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The Chinese brand that sells the most cars in Europe decides on Spain

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MG will manufacture cars in Spain. It is official after weeks of rumors in which we had been hearing that the Spanish region was one of the best positioned to produce cars from the Chinese firm of British origin. It is its first major investment outside China in almost a decade and, without a doubt, an endorsement of its European plans. The advertisement. MG has confirmed it: Galicia is the region chosen for the return to MG manufacturing in Europe. The announcement had been advanced by Alfonso Ruedapresident of the Xunta, this morning but it was not until this afternoon when the MG herself confirmed the news. For months it has been known that the Xunta de Galicia has been in talks with the Chinese brand to settle on Spanish soil for its new arrival in Europe. And in April, Rueda himself held a series of meetings with representatives of the brand between April 23 and 25 in China, according to The Automotive Tribune. The project. The company assures that, from the outset, the project has an investment of 200 million euros and that it will create “more than 2,000 jobs in Europe, establishing a strategic center for the next phase of MG’s growth.” That is, the press release provided by the company does not specify how many of these jobs will be in Spain and how many will be created by the increase in cars in the European market. The company assures that this new plant is scheduled to come into operation in 2028 and that it will have an annual capacity to manufacture up to 120,000 vehicles. At the moment, it has not been confirmed what types of vehicles will be manufactured (pure combustion, hybrid or electric) nor have the models been specified. For its part, in information collected by The Worldthe Xunta raises the figure to 2,300 jobs, of which 1,000 would be direct, another 1,000 indirect and 300 would be related to the company’s activity in As Pontes (a town near Ferrol). In this location, the company is expected to build a components plant. Some doubts. For now, what is known is that the company will establish itself in Ferrol and build an auxiliary plant in As Pontes. The choice of Ferrol is determined by its port, which has already served as a gateway for other Chinese manufacturers for sale in Spain or subsequent distribution throughout Europe. What has not been confirmed, in addition to the type of vehicle used, is what manufacturing method will be carried out. The Chery Group in Barcelona uses the DKD method where the local impact is minimal. The companies (Omoda/Jaecoo/Ebro) have repeated that they will increase the number of operations that will be carried out in Barcelona but, for the moment, the cars arrive semi-assembled in containers and on Spanish soil only the last pieces of the puzzle are being put together. At the moment, in its information SAIC (owner of MG) does not refer to whether the cars will arrive more or less assembled on Spanish soil. The more processes that need to be carried out in the Spanish plant, the more direct jobs and the more work will be given to auxiliary companies in the area. “In Europe, for Europe”. That is, according to MG, the maximum of this landing in Galicia. And the company has found a vein in our continent with the sale of cars with all kinds of technologies at very low prices. In Europe it is the Chinese brand that sells the most carsplacing in 2025 a total of 211,014 units in the European Union and 305,717 units if we put the Nordic countries and the United Kingdom into the equation. These sales are understood because the SAIC Group has found in MG a vein to sell cheaply in Europe. The brand, previously British, is not unknown to the public and both its hybrids and electric ones are cheap compared to traditional European proposals. In Spain, so far this year, the MG ZS is among the 10 best-selling non-plug-in hybrids and is the sixth best-selling car in the sum of all technologies, according to ANFAC data. Furthermore, the brand is the tenth best-selling company in our country. Duty. It remains to be known, as we said, what the bet is in terms of specific models but it is clear that the landing of Chinese brands such as BYD in Hungary and Turkey or the Chery Group in Barcelona is directly associated with the implementation of European tariffs on Chinese electric cars. SAIC, which owns MG, is the company facing the highest tariffs. Manufacturing in Europe may allow them to compete, even more, on price, but the European Union has already made it clear that it will be necessary to make a minimum number of investments to consider that the car is European. This does not mean that the car is electric. Although cars with combustion engines do not have tariffs, rumors point to greater European shielding of their economy. And producing in Europe for Europe can help, even more, to lower the price of cars with combustion engines, partially alleviating the economic effort that the company has to make with electric cars. Photo | MG and Counting Stars In Xataka | Spain has a new brand of Chinese cars and it arrives with an ambitious plan: “Five million units by 2030”

