The biggest car news and reviews, no BS
Our free daily newsletter sends the stories that really matter directly to you, every weekday.
Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short, The Drive’s daily news roundup bringing you the biggest automotive headlines from around the world.
Each item in The Downshift includes a link you can follow for the deeper story. Here’s your bulletin for Thursday, August 27, 2026.
🛻 Hyundai has been teasing a new body-on-frame platform for pickups and SUVs for a while now, and CEO Jose Muñoz added fuel to the fire this week, saying that the company may export those vehicles to other markets from the U.S., where they are expected to be built. Hyundai clearly views ladder-frame vehicles as a significant growth driver in the coming years, though the volume of products it sells sharing the platform will depend on whether Kia and Genesis also offer vehicles that utilize it. Its first body-on-frame offering, a midsize pickup, is expected to debut in 2029. [Automotive News]
🤏 If you’ve been patiently waiting for the return of the Honda Fit to the U.S. market, don’t hold your breath. American Honda sales boss Lance Woelfer recently told media that there are currently no plans for the Fit’s comeback, though he didn’t completely deny the possibility, saying that it’s “always something we can consider and look at,” and that the automaker is “looking at everything” when it comes to offering cheaper cars. [Road & Track via Motor1]
🔧 The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s probe into tie-rod failure in some quarter-million Nissan Rogue SUVs has ended with no recall. [Autoblog]
💺 Just over 20,000 Kia EV9 electric SUVs have been recalled due to a risk that the front-passenger airbag may still deploy even if that seat is occupied by a child or car seat. [Autoblog]
🚪 After about 3 million Tesla cars were recalled in China for having hard-to-locate or operate backup physical door handles, Dutch auto regulator RDW said that it is not currently pursuing a similar action in Europe, though it declined to say whether it might in the future. [Automotive News]
🏇 The Mazda MX-5 Miata will continue to be offered in the U.K., but only with a smaller, 1.5-liter engine that makes 134 horsepower, after the 180-hp 2.0-liter was discontinued in the region due to emissions regulations. [Autocar]
🏁 McLaren says it’s upcoming hypercar endurance racer has completed more than 30 hours of testing at the Aragon circuit in Spain, simulating the distance of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and then some. [Motorsport.com]
⛐ Mini is campaigning its first full season in the American Rally Championship, and the company is sending two dealer techs to every rally to work alongside the Mini John Cooper Works Race Team, which is run by LAP Motorsports. [Automotive News]
Got a tip or feedback for TDS? Reach out to tips@thedrive.com
Backed by a decade of covering cars and consumer tech, Adam Ismail is a Senior Editor at The Drive, focused on curating and producing the site’s slate of daily stories.
