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The Daily Brief wraps up the biggest stories and our exclusive reporting on the auto industry and car culture.
Hi there! Welcome to The Downshift, a daily news roundup curated by The Drive’s editorial team. (Really, it’s just me, Caleb. I’m filling in for my amigo Adam today. Thanks for having me!) Each story gets a short summary and a link to the original source if you want to dive deeper.
Here’s what’s bubbling on Thursday, Sept. 24:
🚐 Volkswagen pulled the ID. Buzz from the U.S. market in late 2025, saying it would skip the 2026 model year altogether before returning as a 2027 model. However, that comeback has been significantly delayed, as VW now says it’ll launch in the first half of next year as a 2028 model. It’s a frustrating blow for VW dealers, who desperately need a model that’s interesting and youthful like the retro-modern people mover aspires to be. At least it’ll have updated software, vehicle-to-load capability, and digital key integration when it returns. *Sigh* [Automotive News]
🏆 Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman Akio Toyoda is officially an Automotive Hall of Famer. His induction into the establishment—which I, frankly, didn’t know existed beyond metaphor—makes him a third-generation member, joining his grandfather and Toyota founder Kiichiro Toyoda as well as his father, Shoichiro Toyoda. Industry folks know ’em for sparking greater collaboration between automakers, while enthusiasts know ’em by his secret racing driver alias “Morizo.” And everyone loves ’em for giving us the Lexus LFA. [Toyota]
⛽ Bentley says it won’t go EV-only by 2030 after all. Interestingly, the brand’s CEO Frank-Steffan Walliser announced this on the same day the electric Torcal was released. This further proves that the car industry isn’t what it was when many automakers vowed a few years back to drop internal combustion. Of course, they spent a ton of money on these battery-powered models, so they have to build them. Now it’s just a question of whether or not anyone will buy them. [Autocar]
🌻 Mazda has some of the best car colors, period, and it will now build Miatas in Sunflower Yellow. Well, officially, it will build six of them. If you aren’t one of the lucky few to buy this new FSW Ver. 2 special edition, you’ll be stuck with Soul Red Crystal. Still, not a bad consolation prize. [Carbuzz]
🏁 Six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon is leaving Chip Ganassi Racing for Arrow McLaren in 2027, where he’ll sport a new number. To poorly quote Drake, “Turn the 9 upside down, it’s a 6 now.” And if you don’t get that reference, don’t worry—just know that his new orange and blue Chevy will wear the No. 6 [Racer]
🎮 Forza Motorsport might be a goner with Xbox’s latest merger, which combines Turn 10 Studios with Horizon maker Playground Games. [Kotaku]
📺 It’s not enough for Ford to offer a variety of truck tailgates for parking lot parties, so it wants to patent a fold-down TV that stows away in an electric truck’s frunk. [USPTO via Motor1]
🚛 A single Tesla semi-truck order of 2,500 units would double the number of electric Class 8 vehicles on United States roads—if Tesla can deliver them all. Multiple companies, including Microsoft and Pepsi, joined together to request the diesel-less freight movers. Supposedly, Tesla expects to ship them all out within 18 months. [Fast Company]
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From running point on new car launch coverage to editing long-form features and reviews, Caleb does some of everything at The Drive. And he really, really loves trucks.