its second brand will go far beyond the electric car

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Xiaomi is here to stay in the automobile market. And given its evolution, it is very likely that it will be studied as one of the most striking success stories in history. No half measures. And it is that, As we have already explained in Xatakathe automobile industry is full of corpses of who could have been and stayed by the way. Although much has been said about the ease that the electric car offers so that brands completely unrelated to the world of motor take the leap into this new businessXiaomi has been one of the few companies to achieve this and, it seems, to expand its business beyond China. In just three yearsthe company went from announcing its first car to having two on the market and sweeping sales. A Xiaomi SU7 that stands up to the large electric sedans of the moment at a fraction of the price of the Tesla Model S or the Porsche Taycan and a Xiaomi YU7 that points even higher, to a slightly higher level of luxury. Since both models were revealed, there have been rumors about what would be the next step of the company, what type of car they would launch. Already during the launch of its electric SUV, it was put on the table that Xiaomi had the launch of a car with a combustion engine on its hands. And there seems to be some truth. Because, according to what we know, it will be Xiaomi’s second brand, Sky Nomad, that will be in charge of bringing this car with a combustion engine to the street. Sky Nomad, this we know about Xiaomi’s second brand Although the launch of a new Xiaomi car is something that has been rumored for months, the appearance of this new sub-brand is something that has not been talked about strongly enough. until a few days ago. And it is that chinese media They have echoed that Xiaomi has registered the SKYNOMAD name in English and xa tian in Chinese. The intention would be to have a second brand, positioned slightly below Xiaomi that serves to offer a slightly different product than the one we already know. It would be something like your Redmi for cars. The rumors of this new brand have gained even more strength with the publication of some spy photos of a first test mule that appeared in Autohome. The car, they say CarNewsChina It is a 5.30 meter long SUV with a 3.10 meter long wheelbase (approximate figures). But the interesting thing is in its technology. And everything indicates that the car will be an extended range electric car. That is, a car with a combustion engine that works with the touch of an electric one because these motors are the ones that always push the car, acting as the combustion engine, a 1.5T as we usually see in many other Chinese cars, which acts as a generator to produce electricity for the battery. With this technology, it is expected that the new car from the Xiaomi sub-brand can travel between 400 and 500 km in purely electric mode and that the total autonomy will reach 1,500 km. This movement is interesting because without state aid, the electric car market had slowed down in China and the public seems to have been more interested in cars that, as in this case, can rely on the help of a combustion engine. The intention is to position this brand one step below Xiaomi. That is, Skynomad would serve as an entry range to the brand’s cars, with a perspective of sub-family cars with plug-in technology but with a combustion engine. Above all, Xiaomi would remain the reference brand for high-performance electric cars. The project seems to be more than advanced. Chinese media suggest that the company internally names this car as Kunlun N3 and that will be the spearhead of a strategy that will seek to fight for quality-price and that targets new markets. According to CarNewsChinathe new release will seek to overshadow Li Auto and Aitothe two most recognized brands in China with extended range electric models. The media points out that Skynomad would be positioned in price below the 250,000 yuan (about 31,500 euros) at which this segment operates. But, in addition, they do not rule out that the company uses the car to attack new markets that are less evolved in terms of electric cars. It is a good opportunity for Xiaomi to begin to gain a foothold in markets where the charging network is less dense. In its strategy, Xiaomi would have already begun to diversify the purchase of batteries. They point in the middle 21 Business Herald that the company has started buying batteries at sunwoda and CALBand thus diversify the suppliers that, until now, focused on CATL and BYD. Sunwoda is also the company that more batteries sold for hybrid mechanics and CALB is the third largest battery supplier for the Chinese market, behind the two giants already mentioned. Photo | Xiaomi In Xataka | In its assault on the electric car, Xiaomi has a clear path: an all-star team of engineers from Porsche, BMW and Lamborghini

