News The Downshift

Toyota’s first electric truck will arrive in December, but you’ll have to go to Europe to drive it.

Published Nov 10, 2025 7:44 AM EST

Jeroen Peeters

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

Light, tight, and right, TDS gathers the latest automotive news from around the globe and places it in spot. Stories are summarized in a single, sometimes long, sentence accompanied by a link for those seeking more information.

Fair warning, it’s a somewhat slow start to the week outside of random bits of Tesla news, so today’s TDS feels a bit unbalanced unintentionally.

Already on my second cup of coffee here and it’s chilly in Minneapolis, Minnesota, so let’s get into it.

🚘 What I’m driving: Finishing up my time with the 2026 Nissan Leaf and experienced what it’s like to live with in the cold over the weekend only to leave me with some questions for the automaker about how the battery is being warmed, or not, while charging.

🔋 Toyota finally entered the electric truck game with an EV version of its new Hilux pickup, which is one of the best-selling and most revered pickups in the world, but the model isn’t sold in the U.S. and that will continue to be the case with the new battery-powered model.

🚛 Tesla gave its Semi a design and spec overhaul despite never entering volume production yet, and the new design is more Cyber aligned bringing the promised commercial vehicle in-line with the rest of the lineup.

🏎️ Lamborghini unveiled the Temerario Super Trofeo with rear-wheel drive and no hybrid powertrain bits, but it’s a track-only toy, for now.

🚕 As sales tank after the Trump administration killed the EV tax credit Tesla has launched a new car rental program through its stores in the U.S. to keep the wheels turning and cash flowing.

🔨 The fifth and final build slot for the Gordon Murray Special Vehicles’ S1 LM has been set to cross the auction block via RM Sotheby’s for an estimate price of over $20 million.

🛻 Tesla’s Cybertruck chief, Siddhant Awasthi, has departed the automaker after eight years and what can only be described as a failed product launch after over eight recalls and flatlining sales.

📉 Sales have fallen to a three-year low for Tesla in China amid tepid demand and increasing competition.

🏁 Weekend Race Results:

• Formula 1 – Lando Norris won the Brazilian Grand Prix, and the sprint race, for McLaren
• WEC – The #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing team took the win at the 2025 WEC 8 Hours of Bahrain

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