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Welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short, The Drive’s morning news roundup serving the biggest automotive headlines from around the world.
The Downshift summarizes news items in a few sentences, with links to other sites to get the deeper story. Here’s your bulletin for Tuesday, July 21, 2026.
Polestar has opted not to appeal the Commerce Department’s decision to ban the company from selling vehicles in the U.S. due to its links to China. A spokesperson for the Geely-backed EV maker said that Polestar had “significant dialogue” with authorities and did not come away from those talks believing that any appeal had a reasonable chance at success. The brand’s dealer network, which totals 32 locations in the U.S., is understandably frustrated with this, especially after having spent time and resources to develop their facilities. [Wall Street Journal]
In related news, Mercedes-Benz would very much like to soften the bill that bans automakers with more than 15% ownership by a Chinese entity, as it exceeds that by nearly 5%. The Senate committee hearing on the proposal that was originally scheduled for last week was delayed until this week, so we should have a better sense of where the temperature stands on the matter in the coming days. [Automotive News]
Acura is planning a flagship three-row SUV that would sit above the MDX and enter production in 2029, according to a report. [Automotive News]
While GM’s second-quarter net income declined 31% due to EV-related restructuring, the company raised its guidance again off the back of a very strong performance in North America, where profits surged 43 percent. [Reuters]
Mercedes has unveiled the Maybach version of its GLS SUV, packing the company’s new twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8, which makes 603 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque. [Mercedes]
Volkswagen apparently considered giving the ID.Buzz an optional gas range extender to calm those concerned about range, but ultimately couldn’t because, if you’ve ever seen the front of an ID.Buzz, there’s pretty much nowhere for an engine to go. [Motor1]
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