Toyota Can 'Hardly Meet the Demand' as Sales Surge: TDS

      Andrew P. Collins

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

      Concise, insightful, and precise, TDS compiles the latest automotive updates from around the world into one location. Each story is briefly summarized in a single, occasionally lengthy, sentence with an accompanying link.

      My first cup of coffee is finished, and there’s a briskness in the air here in Minneapolis, Minnesota, so let's dive in.

      🚘 What I’m driving: I'm still spending time with the 2026 Nissan Leaf and have noticed there’s significantly less low-quality, hard plastic on touchpoints like the upper door panels compared to the Chevrolet Equinox EV.

      📈 Toyota's CFO Kenta Kon mentioned that the company is experiencing “very strong” demand and sales, raised the company’s guidance, and observed “we can barely meet the demand,” adding “we anticipate a very healthy outlook going forward.”

      💸 Startup Rivian reported a Q3 net loss of $1.2 billion, despite a surge in revenue, as the company prepares to launch its more affordable R2 model in 2026.

      🔋 Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe stated that the R2 Launch Edition is “not meant to be our most expensive version” and disclosed that the model will feature a dual-motor powertrain rather than a single or tri-motor configuration.

      🐎 Ringbrothers showcased an 800-horsepower 1969 Ford Mustang restomod named Kingpin at the 2025 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

      ⛙ The Polestar 4 will be the first vehicle to incorporate Google Maps’ new Live Lane Guidance, providing an AI-driven real-time visualization of the road on the digital gauge cluster.

      🔵 The classic B5 Blue color is back for the 2026 Dodge Durango, which will now feature an all-Hemi V8 engine lineup.

      6️⃣ Dodge has started accepting orders for the inline-six-powered Charger Scat Pack.

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