Good morning. Welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short, The Drive‘s morning news roundup that gathers all the largest automotive stories from around the globe and places them in one spot.

Here’s a distillation of what’s bubbling accompanied by links for full stories for those seeking more information as we shift into Thursday, June 18, 2026.

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Mazda, the automaker that swore up and down touchscreens were dangerous and distracting while buttons were safer, has changed its tune; the Japanese automaker’s program manager for the CX-5, Koichiro Yamaguchi, said, “Air conditioning, you can operate with a finger, and if we have to put the physical button, that will be at the lower position. Then the driver has to look down, and [there are] 15 similar looking switches. That means that you rather have to look down and select the correct button—actually, requires the driver [to take eyes] off the road. So rather than that, it’s better to have this control on the screen—minimize this change [distraction].”

Ram is aiming for 60% sales growth by 2030 as part of Stellantis’ turnaround efforts; this would have the truck maker top Jeep as the company’s volume leader in North America and become its most important brand.

Jaguar Land Rover is reportedly looking at building vehicles at U.S.-based Stellantis factories including a U.S.-focused Defender to avoid import tariffs.

Ford’s latest Super Duty debut features a Proud to Honor Package that is a rolling tribute to America if America was a stick-on graphics package.

Ferrari, shocking no one, is reportedly nudging its clients to buy the Luce EV if they want to move up and make the wait lists for its more exclusive gas-powered models.

The Jeep Recon’s EPA rating surfaced as 222 miles of range per charge; shocking no one, it appears the Recon will not be efficient, or have impressive range, despite its large 100-kWh battery pack.

Telo’s tiny electric truck is going to have the ability to charge surprisingly fast thanks to tech that will split the 400-volt battery pack in a parallel configuration enabling a 400-kW peak charge rate on an 800-volt charger.

The first GMA T.50s Niki Lauda supercar debuted, and it’s a stunner.

Waymo recalled nearly 4,000 self-driving robotaxis to stop them from driving into highway construction zones.

Uber plans to bring its premium robotaxi service to Houston, Texas in 2027.

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Heavy-duty pickup trucks from brands like Ford, Chevrolet, and Ram aren’t considered passenger vehicles under federal regulations. So while an F-150 or Ram 1500 has to meet fuel-economy and crash-safety standards, a Super Duty or Ram HD doesn’t. But the feds aren’t the only ones conducting crash tests.

Because it’s backed by the insurance industry, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has an incentive to be tough on automakers when it comes to crash performance. Its safety evaluations for light-duty passenger vehicles—encompassing crash tests and performance evaluations of related features like headlights and crash-avoidance tech—already go above and beyond the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regimen. Now it’s also casting a wider net by testing heavy-duty pickups and other commercial vehicles.

To get things started, the IIHS evaluated the performance of seatbelt reminders and seatbelt pre-tensioners in three Class 3 pickups (signifying a GVWR between 10,001 and 14,000 pounds) and six cargo vans, as well as confirming that seatbelt force limiters and front and side driver airbags are standard equipment. This may seem basic, but federal regulations don’t require any of these features.

The test group included one HD pickup from each of the Detroit Three: a 2026 Chevy Silverado 3500HD, 2025 Ford F-350 SuperCrew, and 2025 Ram 3500. The vans tested (all 2025 models) covered pretty much everything currently available, including a Chevy Express 2500, Ford Transit T250, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500, and Ram ProMaster 2500, along with an electric Rivian Delivery 500 and Chevy BrightDrop 400, even though the latter has been discontinued.

No crash tests were performed, but test drives were conducted to see if seatbelt reminders actually did their jobs. To pass, vehicles needed to have a visible warning light and an audible tone that could be heard over background noise. The IIHS requires warnings to continue for at least 90 seconds, compared to the federal standard of four to eight seconds. This is especially important in commercial vehicles because drivers are likely unbuckling frequently when making stops, the IIHS notes, adding that one of its studies showed that persistent reminders increased seatbelt use by 30%.

The Ram 3500, Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter, Chevy Express, and Rivian all failed the seatbelt reminder test. The ancient Express also lacked effective seatbelt force limiters. Everything else was a pass, though. Not a bad start.

The IIHS plans to expand testing to cover other features such as headlights and automatic emergency braking, as well as larger Class 4-6 trucks, helping to close the safety gap with passenger cars and reduce injuries and fatalities. In 2023, 6,535 people were killed in crashes involving medium- and heavy-duty trucks or light vans, accounting for 16% of U.S. road fatalities that year, according to the IIHS. So the insurance-backed nonprofit’s testing program arrives not a moment too soon.

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NO DOUBT wishing to retain its number one sales position in the (large) US-style pick-up segment, Ram Trucks Australia has launched a sharpish end-of-financial-year sales push on its off-road oriented 1500 Rebel model headlined by a 4.99 per cent finance offer targeting ABN holders.

Buyers will have to be quick as the offer is available from April 1 to June 30, with the so-called “Mates Rates” deal on new Rebel stock. The deal is offered through Ram Trucks Finance on a 48-month term, with no deposit required and a maximum 40 per cent balloon payment.

The sales campaign comes as Ram continues to leverage strong demand for full-size US pick-ups locally, where it says the 1500 has led its segment for seven consecutive years. But rapid, upward fuel pricing pressure may impact heavily on Ram sales and all competing makes: Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota.

Priced from $141,950 plus on-road costs, the Rebel sits as the off-road-focused variant in the Ram 1500 line-up, pairing heavy-duty hardware with a more aggressive visual package.

The imposing truck is powered by the brand’s new ‘Hurricane’ twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder petrol engine, producing 313kW and 635Nm – replacing the outgoing 5.7-litre Hemi V8 with gains in both performance and efficiency.

Ram head office in the US has already announced it will reintroduce the Hemi V8 stateside in some form between June and August this year but its (re)appearance Down Under is not confirmed.

The ruggedised Rebel package extends beyond cosmetic upgrades with Bilstein off-road suspension, dedicated off-road wheels and tyres, and crawl control technology.

Towing capacity is rated at 3500kg on a 50mm tow ball, rising to 4500kg with a 70mm setup.

Interior specification leans towards the premium end of the segment, with a panoramic sunroof, 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, and a multi-screen layout comprising a 14.4-inch infotainment display, 12-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch passenger display.

Standard equipment also includes a tow bar with integrated trailer braking, handy spray-in bedliner and a power-operated, damped tailgate.

The model is offered with two new exterior colour options including Granite Crystal and Diamond Black that expand the palette alongside the existing red, white and blue finishes, while black badging, a “unique” grille and a vented sports bonnet complete the Rebel’s visual differentiation.

Ram Trucks Australia general manager Jeff Barber said the finance offer was designed to capitalise on buyer interest ahead of EOFY.

“This finance offer makes it even easier for buyers to get behind the wheel of a Ram 1500 Rebel in the lead-up to the end of the financial year, while stock lasts,” he said.

The 4.99 per cent rate is available to approved ABN applicants only, with terms and conditions applying.