you are welcome downshiftor TDS for short, of drive The morning news roundup features the biggest automotive headlines from around the world.
downshift Summarizes news in a few sentences, with links to other sites to get the deeper story. Here is your bulletin for Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
🧑🔧 Ford is recalling 741,195 vehicles in the US, including certain 2018-2021 Ford Explorer, Expedition and F-150 and Lincoln Aviator and Navigator models, due to a transmission malfunction that can damage the parking pawl, preventing the vehicle from being held in place and thus creating a rollaway risk unless the parking brake is also applied. To address the issue, Ford will update the powertrain control modules of affected vehicles and inspect the park system for damage, replacing compromised components where necessary. Until then, make sure to use that parking brake every time. (associated Press, NHTSA)
🍁A spokesperson for Slate said matter-of-factly that the young company “has no plans to sell the vehicle in Canada” without providing further details. The Slate Electric Pickup will go on sale in the US at a starting price of $24,950, before destination charges. (automotive news)
🏭 Volkswagen could separate its automotive components business in Germany from its main automaking arm, allowing it to close German factories, something it wouldn’t normally be able to do because of the so-called “Volkswagen Law”, which gives the state of Lower Saxony a 20% voting right at company general meetings. (reuters)
Ferrari and BMW are among the automakers turning from copper to aluminum for wiring applications, which has become cheaper these days as the cost of data centers rises. Chinese automakers and Tesla have done the same in recent years. An additional benefit of aluminum is that it is lighter than copper, and weight is a particularly important consideration for EVs. (reuters)
🦅 Nissan has jumped on the Americas 250 special-edition bandwagon for its pickups, announcing that it will build 2,500 examples of the Frontier that will include the Stars and Stripes in the truck’s large tailgate badging. (Nissan)
💸 Speaking of Nissan, if you’re looking for a new car under $20,000, your options have pretty much disappeared unless you can snag one of the few examples of the 2025 Versa S left for sale nationwide. The S trim, equipped with the manual, was discontinued, bringing the subcompact sedan’s starting price above $20,000. (CarsDirect)
🔧 Stellantis has extended a previously planned production halt for the Fiat 500 at its Turin plant due to a component shortage. (reuters)
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