Update: Kia America has responded to our request for comment, telling Carscoops that “Kia America has made no formal announcement regarding the Niro EV and it remains as an important element in our lineup of ICE and electrified vehicles.” That statement suggests the discontinuation confirmed for South Korea may not apply to the U.S. market, at least for now.

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The latest Kia Niro has been around for almost half of a decade. When it launched, it was unique in the segment. It had an unconventional slashed body panel at the rear and came in hybrid, PHEV, and EV versions. The plug-in died recently, and now, as a facelift nears release, the EV version is also going the way of the Dodo.

The automaker confirmed the change for the Korean market. “The Niro EV, which had been produced until the previous model, has been discontinued,” Jung Yoon-kyung, a senior marketing manager at Kia, told The Korea Herald. “We plan to sell the remaining inventory available.” Carscoops reached out to the automaker to confirm the change in the U.S. market as well.

More: Redesigned 2027 Kia Niro Desperately Wants To Be An EV3

If this is indeed the situation for the States, it won’t be all that surprising. The Niro EV has always been a bit of an oddball in the family. Unlike the other EVs in the lineup, it was designed around a gas-burning powertrain. The others, all built exclusively as EVs, feature faster charging, longer range, and better overall packaging. Some even offered all of this for less than the price of the Niro EV. That’s a key piece of the puzzle here.

“Kia is strongly focusing on electrification. Starting with the EV3 and continuing through EV9, we have a range of vehicles with strong electrification capabilities and improved product competitiveness,” Yoon-kyung said. “In order to concentrate more on those models, we decided to discontinue the (Niro EV).” Those models are ones that are already set up for the U.S. market.

Now, Kia can better focus on those vehicles and streamline the Niro lineup at the same time. While we loved the Niro PHEV, EV, and Hybrid at launch, it was clear last year that they were beginning to show their age. This new shift in powertrains signals a tighter focus for the brand.

Update: There’s now video of the Houston Cybertruck crash. Footage shared by Hilliard Law, which represents the woman in the lawsuit, shows the electric truck, reportedly operating in self-driving mode, failing to follow a right-hand curve and continuing straight toward an overpass barrier. The driver attempts to intervene, but it is already too late, and the impact is severe. She is now suing Tesla for $1 million, alleging the system did not perform as promised.

'TERRIFYING': Dashcam video shows the moment a Tesla Cybertruck, allegedly operating in self-driving mode, nearly sent a Houston mom and her infant off a bridge before violently crashing into an overpass barrier.

The woman claims she suffered multiple injuries from the incident… pic.twitter.com/DgcnHp2FtZ

— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 17, 2026

Tesla’s Full-Self Driving (Supervised) system has placed advanced semi-autonomous capability in the hands of thousands of owners across the United States. The technology remains one of the most closely watched developments in the industry. Yet despite its promise, the system is still far from flawless, and according to a recent lawsuit filed against Tesla, it can also be dangerous.

The suit, filed in Harris County Court in Houston, Texas, alleges that Tesla Cybertruck owner Justine Saint Amour was using the FSD system in August last year while traveling along the 69 Eastex Freeway. As the electric pickup approached a Y-shaped junction near the Houston Metro 256 Eastex Park & Ride, the vehicle’s onboard systems should have followed the right-hand curve of the freeway.

FSD Navigation Error Alleged

Instead, the lawsuit claims the Tesla attempted to continue straight ahead toward a concrete barrier. The driver reportedly took control just before impact but was unable to avoid the obstacle, with the Cybertruck striking the barrier head-on. A 1-year-old child was also in the back seat at the time but was not injured.

Read: Tesla On FSD Suddenly Swerves And Crashes Into A Tree, Claims Driver

The impact reportedly left the woman with two herniated discs in her lower back, a herniated disc in her neck, sprained wrist tendons, and neuropathy. Chron reports that dashcam footage captured the crash, showing the Cybertruck attempting to negotiate the curve at the interchange but ultimately hitting the barriers.

Camera Only System Criticized

An image taken after the crash shows that the front of the blacked-out Cybertruck took a serious hit, and that the front bumper shattered, leaving pieces of bodywork strewn across the road.

The lawsuit further alleges that Tesla’s decision to rely exclusively on a camera-based system for its self-driving technology, rather than incorporating radar or LiDAR sensors, contributed to the crash. It also claims Elon Musk is “an aggressive and irresponsible salesman” with a history of “making dangerous design choices.”

“Tesla’s decisions made Justine’s accident inevitable,” Saint Amour’s lawyer, Bob Hilliard, told Chron. “This company wants drivers to believe and trust their life on a lie: that the vehicle can self-drive and that it can do so safely. It can’t, and it doesn’t.”

The lawsuit accuses Tesla of negligence and seeks more than $1 million in damages.