In the year of the World Cup, the brand is betting everything on RGB MiniLED

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Hisense reaches 2026 playing a good part of its range on a single card: the RGB MiniLED. The Chinese brand has renewed everything your television catalog and has presented it to society exactly where it should be done in 2026: at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, the same year in which the entire world will be glued to a screen watching the World Cup. This movement is not coincidental. According to Omdia data provided by Hisensethe manufacturer ranks second in the world in total television sales and first in the 100-inch or larger segment between 2023 and 2025. From that position, the brand has designed a catalog that ranges from a 116-inch giant to the most affordable models with MiniLED, through two high-end series that are going to be a lot to talk about in 2026. 116 UX RGB MiniLED Evo UR9 UR8 panel RGB MiniLED Evo (4th subpixel cyan), VA, 4K UHD, 8-bit + FRC RGB MiniLED VA 4K UHD, 8 bits + FRC, 180 Hz and 16:9 RGB MiniLED VA 4K UHD, 8 bits + FRC, 180 Hz and 16:9 resolution 3,840 x 2,160 points 3,840 x 2,160 points 3,840 x 2,160 points size 116 inches 65″,75″,85″ 55″, 65″, 75″, backlight RGB MiniLED Evo, FALD up to 8,000 nits, 3,584 dimming zones RGB MiniLED FALD, up to 4,000 nits RGB MiniLED FALD, up to 3,000 nits hdr Dolby Vision 2, Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+, HDR and HLG Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+, HDR and HLG processor Hi-View AI Engine RGB Hi-View AI Engine RGB Hi-View AI Engine RGB operating system VIDAA U9 VIDAA U9 VIDAA U9 sound 2 x 15 watts + 2 x 10 watts + 2 x 5 watts + 2 x 15 watts + 2x 10 watts Dolby Atmos, DTS 2 x 15 watts + 2 x 10 watts + 20 watts + 2 x 15 watts + 2x 10 watts Dolby Atmos, DTS 2 x 10 watts + 2 x 5 watts + 20 watts Dolby Atmos, DTS connectivity 3 x HDMI 2.1 3 x HDMI 2.1 4xHDMI 2.1 wireless connectivity Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.0 Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.0 Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.0 price Not available Not available Not available FIFA, the World Cup and TCL in the background Hisense has renewed for the third time consecutively its official sponsorship with FIFA after the 2018 and 2022 editions, and in 2026 it goes further: it will be the official and exclusive supplier of RGB MiniLED TVs for VAR Video Operations Rooms throughout the tournament. Romy Gai, FIFA’s chief business officer, said the organization “partners with Hisense to welcome the best display technology to deliver an unprecedented World Cup experience for billions of fans around the world.” Hisense is not the only one bet on the king of sport as a sales driver by 2026, its competitor TCL has been official sponsor of the Spanish Soccer Team from 2023 and expanded that agreement in October 2025 to include new products and a renewed contract. The television market anticipates one of its best years in volume precisely due to the World Cup effect, and the big Chinese brands They are well positioned to take advantage of that momentum. The pie that manufacturers share in the Soccer World Cup is not small. It is estimated that the match played between France and Argentina in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar had a hearing of 1,420 million viewers and the tournament registered a average of 2.9 billion viewers from the different television signals. All glued to a television. That’s a lot of televisions. The 116UX and the fourth color that changes the image The most advanced model in the 2026 catalog is the 116UX, a 116-inch television that incorporates the RGB MiniLED Evo panel that Hisense already advanced at CES in Las Vegas. Its particularity compared to the conventional RGB MiniLED is the incorporation of a fourth cyan subpixel, an intermediate color between the blue and green that the three traditional colors cannot reproduce accurately enough on their own. Thanks to this fourth subpixel, the 116UX manages to expand the coverage of the BT.2020 color space, the standard used in professional film production. The change applied by Hisense has certain parallels with what LG has been doing for years in its WRGB OLED panelswhere a white subpixel is added to improve brightness. The difference is that in the case of the RGB MiniLED Evo the objective is not brightness (something that is necessary in OLED) but rather to expand the volume of color available, covering complex tones that were previously only approximated by combining the three RGB subpixels. The result is an image with greater fidelity in skies, vegetation and skin, exactly the elements that make a sports broadcast look more natural. With this new panel, the 116UX is positioned as the brand’s flagship for the domestic field of large-inch models with 116″ and 100″ diagonals. UR9 and UR8: the flagships in one size below 85 inchesHisense proposes two models within its high range: the UR9 and UR8. Both models are a technological showcase of what Hisense is capable of offering in its 2026 catalog, lowering RGB MiniLED technology to more accessible price ranges for users. Both mount RGB MiniLED panels (without the last name Evo and the fourth pixel, which is reserved for the UX), the Hi-View AI Engine RGB processor, and sizes of 65, 75 and 85 inches in the case of the UR9, and from 55 inches for the UR8. One of the arguments of the panels Hisense RGB MiniLED is the improvement in color representation and increased brightness. However, here is the main difference between the UR9 and UR8, depending on the brand, the UR9 can reach peaks that exceed 4,000 nits with 1,056 local dimming zones, while the UR8 would have its ceiling at 3,000 nits. Beyond that difference, both the UR9 and the UR8 share some elements that place them in a different category from the … Read more

NASA says Artemis II’s Nutella jar is not advertising, but it is not the first brand to benefit from its missions

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When a good part of the people of a country or several countries are in front of the television united by the same interest, they become the most coveted audience for brands. Therefore, Nutella appeared casually in the NASA live broadcastjust when the Artemis II astronauts broke the record for the distance from Earth reached by humans, it seems like the best advertising in history. NASA denies that it was such a thing, but it is undeniable that brands will do whatever it takes to appear in their images and transmissions. The place, the moment and the perfect moment. It was 2 pm ET when a jar of Nutella passed in front of the cameras inside the Orion capsule, in which the four crew members of Artemis II had just broken a record. At 1:56 pm ET, the spacecraft was 406,771 kilometers from Earth, more than 6,000 kilometers further than Apollo 13 had reached in 1970. NASA broke a record, while the Nutella jar floated with its label perfectly visible. The publications on networks and memes did not take long to arrive, as did the responses from Nutella and NASA itself. NASA denies advertising. The press secretary of the US space agency, Bethany Stevens, denied that it was advertising in statements to Futurism: “NASA does not select crew meals or food in association with brands.” A legal loophole. NASA does not advertise brands on its space missions. However, there have been companies that have found a way to advertise themselves. For example, in 1984 Coca Cola designed a can that worked in weightlessness in such a way that the drink remained bubbly without leaving the container. When it became aware of this idea, Pepsi also wanted to get on the bandwagon. Both received approval from NASA to test their cans aboard the STS 51-F mission. Its astronauts tested the effectiveness of the dispenser and the taste of the drinks with results that the space agency did not consider optimal. Therefore, the decision was made that carbonated drinks are not part of the astronauts’ menu. Nowadays They can drink coffee, tea, orange juice, lemonade or flavored breakfast drinks, but not these types of soft drinks. space pizza. As if the soft drinks weren’t enough, in 2001 there was another brand that wanted its moment of space glory. Since the issue of drinks turned out to be complicated, at this time it was a pizzeria that wanted to adapt its products to the space. Pizza Hut’s marketing people figured that if that didn’t propel their brand to stardom, nothing would. For this reason, they prepared a lighter space pizza, to facilitate its transportation, which was also made in airtight containers. The ingredients were carefully chosen so that they could be preserved longer and were as nutritious as possible. The final result was sent to the International Space Station on Russia’s Progress spacecraftso in this case it is true that it was not a NASA thing. It is also true that the pizzeria itself did not deny at the time that, beyond looking for new food options for the astronauts, what they were mainly looking for was advertising. Eat in space. The task of eating in space is increasingly pleasant. While it is true that fresh foods should still be avoided and priority is given to dehydrated and vacuum-packaged options, astronauts have many options to choose from. They can even bring treats or foods that remind them of home, as in the case of Jeremy Hansen, who has taken the Orion capsule. various traditional Canadian dishes and ingredients. Therefore, it could be that some member of the crew chose to bring Nutella as a sweet treat. The decision of a Mexican astronaut from carrying tortillas for fajitas in its day has led to them being one of the most used ingredients in space today. A whim or craving can have a great future in space food. Although in the case of Nutella it seems that it has been more useful for the brand than for the future of the space. An uncertain future. Space missions like Artemis II are exceptional today, but the goal of space agencies is for them to be part of their routine in the future. Therefore, it would not be unusual for brands to find a way to include advertising in their broadcasts. If they become a routine, there won’t be as many people on the other side of the screen, but it will still be very profitable for them. As it has been for Nutella; Well, deliberately or by chance, it has possibly had the best publicity in its history. Image | NASA | Nutella In Xataka | A study has tried to find out why space food is so bad: it’s not the food, it’s the astronauts

