Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
Brief, crisp, and engaging, TDS curates the freshest automotive news from around the globe and consolidates it into one location. Stories come with a link for those wanting further details.
The first sip of coffee is on, so let’s dive in.
🚘 Current ride: Still enjoying the 2026 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy Hybrid, with fuel economy numbers continuing to improve as I spend more time in it. I’m particularly curious to see how much fuel it consumes by week’s end as temperatures drop from the 30s to the single digits.
✍️ Mercedes-Benz is about to embark on one of the most significant design transformations in 18 years as a new design chief steps up; Gorden Wagener will leave his role as head designer on January 31, reportedly by his own request, marking a mutual conclusion of his tenure with the brand and closing this chapter of Mercedes’ design evolution.
🚕 Waymo is contemplating securing over $15 billion at a valuation thought to be near $100 billion in a new financing initiative led by its parent company, Alphabet Inc.
🛰️ Tesla has submitted a patent disclosing how the automaker plans to incorporate Starlink internet services into upcoming models.
📉 Jeep is about to break a six-year streak of declining U.S. sales, with plans to streamline its lineup, reducing the number of configurations while enhancing content, refreshing models, and introducing a gas-powered variant of its EVs.
🤖 GM is launching a fleet of vehicles equipped with hands-free driver-assist technology as part of its strategic shift towards focusing on personal autonomous vehicles as opposed to robotaxis.
🪦 The last Ford Escape has exited the production line in Louisville, raising concerns among Blue Oval dealers over the loss of what was considered the automaker’s “bread and butter”; dealers described the crossover as a “top seller” and “integral to the affordable segment” in their efforts to attract new customers, which Ford aims to do with its forthcoming $30,000 midsize electric pickup touted as groundbreaking.
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