Downshift: Jaguar EV Interior, Dodge GLH, Rivian Recalls Turn Signals Again

Welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short, The Drive’s morning automotive news roundup, bringing you the biggest headlines from around the globe.

The Downshift sums up stories in short blurbs with links to the source for the full report. Here’s the news worth catching up on for Wednesday, August 12, 2026.

🔊 The latest episode of The Drivecast, The Drive’s new weekly podcast, will go live later today. Be sure to stay tuned, whether you listen on The Drive, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. After this, the show will take a two-week break as Kyle heads off to Pebble Beach for Monterey Car Week and Joel enjoys a much-needed vacation.

🐆 Jaguar has shared the first images—though they’re more like renders—of the interior for the production version of its controversial Type 01 electric coupe. The cabin is rather simple and austere, with a large digital instrument cluster that spans half the dashboard, and a very small central panel between the front seats for climate and media. The steering wheel bears generous controls, though they appear to be capacitive, rather than physical buttons. The Type 01 will fully debut in New York on October 6. [Jaguar]

😈 Dodge CEO Matt McAlear is making noise about the GLH, an upcoming model that sounds like both a compact crossover, in the vein of the short-lived Hornet, and a hot hatch. The body style isn’t exactly clear, but the executive said, “We want to design a Dodge first, and we’ve got some ideas that we’re working on that’s really going to separate it and be unique to market, and some things that make it stand out.” Also, an SRT version is definitely in the cards. [Automotive News]

💸 Auto loans in the U.S. reached a record $211 billion from April through June, according to the New York Fed. Adjusted for inflation, the surge in borrowing for car buyers is lower than it was in 2021 during the pandemic. [Reuters]

↔️ Rivian is recalling just shy of 4,000 R1S and R1T vehicles for front turn signals that may not work properly. If this recall sounds familiar, that’s because a similar one was announced last year, but apparently Rivian’s supplier failed to quarantine good replacement parts from bad, causing it to run into the same issue again. [Autoblog]

⛽ Porsche will pair its emissions data for Europe with Xpeng, the Chinese EV maker involved with Volkswagen Group, rather than Volkswagen Group itself, as it has done in the past. This will reportedly allow VW to better achieve its emissions targets, and should be easier on Porsche as well, given that Xpeng only makes EVs. [Automotive News]

📦 General Motors will try to guard against future supply chain disruptions through a deal with an third-party firm, Procura Auto Parts, to handle purchasing certain components from suppliers and managing inventory. [Reuters]

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