Good morning and welcome to The Down Shift, or TDS for short.
The Down Shift is The Drive‘s new weekday early morning quick-hit news rundown bringing the latest stories that are bubbling both overnight and in the early am hours. Grab a Pop-Tart and cup of coffee while reading TDS.
Today marks the fifth installment of TDS and the first full week of the new series. Thank you to everyone that’s provided feedback via the comments and email ([email protected]) regarding the format and content. The feedback is truly appreciated and noted.
TDS is meant to be tight, light, and right, but not long, heavy, or cumbersome. This isn’t in-depth reporting or a single story. TDS is a heads up heading into the day. Headlines are summarized in a single sentence accompanied by a link providing the option to go deeper for more information.
The first cup of coffee is gone here, so let’s get into it.
What I’m driving: Heading into the weekend with the refreshed 2025.5 Volvo XC90 T8 plug-in hybrid SUV over here and am planning to test the fuel economy when the electric juice runs out thanks to a weekend road trip up north.
During a H1 2025 earnings call Porsche CEO Oliver Blume confirmed a gas-powered Macan replacement will arrive in 2028 with a new model name.
Ferrari’s CEO Benedetto Vigna said during the company’s Q2 2025 earnings call the automaker has never said it has a second or third EV in development, so there’s no EVs to be delayed in an attempt to quell rumors.
Subaru is considering an electric BRZ sports car.
Jaguar Land Rover CEO Adrian Mardell is stepping down and retiring after three years in the big chair, though a successor has not been named yet.
Mitsubishi announced the 2025 Outlander Trail Edition, which brings “off-highway styling and equipment” to the model, though it feels like a slap in the face for the automaker that won the Paris-to-Dakar race 12 times along with four driver’s championships in the World Rally Championship.
Have feedback on the formatting of TDS? Send us a note: [email protected]
Comments