
Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
Concise, precise, and accurate, TDS compiles the latest automotive updates from across the globe, presenting them all in one location. Each story is encapsulated in a single sentence with a link for those interested in further details.
🚨 Today I’m undergoing surgery, and tomorrow Senior Editor Adam Ismail will take up TDS responsibilities, which means the publication schedule will shift a bit. Also, as a warning, we’ll be slowing our pace during the holidays, and tomorrow will be the last 2025 issue of TDS until we resume normal operations in the new year.
I can’t have coffee or really any food or drinks, so let’s dive right in.
🚘 What I’m driving: The 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid has left my driveway, and I’ll need to be cleared to drive before discussing another vehicle, so we’ll reconnect in the new year.
💰 Polestar has reached a credit agreement with its Chinese parent, Geely, through the Swedish-based investment branch of the Chinese company known as Geely Sweden Holdings AB; this deal amounts to a $600 million lifeline for Polestar, with the final $300 million contingent upon lender consent based on the automaker’s future liquidity requirements.
⛽️ Nissan dealers are eager for new products, better margins, and hybrids while safeguarding their profits.
🚕 Waymo’s autonomous taxis found themselves immobilized in traffic due to a power outage in San Francisco.
📉 New vehicle sales are projected to decline in 2026 from current 2025 levels.
🤑 Tesla has finally triumphed in the final court dispute over CEO Elon Musk’s compensation package via the Delaware Supreme Court.
🐎 The New York State Police are incorporating Ford Mustang GTs into their fleet.
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