It comes with a store balance and is brand new.

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The PlayStation 5 rises in price, again. And it does so in all the models that are available right now: standard, digital and Pro. If you were planning to take the leap soon, you may be interested in doing so before the price increases, since in some stores we can find it not only at its current official price, but also lower: PlayStation 5 Slim standard by 521 euros on AliExpress using the coupon ESCD25. PlayStation 5 Slim digital by 392.57 euros on AliExpress using the coupon ESCD25 PlayStation 5 Pro by 718.98 euros on AliExpress using the coupon ESCD25. Additionally, if you prefer to buy it from other stores, MediaMarkt has the digital PlayStation 5 Slim in its eBay outlet for a price of 469 euros. It comes from eBay, yes, but it has the official store guarantee and also adds a very attractive gift. PlayStation 5 Slim digital + 20 credit The price could vary. We earn commission from these links The PlayStation 5, cheaper and with a gift The PlayStation 5 In its Slim digital version that we can find in the MediaMarkt outlet, it is not reconditioned, but quite the opposite. This is a completely new console, which means that It has not been used, is unopened, has no damage and is in the original packaging.. The console does not come alone, but is actually a pack that includes a card balance of 20 euros. It is not a lot of money, but it is attractive to receive the console at home and take advantage of one of the many offers in the PlayStation Store so you can play from the first moment. Be careful: the digital PlayStation 5 Slim is, as its name suggests, a completely digital console. It does not allow playing video games on a physical disk, unless the disk reader that can be purchased for 79.99 euros in the main MediaMarkt store. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: PlayStation 5 offer today ✅ THE BEST dand offer and with gifta 20 euro credit code for the PlayStation store. ❌ THE WORST Yesin disk readerso unless the reader is purchased separately, it only allows you to play digital video games. 💡 BUY IT IF… You were planning to buy the console in the near future, since it will soon increase in price. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… You can wait for sale campaigns such as Prime Day or Black Friday, since the PlayStation 5 usually tends to drop in price, although the discount will depend a lot on the new price increase. You may also be interested Remotto5 – Wireless PS5 Controller Charger – Portable Battery for DualSense Play While Charging – Long Duration +12 Hours of Autonomy – PS5 Accessories The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Razer Universal Quick Charging Stand – for PlayStation 5 DualSense Controller (Quick Charging, Curved Stand Design, USB Power, One-Handed Navigation) Midnight Black The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | John Tones and Juan Carlos LópezPlayStation In Xataka | PlayStation 5 Pro vs PlayStation 5: these are all the differences between the two Sony consoles In Xataka | Two years ago I bought a PS5. I wish someone had told me I needed these plugins too.

All about Lepas, the new Chery Group brand that arrives in Spain with Chinese cars designed specifically for Europe

