Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
TDS presents a concise, focused, and information-rich collection of the most recent automotive news from around the world, all in one place. Each story is summarized in a single sentence with a link for those who want further details.
🚨 Episode 4 of The Drivecast, The Drive’s latest podcast, is set to launch later today.
The first cup of coffee is finished, it’s February in Minnesota and it’s raining (what’s going on), so let’s dive in.
🚘 What I’m driving: I’m spending the week with the 2026 Mazda CX-90 Plug-In Hybrid and noting that it has ample power, although it’s not rapid in electric-only mode. It’s just quick enough to be satisfactory without the gas engine activated.
🆕 Polestar has unveiled plans for a product expansion that will introduce four new EVs in the next three years, including the Polestar 5 (which will rival the Porsche Taycan), a more versatile wagon-SUV-like version of the Polestar 4 (presumably featuring a rear window), an updated Polestar 2 (which never intended to see a second generation), and a Polestar 7; the Polestar 5, to be manufactured in China, will not be available in the U.S. at launch, and it’s uncertain when or if it will debut here.
🚕 Tesla announced that the first Cybercab has entered production in Texas.
🔋 Audi confirmed that a production version of the Concept C electric sports car will be available next year, regardless of the fate of the electric Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman, which the Audi was originally based on.
🤖 Tesla’s Robotaxis have reportedly crashed 14 times over the past eight months.
🚕 Uber is planning to allocate over $100 million toward charging hubs for autonomous electric taxis.
🐷 The departing head of design at Mercedes-Benz has secretly reinterpreted the legendary “Red Pig,” with concept images shared on Instagram.
🔱 The 2026 Goodwood Revival will celebrate and commemorate 100 years of Maserati in motorsport this September.
🏎️ The upcoming Lexus LC successor is slated to share the platform of the next-generation Toyota Supra and will feature a 2+2 format, combining elements from both the LC and RC models into a single GT.
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