Good morning and welcome to the Automotive Business Cockpit.

To kick off the new week, we're looking at the hard realities of the global automotive transformation. While Apple's cancelled vehicle project unexpectedly laid the foundation for the company's next generation of AI superchips, established automakers are still struggling with something as fundamental as steering wheel controls—a powerful symbol of the ongoing challenges facing the software-defined vehicle era.

We'll also examine why young software engineers in Germany are suddenly finding it much harder to secure jobs, how China is reshaping the global automotive landscape with AI-powered electric vehicles, and why Formula 1 is now facing growing calls for AI-assisted race officiating.

Good morning and welcome to the Automotive Business Cockpit.

This Friday, July 10, 2026, we're focusing on one of the most consequential strategic days in the recent history of Germany's automotive industry. Volkswagen is unveiling its "Future Plan 2026" amid a highly sensitive Supervisory Board meeting that could shape the company's direction for years to come.

At the same time, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche are defying the global slowdown with strong second-quarter results, driven by robust U.S. demand and continued momentum in battery-electric vehicle sales.

We'll also examine why the latest Euro NCAP safety ratings are challenging long-held assumptions about European automotive leadership—and how faulty over-the-air software updates, together with hallucinating AI systems in rental fleets, are costing the industry millions while exposing the growing risks of software-defined mobility.

Good morning and welcome to the Automotive Business Cockpit.

This Thursday, we're taking a deep dive into the technological foundations of the automotive industry. Traditional vehicle architectures are rapidly giving way to zonal designs, forcing a fundamental transformation across the global supply chain. We'll examine why semiconductor and memory leaders such as NVIDIA and Micron are emerging as some of the industry's biggest winners—and how Ford is staging a remarkable market comeback through a series of strategic technology partnerships.

Also on today's agenda: the British McMurtry Speirling is bringing once-banned Formula 1 fan-car technology to the road, a new $127 million manufacturing facility in Texas is strengthening localized production, and we'll explore the latest AI standardization debate emerging from Stuttgart that could influence the future of automotive software development.

Good morning and welcome to the Automotive Business Cockpit.

This Wednesday, we're focusing on the mounting pressure facing Germany's automotive industry. Executives at Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz are openly questioning the future of domestic manufacturing sites and traditional working models—putting Volkswagen on a potentially historic collision course with its labor unions.

At the same time, Germany's automotive sector is responding with renewed technological ambition. We'll examine Continental's new "CT 2026" strategy and Cariad's latest mass-market Level 2 driver assistance platform, both aimed at strengthening the industry's competitive position.

On the global stage, we'll analyze Toyota's multi-billion-dollar expansion in the United States, discuss why China has become the primary innovation engine for many established Western automakers, and explore the latest data privacy debates emerging from California that could reshape the future of connected vehicles.

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.

Good morning and welcome to the Automotive Business Cockpit.

To kick off the week, we're diving into a highly emotional strategic shift: Ferrari is making headlines by bringing back the manual transmission—defying the industry's relentless push toward full digitalization and automation.

Meanwhile, in Germany, Bosch's works council is sounding the alarm over the deepening crisis across the automotive sector, calling for an urgent government-led task force to safeguard the industry's competitiveness.

We'll also examine why Tesla's AI narrative is no longer enough to overshadow the reality of slowing vehicle sales—and how an embarrassing software failure in Formula 1 is raising broader questions about the industry's growing dependence on technology.