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Spain is experiencing a flood of Chinese brands in the automobile market. Manufacturers from this country have considered that Spain is a perfect country for their entry into the European market. Their reasons: key ports to unload cars and a customer who values ​​the quality/price/equipment ratio above brand loyalty. This is candy for Chinese companies. These brands have the challenge of winning over the customer with new models whose added value is, as a general rule, a very attractive price compared to the offer of Western vehicles, always with the same size, equipment and/or technology. With all this in mind, the Chery Group has started in Spain with Omoda and Jaecooin addition to Ebro Although it is a brand with Spanish capital, it uses the models that arrive in kits to Barcelona to build its own cars in our country. To these companies is now added Lepas. Chery will have a third own brand in Spain as a first step in an expansion that should continue throughout Europe soon. The objective is to put on the market a car that begins to target the premium market. This is your plan. What is Lepas and where does it come from? Lepas will be the third brand of the Chery Group to arrive in our country and is the youngest company of the automobile conglomerate since it was created in 2024. It must be taken into account that Chery already sells the Omoda and Jaecoo brands in China but also Jetour, iCar or Exeed. The name, they point out, is the mixture of “Leopard” and “Passion” and aims to position itself as an alternative company created specifically for Europe. It must be taken into account that Chery Group was founded in 1997 and has been exporting cars outside of China for more than 20 years. Its main market, until its arrival in Europe, was South America, but the objective is to continue expanding its borders in the coming years. With this roadmap in mind, Lepas will position itself as a brand designed by and for Europe. Its cars will be Chinese but the brand assures that it is about “responding to new customer profiles in different markets”, so the differentiation with Omoda and Jaecoo should be evident in the next launches. Omoda is, right now, the most youthful brand in Chery’s catalog. The conglomerate has positioned this company as an attractive bet for the most urban client, with a striking aesthetic and somewhat more aggressive or sporty shapes. Jaecoo is committed to the more rural market, with more or less mild offroad ambitions and a somewhat more country aesthetic. Lepas will occupy a slightly more refined position. The shapes of their cars, we assume seeing their first launch, will be softer and less aggressive. Everything indicates that Chery wants to have in Lepas an alternative with a slightly more premium character than its two previous brands. We are not talking about fighting with Audi or Mercedes but we are talking about playing in a league superior to the general league, halfway between both worlds. Lepas L8 Lepas L8, his first car For now, the Lepas landing comes with the Lepas L8. This car is an SUV 4.68 meters long, 1.87 meters wide and 1.69 meters high with a clear family vocation thanks to a trunk capacity of 507 liters. As a plug-in hybrid, it promises a range of up to 1,300 kilometers following a scheme that is common in other models of the group: 1.5 TGDI engine with dedicated DHT hybrid transmission and offers 205 kW (279 HP) of power and 365 Nm of torque. The promised electric range is up to 100 kilometers supported by an 18.4 kWh battery. Interior of the Lepas L8 The car is built on a multi-energy platform that allows plug-in hybrid versions to be put on the market, like this case, and completely electric or extended-range electric options. The latter is a type of car that works the vast majority of the time as an electric car and has a small gasoline tank to generate electricity and support electrical technology in case of emergency. The interior of this Lepas L8 has a steering wheel similar to that of the Omoda 9 so we found soft plastics and attractive design of the steering wheel, with only two horizontal spokes. It has wireless charging for your mobile phone and a large vertical screen. It is a differentiation from the Omoda options, whose screen is horizontal. Some functions with physical buttons are also maintained, although the air conditioning is carried out on the screen. The company points out that the car will arrive with more than 20 ADAS driving assistance systems, including adaptive cruise control, parking assistant (with remote parking) or “540º panoramic camera.” In the future In addition to this Lepas L8, the company’s roadmap involves continuing to send cars to our market. We are talking about the Lepas L4 and L6. At the moment, we know very little about these two cars. Yes we have confirmed that the Lepas L4 is an urban SUVof about 4.30 meters that will help the company to lower the price of entry to the brand. We are not clear, however, what the technology will be and if it will be based on exclusively electric specifications or will add options with combustion engines. The little progress that the brand has made is that the car is already being manufactured in Wuhu, where the Chery Group headquarters is located. As for the Lepas L6 we find ourselves in the same situation but this time we are talking about a compact SUV. We will know the details throughout the year. If we talk about its launch. The company’s roadmap involves putting the first cars on the market at the end of this first half of 2026. Therefore, all the details of the Lepas L8 and the first contacts should arrive shortly before the summer. In the coming months we should know all the … Read more

An Aragonese company used the brand ‘La Mafia’ for its restaurants. Italy has managed to have it annulled in Spain

