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Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
Light, tight, and right, TDS gathers the latest automotive news bubbling around the globe and places it in one spot. Stories are summarized in a single sentence accompanied by a link for those seeking more information.
The first cup of coffee is gone and it’s time for the second, so let’s get into it.
🚘 What I’m driving: Still driving the 2026 Audi A6 Sportback E-Tron and realized last night it has fantastic headlights.
📱 GM CEO Mary Barra said the automaker will drop support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone projection on all new vehicles, gas and electric, in the near future in conjunction with the rollout of what GM’s Senior Vice President of Software and Services Dave Richardson called a “radical simplification” of GM’s Nvidia-based computing platform.
💰 During Tesla’s Q3 earnings call CEO Elon Musk raised the takes for his massive $1 trillion payday as profits plunge, margin pressure mounts, and the man in charge shifts his focus to a “robot army” as the automaker issues multiple recalls including one for over 63,000 Cybertrucks due to a lighting defect, and supposedly a Tesla Roadster demo is planned for this year after the initial reveal took place eight years ago.
🔌 Subaru Solterras gained Tesla Supercharger access.
💰 Volvo smashed profit forecasts as the automaker’s cost cutting delivered improved profitability.
🍾 Rolls-Royce revealed the Phantom Centenary Private Collection with only 25 examples to be made.
🚲 Rivian’s spinoff company, Also, revealed a high-end modular e-bike called the TM-B, which will cost $4,500.
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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.
