Welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short, The Drive’s morning news roundup bringing you the biggest automotive headlines from around the world.
The Downshift recaps news in a few short sentences, fit with links for the deeper story. Here’s the bulletin for Thursday, May 28, 2026.
🔧 The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a probe into Rivian regarding left rear toe links in the R1S SUV and R1T pickup. The automaker had recalled nearly 20,000 vehicles earlier this year for toe links that had been improperly reassembled in service; since then, two owners have reported the joint separating while driving, causing loss of control. NHTSA’s investigation will assess the part’s durability as well as Rivian’s protocols for repair. [Reuters]
🚚 In other Rivian news, the company plans to deliver the first batch of R2 SUVs to buyers on June 9. [TechCrunch]
🐂 Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winklemann reflected on the automaker’s decision to cancel its EV in development in the wake of the Ferrari Luce’s cold reception, saying that, “By observing the market … we saw that the acceptance curve [of EVs] for our type of customers is not increasing, and that therefore we decided to move away from a full-electric car into a plug-in hybrid.” Winklemann added that while its decision was right for Lamborghini, “every brand, every company has to decide for themselves.” [CNBC]
📉 Toyota reports that while production globally increased by 2% in April versus a year ago, sales fell by 3.1%, marking the third-straight month of decline for the company. [Reuters]
🌎 American Honda sales VP Lance Woelfer said that he does not anticipate tariff-related price increases for Honda or Acura products this year, as the company’s existing production basis in North America has seemingly insulated it from damage due to tariff increases. [Automotive News]
🪫 Nio CEO William Li says that China is “no longer a growth market, but rather a saturated market,” for EVs, and that the “golden era” for the country’s automotive industry is over. [Reuters]
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