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The restaurant chain ‘The Mafia sits at the table’ it’s news. And not because of the new features of its Italian-inspired menu or because of the opening of new stores. What has made it hit the headlines (much to its chagrin) is its brand, a business card that the Republic of Italy considers offensive and takes years starring in a complicated judicial soap opera. Now Roma has achieved a key victory that puts the brand in serious danger in Spain. The key: Can the word ‘mafia’ be used happily? What has happened? The news has advanced it the diary Expansion. The Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM) has resolved that the name of ‘The Mafia sits at the table’a popular restaurant chain founded more than 20 years ago in Zaragozais “contrary to public order and good customs”, which is why it has endorsed the request for annulment made by the Government of Italy. The OEPM resolution is recent (February 26) and leaves little room for interpretation. In the opinion of its techniciansthe brand alludes to a real organization with activities “contrary to the ethical and moral principles” of the EU. Hence, I agree with Italy that it is questionable whether it can be registered and exploited on a commercial level. “It would offend the victims and their families,” he warns. Is it something new? Yes. And no. Italy has been maneuvering for years to force the Aragonese restaurant chain to abandon a name that it considers offensive. And nothing has gone wrong in his efforts. In 2015, he filed a complaint that led to the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) refusing to register the trademark at the community level. Years later (2018) it was marked equally important when the General Court of the EU (TGUE) endorsed the decision of the EUIPO and prevented the company from shielding its commercial name. What does that mean? That was more than a simple judicial victory. The decision The TGEU prevented the company from registering its trademark at the community level, which in practice left it unprotected. However, the TGUE’s decision had its limitations. For example, it did not prevent the Zaragoza chain from continuing to use its name in the dozens of restaurants it has throughout Spain. What changes now? The OEPM opinion goes one step (and several) further. The brand is no longer only annulled at the community level, but it is also doing so in Spain, a fundamental decision since ‘La Mafia sits at the table’ (remember) is a chain born 26 years ago right here, in Zaragoza. The Spanish organization has aligned itself with European justice and has come to the conclusion that the name is “contrary to public order” and “good customs”, which is why it has endorsed the request for annulment presented by Italy. Not only that. The transalpine country has already gone to the commercial courts of Barcelona to prevent the Aragonese company from continuing to use its name. What will happen now? “The resolution could be issued in less than a year and, if favorable, would force them to cease using the trademark,” explains to Expansion Josep Carbonell, partner of Fieldfisherthe office that has advised Italy in the procedure. Of course, the company also has margin (one month) to appeal the OEPM’s decision. In any case, its resolution of February 26 represents a setback for the future of the brand in its large market. What is the problem? The underlying question is very simple: can the word ‘mafia’ be used happily or not? Should its commercial use be banned? The company claims that it was inspired by a recipe book and appeals to the right to freedom of expression, remembering in passing that it is not unusual to find books, movies and series focused on the same topic. years ago in fact already clarified that its objective is not to offend anyone, but to generate an atmosphere similar to that of the ‘Godfather’ saga. For the authorities, however, the reading is somewhat different. In its resolution, the TGUE recalled that (at least in this case) using the term “banalizes organized crime” and even warned of the risk of “romanticizing” it. In a similar vein, the OEPM recalls that Spain is no stranger to this criminal organization and its activities, “contrary to the ethical principles” and “fundamental moral values ​​of the EU.” In the background there is a more complex issue, such as remember Carbonell: Is using the word ‘mafia’ in an artistic work the same as elevating it to the category of a business’ trademark? Is it an isolated case? Not at all. The Italian authorities have not only focused on the Zaragoza company. In 2024, fed up with his town being associated with organized crime, the mayor of Agrigento (Sicily) issued a municipal order to prohibit the sale of tourist souvenirs related to the mafia. The underlying reason was similar: to prevent people from doing business with (and romanticizing) an organization that, beyond the veneer that Hollywood has given it, has been causing headaches for the Italian authorities for years. Images | The Mafia 1 and 2 Via | Expansion In Xataka | Sushi was a sleeping giant of the fast food industry: in the US it has already begun to eat hamburgers

SPC was the mobile brand for seniors. Now it has a system that learns when your grandfather stops behaving as usual

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SPC has been digesting for a year the change that Teresa Acha-Orbea, its general director, described us at MWC 2025: going from a telephone manufacturer for seniors to a comprehensive technological services company. Again in Barcelona and again at the MWC, the company from Alava has presented the first product that materializes this transformation. It’s called Zeus Halo, and it’s a predictive telecare platform built around a hub domestic 5G with a 12-inch screen, four microphones and IoT connectivity to integrate sensors, activity bracelets and other home devices. It appears on the right in the image that heads these lines. The proposal is based on a demographic premise that defines our country today: Spain ages. According to INE projections, In 2030 almost a third of the population will be over 60 years oldand a growing portion of that group lives alone. Current telecare systems work reactively, waiting for something to happen before acting. Zeus Halo points in the opposite direction: the system learns the user’s behavior patterns. What time do you get up, how many times do you go to the bathroom, when do you leave the house… When these habits change abruptly, the device generates a preventive alert that reaches the smartphone of family members or caregivers, or directly to third-party telecare platforms. “If this person usually goes to the bathroom several times a day and suddenly they are only in the living room, something is happening,” explains Acha-Orbea in the stand of SPC in the Spanish Pavilion. It can also detect falls through the activity bracelet, monitor heart rate or temperature, and send alerts if the person leaves and does not return. The hardware does not require a router, or even that there is a WiFi network in the house, because the hub It carries a 5G SIM and covers all the sensors in the home, which eliminates a common installation barrier for this user profile. Compatible sensors include presence, door opening and smoke detectors, in addition to wearables. Cameras are technically possible, but SPC has decided not to incorporate them by default: “We all want to maintain our privacy, at least visually,” says Acha-Orbea. The second leg of Zeus Halo is the conversational agent. The platform includes a voice assistant that learns the user’s tastes and interests and maintains conversations adapted to them, with reminders for medication, medical appointments or birthdays that are delivered as voice calls instead of text messages, because “SMS are not usually read”, something that was already explained to us a year ago. The system can also organize secure video calls with family members through its own application, suggest activities inside and outside the home or connect Zeus Halo users with common interests. The unwanted loneliness of older people has been on the public agenda for years, The product will be launched before the end of the year in two modalities: ORa version for retail intended for families who want to install it in their parents’ or grandparents’ home And another institutional version for councils, municipal social services, residences, telecare and insurance companies that need to monitor their users proactively. SPC has clients such as CaixaBank or the Generalitat of Asturias in its portfolio, which gives it direct access to the type of organization it targets with the B2B version. The launch of Zeus Halo is accompanied by a brand repositioning. SPC launches logo, website (now in onspc.com) and a new definition of itself: “technology consultancy” that combines manufacturing, systems integration and consulting under the umbrella ‘human by design. The company, founded at the end of the eighties taking advantage of the liberalization of telecommunications, which for decades lived by selling landlines and mobile phones adapted for the elderly, today has 78 employees and headquarters in Vitoria, Lisbon and Shenzhen. It sells about 400,000 units per year of basic phones for seniors and about 30,000 adapted smartphones. It is, according to its own figures, the first Spanish brand in that niche with 50% of the national market. The transition that Zeus Halo embodies has not come for free. SPC has had to recruit software engineers and is setting up its own engineering in China to work directly with software manufacturers. chipsets. He 2G blackoutwhich forced the company to redesign its catalog a few years ago, turned out to be the lever that turned “dumb” devices into platforms capable of exchanging data. Zeus Halo is the next step in that same logic: a little hardware gadget that becomes the connected brain of the home. In Xataka | There is a good thing about having your grandchildren put in a hat: science suggests that it is a great shield against cognitive decline Featured image | Xataka

