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Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short, The Drive’s daily news roundup serving up the biggest automotive headlines from around the world.

The Downshift recaps news items in a sentence or two, fit with links to the deeper story. Here’s the bulletin for Thursday, June 4, 2026.

A number of trade groups and lobbies across industries, including the Alliance for Automotive Innovation which comprises many manufacturers, have signed and sent a letter to the U.S. Treasury and Commerce departments sounding the alarm about the global drought of memory chips caused by the construction of AI data centers, and how that has and will continue to impact prices for consumers. There are some levers that policy makers can pull, but additional domestic manufacturing capacity will take years to materialize. [Bloomberg]

⛐ Toyota will ship “fewer than 500 units” of the new, more hardcore GRMN Corolla to the U.S., according to a marketing email sent out by the automaker.

Volkswagen of America CEO Kjell Gruner has reiterated that the ID4 and EVs in general will continue to be a staple in the automaker’s U.S. lineup, saying, “What’s important—because sometimes that was a bit misunderstood—is that the ID4 will remain in the market. It’s very important. We will have EVs in the market. Not just one, but at least two. For the time being, that’s going to be the ID4 and then the successor of the ID4.” [Automotive News]

Tesla has introduced unsupervised robotaxis in Austin, Texas. The company currently operates around 50 vehicles in the region, compared to Waymo’s 250. [Reuters]

Fuel economy numbers out of Canada for the upcoming C8 Corvette featuring the larger LS6 engine indicate that the new V8 shouldn’t consume much more gas than the current LT2. [GM Authority]

Rolls-Royce has given the electric Spectre a range and power bump for 2027, as well as the addition of a NACS charging port. [Automotive News]

Carvana was reportedly granted the option to purchase shares of new electric truck company Slate Auto last year, though it is unclear if the automotive retailer seized the opportunity. [TechCrunch]

Meanwhile, Uber is said to have invested nearly $500 million in self-driving tech startup Nuro up to this point, in addition to the same amount it’s poured into EV-maker Lucid. The rideshare company wants to unite the two firms to offer Lucid Gravity robotaxis in its fleet. [Reuters]

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Mercedes is gearing up to introduce the new AMG GT Black Series. It will take on the mighty Porsche 911 GT3 RS, which is also due for an update later this year. Rumours suggest that the 992.2 facelift could be revealed in August 2026.

The upcoming 911 GT3 RS facelift has been spotted testing quite a few times. Spy images have revealed a brand-new diffuser with dual exhaust and a pair of additional tailpipes on either side. It will also feature a new active rear spoiler with three elements and a DRS function.

Up front, the air intakes appear to be slightly larger. The ducts on the bonnet have also been reworked. In addition to the functional changes, the new GT3 RS will also get redesigned headlamps with integrated LED DRLs.

However, a lot has changed under the skin. The new GT3 RS will be powered by a 3.6-liter flat-6 engine, but for the first time, it will feature two turbochargers. According to the latest rumours, the new twin-turbo unit delivers around 650 hp @ 9,000 rpm. It is also likely to get a ‘Boost’ mode.

Tesla has been a pivotal part of changing the perception of EVs by getting millions of zero-emission vehicles on the roads. 

The Tesla Semi is one of these less-discussed vehicle programs from the brand, but it promises to do much the same in the world of transport logistics and long-distance trucking.

Now, footage of the new Tesla Semi being tested has been made public. The latest video was showcased by Jay Leno on his unique vehicle-focused YouTube channel, highlighting key upgraded features of the Semi that had previously been under wraps.

In the video, which is over 47 minutes long, Leno is shown the progress of the Semi program and how well Tesla’s electric trucks are performing.

Dan Priestley, Tesla’s Semi program lead, shared that the truck now uses a 48 V architecture and delivers a fully electric steering system. Previous versions of the Semi used a hydraulic system.

According to the company, the Semi is also much cheaper to run than equivalent Diesel trucks. Data shared shows that it is 50% cheaper to run in California than diesel semi trucks.

Leno also got behind the wheel of the truck and compared the key differences between normal diesel trucks and electric trucks. The Tesla Semi’s ride was smooth, efficient, and quite comfortable.

Tesla Semi first began deliveries as part of a trial with a large food and beverage company, PepsiCo, back in late 2022.

