks.
The first cup of coffee is gone, a second is definitely needed so let’s get into it.
🚘 What I’m driving: The 2025 Toyota 4Runner Trailhunter left my driveway and was replaced with a 2026 Polestar 4. I’ve only driven the EV about four feet to place it in my garage but a snap judgement says a vehicle that is supposed to be a mainstream car really should have a glass rear window rather than just a camera feed, but we’ll see how the week goes.
🇨🇳 Ash Sutcliffe, Head of Global Communications for Geely Holding Group (which is a massive Chinese conglomerate that owns everything from Volvo and Lotus to Polestar, Zeekr, and Lynk & Co) told journalists in Las Vegas at CES “the big question for us is when and where will we go to the USA? I think we will have an announcement on that in the next 24-36 months.” It wouldn’t be hard for Geely to skirt the barriers of entry for Chinese vehicles in the U.S. with the ability to produce its vehicles on Volvo’s assembly lines here today.
🚕 Uber, Lucid, and Nuro teamed up and revealed a production-intent robotaxi based on the startup automaker’s Gravity SUV; the robotaxis are already on the road testing in San Francisco with plans calling for over 20,000 units to be deployed over the next five years.
🔋 The first Afeela EV has rolled off the assembly line at Honda’s East Liberty Auto Plant in Ohio, and a second model in the form of a crossover SUV debuted in Las Vegas as CES.
🚖 Tesla received a suspension notice from the United States Patent and Trademark Office over the use of the term Cybercab, which someone else owns the rights to the trademark.
🤖 Mercedes-Benz announced its MB.Drive Assist Pro hands-free Level 2 driver-assist system, which is said to launch in the U.S. later this year and enable a vehicle to drive from a parking lot to a destination while navigating city intersections and making turns without driver intervention.
🔋 The first production solid-state battery has arrived and it’s promising 5-minute charging capabilities.
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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.
