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Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
Simple, short, and snappy, TDS gathers the latest automotive news from around the world and puts it in one place. Stories are summarized in a single, sometimes long, sentence accompanied by a link for those seeking more information.
The first cup of coffee is gone and I’m ready for the second, so let’s get into it.
🔋 Hyundai’s spending $1.2 trillion won ($817 million) on a new Future Mobility Battery Campus in South Korea, which will perform real-world quality and durability testing on battery packs before mass production begins; the automaker said it’s been experimenting with cell materials and designs, but the new campus will enable the development of next-generation high-performance lithium-ion batteries for EVs and extended-range hybrids.
🏎️ Toyota teased the debut of its new sports models, which will be revealed Thursday at 9 pm ET, and the dark image confirms a race car (presumed to be entering the GT3 class), a road-going variant of that race car presumed to now be called the Toyota GR GT, and for the first time, what seems like confirmation of a production model of the Lexus Sport Concept.
⛽️ A new report revealed China is flooding the world with gas-powered cars its automakers can’t sell at home.
🚙 Mercedes-Benz released two new teaser images of the upcoming G-Class Cabriolet.
🛞 The new Bridgestone Potenza RE-71RS successor will arrive on New Year’s Eve.
‼️ Nissan recalled nearly 42,000 Sentras due to a defective windshield, which may have visible air bubbles in the glass.
🥜 Hyundai partnered with PEANUTS bringing Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and other iconic characters to infotainment screens of certain models including the Ioniq 9 and Palisade.
🔦 Kia gave us a glimpse of the new 2027 Seltos ahead of the small SUV’s apparently imminent debut.
🔌 The executive in charge of the Porsche Cayenne lineup said the electric variant is more capable off-road than the gas-powered model, and the EV towed a Porsche boat over 150 miles on a single charge.
🔲 Porsche brought back Pasha, tartan, and Pepita fabric patterns for enthusiasts looking to restore their classic cars to original condition.
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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.