After taking delivery of the Tesla Semi, PepsiCo announced in 2024 that it had ordered additional units, doubling its fleet to 50 electric trucks operating out of its manufacturing and distribution facility in California.

In recent months, Tesla unveiled an updated design of the Semi with several key upgrades. This included improved range and charging specifications.

For charging, 1.2 MW ultra-fast charging will be available to logistics operators, and the Semi will be able to use Tesla’s supercharging hardware to achieve those speeds.

In recent months, there has been news of the first Megachargers coming online, paving the path for dozens of sites in the coming months.

The updated Semi also has improved aerodynamics for better efficiency and increased payload capacity, along with updates to its charging capabilities.

This has now allowed the truck to deliver over 800 km of range with an 800 kW drivetrain and energy consumption as low as 1.06 kWh/km.

Earlier this month, it was reported that mass production of the Tesla Semi at the company’s currently being constructed factory in Nevada was expected to begin soon.

With Tesla Semi’s production around the corner and diesel prices remaining high, many freight and logistics companies may consider adding electric trucks to their fleets. 

The new Semi appears to have made big upgrades, as seen in Jay Leno’s video, which would save fleet operators huge amounts of money during operations. That’s something many fleet operators would not argue with.

Mercedes-Benz has finally revealed its newest flagship limousine – the Maybach S-Class. Based on the facelift version of the sedan that debuted earlier in the year, the new luxury limo will be available with either a V8 or V12 engine, in addition to a plug-in hybrid, depending on the market.

The overall design of the new Maybach S-Class is similar to the standard S-Class, except for Maybach-specific changes such as the bespoke grille, which now features an illuminated frame and backlit ‘Maybach’ lettering. It also comes with an illuminated hood ornament, bespoke wheel designs in 20- or 21-inch sizes, and two-tone exterior colour schemes.

The interior is extremely well-appointed with soft leather and premium trim. The overall layout of the dashboard is similar to the standard S-Class and features a large central touchscreen and an additional screen on the passenger side.

The new Maybach S-Class is available in two variants: S 580 and S 680. The S 580 gets a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine producing 530 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque.

The S 680 comes with either a 604 hp V8 or a 621 hp V12 engine. There’s also a plug-in hybrid version (S 580e) that has 577 hp on tap.

Source: Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz has revealed the interior of the upcoming AMG GT 4-Door Coupe, and as expected, there are a lot of screens.

According to Mercedes, the AMG GT 4-Door Coupe offers a sporty driving position with a low-set seat and a driver-oriented cockpit. As you can see, the 14-inch central touchscreen is angled towards the driver. There’s an additional screen on the passenger side.

On the driver’s side, you have a typical AMG 3-spoke steering wheel and a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster. The thick centre console houses a couple of wireless charging pads and cup holders, and three rotary switches: Response Control, Agility Control and Traction Control.

The AMG GT 4-Door Coupe comes with AMG Performance seats with integrated headrests. There’s a stylish quilted pattern on the door pads and carbon fibre trim all around. Another highlight of the interior is the electrochromic panoramic sunroof.

The Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe is expected to be derived from the GT XX Concept. The latter had a 1322 hp tri-motor setup and an estimated top speed of 223 mph. The exact technical details of the production version are unknown.

Source: Mercedes-Benz

20 years ago, Dr. Ferdinand Karl Piech dreamt of a new supercar that would not only set new performance benchmarks, but would also create an entirely new category of hypercars. Today, Bugatti has revealed a new one-off model in honor of this visionary engineer and head of the VW Group who conceived the legendary Veyron.

Created under the Solitaire programme, the Bugatti FKP Hommage pays tribute to the contributions of Dr. Piech, with a design that’s heavily inspired by the original Veyron 16.4.

As expected, the FKP Hommage is more like a restomod of the Veyron. The car features a similar shape with smooth surfaces all around. It has a three-dimensional horseshoe grille, machined from a solid block of aluminium, horizontal headlamp units and four circular LED taillights. The polished wheels, too, have a familiar design.

Unlike the original Veyron, which had a cream interior, the FKP Hommage uses brown interior upholstery. The dashboard, although new, is clearly inspired by the Veyron. Bugatti has also integrated a 41 mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon timepiece into the dashboard.

The Bugatti FKP Hommage is based on the Chiron. It is powered by the latest and greatest iteration of the 8.0-liter W16 engine, which makes 1600 hp.

Source: Bugatti