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 that gathers all the latest automotive headlines from around the globe and puts them in one spot.
The Downshift summarizes stories into a couple of sentences and provides a link for those seeking more information. Here’s what’s happening on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.
✂️ Volkswagen’s desperate cost-cutting campaign could eliminate models at every one of the conglomerate’s brands, including the Porsche Taycan, Cayenne Coupe, and 718 successor, as well as the VW Jetta and Taos, and the Audi Q5 Sportback and Q6 E-Tron Sportback. [Bild via Road & Track]
📦 Rivian’s Commercial Van is quietly one of the automaker’s biggest hits, outselling its own R1T pickup as well as every one of its EV cargo competitors by a huge margin. Consider that from April through June, Rivian moved more than 4,000 examples of the van, and runner-up General Motors sold just 460 BrightDrops, a vehicle that’s already been discontinued. [InsideEVs]
🔧 BMW is recalling just under 30,000 cars in the U.S. due to a faulty starter relay that could corrode and cause a fire. The 530e xDrive and 740Le xDrive are both impacted. [Reuters]
🏋️ Subaru also has a recall on its hands, though this one is less dangerous and more amusing. The automaker is recalling 541,000 cars for, of all things, labels bearing incorrect gross axle weight ratings. [Reuters]
💵 California is now offering $3,500 to anyone buying an EV for the first time, covering new cars costing up to $50,000. There is also a $1,750 rebate available to anyone buying a used EV priced under $25,000. [Reuters]
📐 Infiniti is taking its upcoming QX80 Red Sport back to the drawing board to give it more than simply a lot of power and make it a more formidable opponent to the Mercedes-AMG and BMW M SUVs it aims to compete with. [Automotive News]
Got a tip? 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.
