good morning and welcome downshiftOr tds for small, drive’s daily news roundup that gathers all the latest automotive headlines from around the world and puts them in one place.
downshift Summarizes the stories in a few sentences and provides a link for those seeking more information. Here’s what’s happening on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.
✂️ Volkswagen’s desperate cost-cutting campaign could wipe out models from every single brand in the group, including the Porsche Taycan, Cayenne coupe and 718 successor, as well as the VW Jetta and Taos, and the Audi Q5 Sportback and Q6 e-tron Sportback. (image through road and track)
📦 Rivian’s commercial van has quietly been one of the automaker’s biggest hits, outselling its own R1T pickup as well as all of its EV cargo competitors by a huge margin. Consider that from April to June, Rivian sold more than 4,000 examples of the van, and runner-up General Motors sold only 460 BrightDrops, a vehicle that has already been discontinued. (InsideEVS)
🔧 BMW is recalling less than 30,000 cars in the US due to a faulty starter relay that can malfunction and cause a fire. Both the 530e xDrive and 740Le xDrive are affected. (reuters)
🏋️Subaru also has a recall on hand, though it’s less dangerous and more amusing. The automaker is recalling 541,000 cars labeled with incorrect gross axle weight ratings. (reuters)
💵 California is now offering $3,500 to anyone buying an EV for the first time, including new cars worth up to $50,000. A $1,750 rebate is also available to anyone purchasing a used EV priced under $25,000. (reuters)
📐 Infiniti is going back to the drawing board to give its upcoming QX80 Red Sport more power and make it a more formidable rival to the Mercedes-AMG and BMW M SUVs it aims to compete with. (automotive news)
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