you are welcome downshiftor TDS for short, of drive The Morning News Roundup is bringing you the biggest automotive headlines from around the world.
downshift Summarizes news with links to full stories for those seeking more information. This is your bulletin for Friday, June 26, 2026.
🤖Hyundai has taken the wraps off the next-generation Avante, the Korean-market rebadged version of what we know as the Elantra – and, boy, does it look different. Its design seems to be inspired by the latest Ioniq models, the new Sonata and the N Vision 74 concept from several years back. The Avante will hit domestic showrooms in just a few weeks, and we should expect it to arrive in the US in 2027. (autocar)
🍁 Chinese automakers like Chery and Geely are looking at impending Canadian auto sales as a way to test the waters for one day U.S. expansion — if the U.S. government policies that recently doomed Polestar in the country never soften. Chery International Chairman Zhang Guibing is said to have told media in China last month, “We definitely have the idea of selling cars in the United States.” (reuters)
👔 Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe was reappointed as the automaker’s CEO by the board on Friday, rejecting a proposal to remove him after the company posted its first annual loss in nearly 70 years. (automotive news)
💡 If you still don’t like the Ferrari Luce, perhaps you need more time to “digest” it, in the words of Gianmaria Fulgenzi, Maranello’s chief product development officer. “A car like this needs to be seen – and seen a lot – it needs to be digested, right? Otherwise your brain rejects some solutions, it turns them off,” the executive said at a tech forum in Milan on Thursday. (reuters)
✓ There is a new recall for 2026-model-year Toyota bZ, Subaru Solterra and Lexus RZ regarding a faulty ECU that can cause loss of drive power. The problem cannot be fixed with an over-the-air update, so owners will have to bring their vehicles in for service. In total, less than 21,000 cars were affected. (autoblog)
🖥️ In other recall news, Hyundai has issued a notice for 96,000 Tucson SUVs regarding a potential instrument cluster failure, although this is a problem that can and will be fixed via software update for owners. (reuters)
🏭 Volkswagen may close four plants in Germany and increase its total layoffs to 100,000, according to a new report citing two people familiar with the automaker’s plans. (reuters)
🚕 Waymo has registered a new business in Germany to start offering autonomous taxi services in the country. (bloomberg)
🐈⬛ The Jaguar Type 01 – the production version of the controversial Jaguar Type 00 concept that will relaunch the British brand – is set to launch in New York in October, a Jaguar Land Rover representative has confirmed. (automotive news)
🏁 Weekend Racing Schedule (all times Eastern)
- WRC Acropolis Rally Greece: All weekend long on Rally.TV
- 78th 24 Hours of Spa: Saturday 9:30 am youtube
- IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge at Watkins Glen: saturday 1 pm youtube
- NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Sonoma: Saturday at 5:30pm on The CW
- MotoGP Dutch Grand Prix:Sunday at 8am on MotoGP Video Pass
- Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix: Sundays at 9am on Apple TV
- IMSA SportsCar 6 Hours of Watkins Glen: Sunday 12 noon peacock
- NASCAR Cup Series at Sonoma: Sunday 3:30 PM on TNT
- NHRA Drag Racing Summit Nationals Finals: Sundays at 5:30 pm on Fox
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