I am a paddle tennis player and finally a smart watch brand has remembered me

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I have carried a paddle tennis racket in my hand since I was little. I am worse than hunger, I am not hiding, but I like this sport and I must admit that I look with envy at the fans of, for example, golf or the running. As a lover of smart watches, I have always seen from afar manufacturers launch specific models and functions for runners and golf players with cool metrics, interesting analyzes and specific functions: yes, 3D courses, yes, footfall analysis, yes, that niche data that only the pros care about… And meanwhile, the padel players we were still thereusing the “tennis” mode that tells us little or nothing or, if available, the “paddle” mode that also does not give information about performance in the match. That’s why, walking through the halls of the Mobile World Congress, I couldn’t help but stop at the Mibro stand. Because? Because their watches have a paddle mode, but a useful one with relevant information for players of this sport. Yes, we really exist. Padel mode in the Mibro GS Explorer S-Ti | Image: Xataka My what? Mibro, “your brother in sport”, as one of the company’s workers at the stand tells me with a laugh. Mibro is a company of Zhenshi Information Technology, a Chinese company founded in 2015 with financing from Xiaomi and Nokia. The company specializes in sports wearables and has found a way to increase its presence in the European market in paddle tennis. In fact, they openly recognize it: it is not that padel is gaining traction in China, it is that they know that it is important in Europe and they believe they have a way to differentiate themselves there. And what do they offer? The company has a catalog of watches with a rather high-mid-range price. The most expensive model is the Mibro GS Explorer Swhich costs 349.99 euros and is made of titanium (it is the one in the photos and I must admit that it feels scary, although I would change the strap, which looks very good, for a silicone one for sports). However, it has cheaper models, such as the GS Active2which remains below 100 euros. The operating system is Mibro Galaxy OS 2.0, a very fancy to call an RTOS system that is very reminiscent of Huawei’s HarmonyOS. An example of the metrics associated with paddle tennis | Image: Xataka But let’s talk about padel. The key to these watches, and the reason why they have caught my attention, is because of their paddle tennis analysis. For the uninitiated, in paddle tennis there are different shots: forehand, backhand, volleys, spikes, layups, lobs, drop shots, etc. Understanding well which shots you are doing the most and why can help you understand a match and discover your areas for improvement. For example: if you have lost a match in which you have made many layups (cut, high and deep shot to keep the net), you may have to work on the volley and the force you apply when hitting, because they have been constantly knocking you out of the net with lobs (high and deep balls). If you have made many lobs and few volleys, layups or shots, it is probably because they have managed to keep you down and have not let you go up to the net to attack. Analysis of forehands and backhands | Image: Xataka And that’s where Mibro comes in.. As they have shown us at the stand, the watch is capable of detecting the number and percentage of each of the shots we make in a match. The watch allows us to know how many backhands, drives, layups, spikes, forehand and backhand lobs and forehand and backhand drop shots we have made and, for example, manually cross-check them with our heart rate to see which points have put us in trouble. Example of analysis of blows | Image: Xataka Speed ​​of blows | Image: Xataka It also counts calories and, even more importantly, the speed of the strokes. Although it is easy to associate paddle tennis with strong and very loud hits, the truth is that playing slowly is usually much more effective against players… nervous, let’s say. A weak ball to the side wall will probably do more damage than a strong shot or volley, in the same way that a layup does not necessarily have to be very fast. Knowing that information that, until now, we could not know, can be useful to focus training or take action. To recognize hits, the device is based on a six-axis accelerometer and intelligent algorithms, as is already done in many other watches and many other sports. How does it work? Unfortunately, and although we always want a padel, we have not had the opportunity to pick up the racket and throw some balls in the halls of the MWC, but the fact that it exists is already progress. Counting layups and shots | Image: Xataka An ideal world. At the expense of testing the watch in a real match situation, a function that would make a lot of sense (even via AI) is to be able to cross-reference the heart rate with the shot you have made or with the duration of the points, as well as the number of shots. That would allow us to see at what level of intensity we start to make mistakes, what shots we make when we are tired (perhaps we abuse the shot or miss more layups). The higher the intensity, the more the technique is distorted, and that causes errors. That type of information, well interpreted, is valuable if you are looking to train and improve. Images | Xataka In Xataka | I have been playing paddle tennis for years and I think Playtomic is an absolutely brilliant invention

