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 still out on assignment and I’ll be your driver today.
Here’s what firing on Wednesday, September 30, 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.
🇨🇳 Ford CEO Jim Farley said the U.S. must “be extremely careful around how the Chinese OEMs come to our country,” and noted that Chinese imports quickly gobbled up European marketshare once entering the market. “It’s too late” for European countries, the CEO said. [Reuters]
3️⃣ The 2027 BMW 3-Series debuted with Neue Klasse design inside and out and a starting price of $51,250. While it looks like the electric i3, it’s an entirely different car with its own proportions and details. [Motor Trend]
🔋 Meanwhile, the electric i3 gained a M60 model, which will serve as a M Performance version of the electric sedan that debuted earlier in the year. Specs haven’t been released, but M Performance Parts have been grabbed from the bin and tacked on for a more eye-catching look. [Motor1]
⚙️ Mazda refuses to give up on the rotary engine. Moritz Oswald, project manager for product planning and co-creation at Mazda Motor Europe, noted that people love the rotary because of how it revs, and the easiest way to bring that to customers is to let them experience it. You can only experience something if it exists, though, if Mazda does bring back the rotary you can bet it’ll likely be attached to a hybrid powertrain of some sort. [CAR]
💰 The U.S. Department Transportation Department said General Motors will see its technology costs go down by $20.4 billion through 2031 due to the new lower vehicle fuel economy rules. GM did not confirm the number, but said it is in favor of the rules and the “intention to better align fuel economy standards with market realities.” [Reuters]
✂️ BMW’s comeback plan includes growing margins by simplifying its business, lineup, cutting costs, and selling more expensive cars. [Bloomberg]
📱 Porsche unveiled a retrofit infotainment system for 2009 to 2016 models including the 911, Cayman, and Boxster. The touchscreen-based system adds wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and will arrive at Porsche dealers in early 2027. [Road & Track]
🔋 The Range Rover Sport Electric Debuted and looks … like a Range Rover Sport. Aside from the lack of tailpipes it would be hard to know this is powered by a big battery pack. The electric SUV will have 543 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque and go 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds. Final U.S.-specs haven’t been released yet, but expect about 300 miles of range. [Motor1]
📱 Lucid overhauled the Air’s infotainment system and aligned its interface with the newer tile-based design found in the Gravity SUV. The 2024 and older Air models will need a $950 hardware upgrade for the new software to work. [InsideEVs]
🔋 General Motors announced its lithium-manganese-rich batteries will be made in Spring Hill, Tennessee. The next-gen batteries will power EVs set to arrive in 2028. [InsideEVs]
Got a tip or feedback for The Downshift? Reach out to tips@thedrive.com
Add The Drive as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting.
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.
