Rivian's CEO Declares That China's Vehicles Are Superior: TDS

      Subscribe to The Drive’s daily newsletter

      Stay updated with the latest in car news, reviews, and features.

      Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.

      Concise and insightful, TDS compiles all the latest automotive news from around the world into one place. Each story is summarized in one sentence, with a link provided for those who want to explore further.

      🚨 A quick note: I’ll be on vacation (fishing) and passing the TDS reins to Editor-In-Chief Kyle Cheromcha and Senior Editor Adam Ismail until Monday. I’ll see you all on the road again Tuesday, and keep the “big muskie” in mind!

      I’ve finished my first cup of coffee and am starting on my second, so let’s dive in.

      🚘 What I’m currently driving: the 2025 Cadillac Escalade V has replaced the 2025 Chevrolet Suburban, and yes, it’s the supercharged model that accelerates from 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds with 682 horsepower.

      🇨🇳 Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe stated that the focus on the cost of Chinese EVs is misguided as “the technology is significantly better,” adding that “if I were an existing manufacturer, I’d focus less on the price and more on how the cars are actually superior.”

      🤖 Waymo is expanding its self-driving taxi service to Denver and Seattle starting this week, utilizing both the Jaguar I-Pace SUV and Zeekr van.

      📈 Audi intends to streamline its lineup by reducing options, models, and variants, including cutting down over 100 steering wheel designs to only three or four, as part of a strategy to boost annual sales to 2 million in a bid to rival BMW.

      📄 Tesla’s “Master Plan Part 4” shifts away from a focus on cars, aiming instead to create a business revolving around AI-driven products and services, integrating hardware and software, along with robots, while also unveiling two previously unseen vehicles resembling a Cyber SUV and Cyber Van, both of which may never actually be produced.

      🇸🇪 The electric Volvo EX60 will make its debut on January 21, as announced by the Swedish carmaker.

      🪫 Volkswagen will temporarily halt production of the electric ID.4 at its Chattanooga, Tennessee facility in late October as part of a “market-driven decision aimed at aligning our production levels with market demand,” said spokesperson Michael Lowder.

      ⚙️ Christian Meunier, chairman of Nissan Americas, revealed that the Z Nismo will feature a manual transmission option, as the sports car is currently offered only with a 9-speed automatic transmission.

      Do you have feedback on the TDS formatting? Let us know: [email protected]