According to TDS, the Kia Niro now has a starting price exceeding $30,000.

      Kia

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      Welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short, your morning briefing from The Drive featuring the most significant automotive headlines from across the globe.

      The Downshift summarizes news concisely, providing links to full articles for those wanting additional details. Here’s your update for Friday, August 28, 2026.

      💸 The base price of the Kia Niro has risen by approximately $2,500 for the 2027 model year, now listed at $29,890 before destination fees. Including shipping, the Niro cannot be obtained for less than $30,000 anymore. Furthermore, Kia has removed the plug-in and fully electric versions from its lineup, leaving only the standard hybrid available. [Autoblog]

      📦 The starting price for the 2027 Ram ProMaster City is just under $40,000—specifically $39,995, including destination fees. [Motor1]

      🙅‍♂️ A Honda representative dismissed Automotive News' suggestion that Honda’s tech-sharing alliance with Nissan could lead to the development of a body-on-frame pickup truck, calling it “purely speculative.” [Road & Track]

      📉 Although there was an increase in domestic auto sales, Toyota’s performance in July suffered as sales fell in all other sectors, including a decline of 24.3% in China, 44.5% in the Middle East, and 0.8% in the U.S. [Reuters]

      ⚡ Lucid has issued a recall for around 27,000 Air sedans due to an exterior lighting circuit that may overheat, posing a fire risk. Fortunately, this issue can be addressed with an over-the-air update. If you own an affected Air, please make sure to install the update promptly. If it is not installed, the NHTSA advises owners to park the vehicle outside and away from buildings, as a fire could occur at any time, even when the car is off. [Reuters]

      🪪 Rivian’s Chief Financial Officer, Claire McDonough, will be departing the company after six years. Derek Mulvey, the Vice President of Finance, will serve as interim CFO until a permanent replacement is appointed. [InsideEVs]

      Ⓜ️ BMW M chief Frank van Meel recently emphasized that the company has no interest in Formula 1 due to its lack of relevance to production vehicles. He also highlighted the significance of IMSA, stating: “The USA, accounting for about 40% of our sales, is BMW M’s most crucial market. BMW established its prominence in the USA through motorsport, which is why IMSA holds such importance for us.” [Motorsport.com]

      🏁 Upcoming weekend races (all times Eastern):

      WRC Rally Del Paraguay: All weekend on Rally.TV

      NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Daytona: Friday at 7:30 p.m. on CW/ESPN

      IndyCar at Milwaukee: Saturday at 2:30 p.m. (Race 1) and Sunday at 1 p.m. (Race 2) on Fox

      NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona: Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on NBC

      MotoGP Aragon Grand Prix: Sunday at 8 a.m. on FS2

      GT World Challenge America at Road America: Sunday at 3 p.m. available for free streaming on YouTube

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