Automotive Business Cockpit – July 7, 2026: Kia's EV Retreat, Waymo's Fireworks Failure & the AI Copyright Battle

Good morning and welcome to the Automotive Business Cockpit.This Tuesday, we're exploring major strategic reversals and the growing challenges of next-generation technologies. Kia has surprised the industry by reportedly discontinuing the all-electric version of its bestselling Niro for the 2027 model year, shifting its focus decisively toward hybrid powertrains instead.At the same time, a bizarre incident involving a Waymo robotaxi during the U.S. Independence Day celebrations has exposed potentially dangerous blind spots in autonomous vehicle perception systems.We'll also take a closer look at a landmark multi-billion-dollar lawsuit accusing leading AI companies of unlawfully using automotive designs to train their models—and examine why AI-driven quality assurance is rapidly transforming manufacturing across the global automotive industry.