If ads made with AI seem horrible to you and position you against the brand, you are not alone: ​​science supports you

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“The most profitable ad in Pepsi history.” The most voted comment in YouTube of the ad generated with AI by Coca-cola for Christmas 2025 suggests something: a popular rejection of advertising made with AI. Is this true? A new study from the University of Zaragoza on the effect of artificial intelligence on advertising points in that direction. The researchers’ conclusion is that customers avoid services advertised with AI-generated images, especially in companies that offer pleasurable experiences—such as hotel vacations—or that force high-involvement decisions. The reason? Artificially generated images are interpreted as unreliable. Its four authors explain to Xataka that “consumers value real images more because they show a faithful image of the product or service and they distrust companies that use images created with AI because they seem less professional or hide reality.” However, recent studies show that images created with AI can be equally effectiveand easier for companies to obtain, especially when consumers do not know that they are not real, they clarify. What AI gives you, AI takes away Using AI in an advertisement conveys a feeling that “the brand makes little effort, especially in luxury and beauty brands,” explains Lucía Caro Castaño, professor at the Department of Marketing and Communication at the University of Cádiz. After the Christmas controversy, Coca-Cola was forced to share how did you make the announcement to show “all the effort and investment it had required in terms of people.” Caro points to savings in personnel as one of the reasons why content made with AI generates disgust. Coca-Cola has recognized The Wall Street Journal that producing your typical Christmas advertisement has gone from needing a year to a month, recognizing savings in costs and time. However, the creation of spot forced to enormous human work to fine-tune AI-generated images. Coca-Cola is not the only company that has discovered the advertising limitations of AI. Dell share your experience: “We’re very focused on getting the most out of a device’s AI capabilities, but what we’ve learned this year, especially from a consumer perspective, is that they don’t buy based on AI. In fact, I think AI probably confuses them more than it helps them understand a specific outcome,” argued a few months ago Kevin Terwilliger, Chief Product Officer at Dell. There are several reasons for this rejection of advertising AI: the feeling of “already seen”, which penalizes the lack of originality and creative effort; and the perception of “dehumanization” transmitted by excessively robotic content, explains Patricia Coll, doctor in Communication and professor at EAE Business School. Diana Gavilán, professor of Marketing at the Complutense University of Madrid, highlights the benefits of AI in automatable tasks in advertising and digital marketing: “The problematic thing is when it replaces a human. If a robot serves me but you want to convince me that it is like a human, there is a drop in confidence.” According to researchers at the University of Zaragoza, their study shows that real images are particularly effective when it comes to a product or service with high involvementthat is, the consumer wants faithful images when the decision they make is important. Real images are also better than those generated with AI to publicize hedonistic products or services because they allow “a better assessment of what the personal experience will be like.” On the other hand, when the products are utilitarian and low-involvement, images generated with AI are effective. In some sectors it is advisable to use commercial images made with AI, such as schools and social entities to avoid showing real children to protect their privacy, scientists highlight. The professor of Marketing at the University of Alicante, Ana Belén Casado, adds that not all consumers or all brands reject AI: “It depends a lot on the type of product, good, service or idea that is being marketed and the differential value proposition of each brand.” For Gavilán, AI is like the Thermomix: a tool with which you don’t do everything in the kitchen, “but you can use it and it is at your disposal, depending on how you use it, it will be better or worse.” In his opinion, the Coca-Cola ad was “a strategic mistake” for wanting to make the same old ad with AI instead of making a different story with that technology. Brands taking a step back with AI? Before Coca-Cola, the clothing brand H&M had already launched a campaign with real models and “digital twins” generated with AI. Although all images generated by AI are labeled so as not to confuse them with real ones and the models have image rights Regarding his digital copy, Caro highlights that “we do not know exactly what this contract has been like in terms of the rights to his own image that exceed those models, nor will it affect photographers and the rest of the workers who make these campaigns possible.” This innovative campaign was quite small, around a line of denim clothing, and the head of AI at the Swedish multinational, Linda Leopoldleft the company shortly after the campaign. “We don’t know where H&M will continue next, especially with all the controversy generated,” says Caro. Gavilán’s vision is that AI will continue to be implemented and that it will be applied more in areas “where it is very relevant.” Despite his water and energy consumptionthe environmental NGO WWF in Denmark launched a campaign titled “The hidden cost” in April 2025 to denounce the environmental impact of eleven different products. It was made entirely with AI. In Spain the first advertising agency focused on AI, AI::gencyhas worked with brands such as Nissan, Seat, Cushla and Ebro. Other brands have chosen publicly reject the AI. In his campaignWhy don’t we get on the AI ​​bandwagon?” in February 2024, the browser Vivaldi announced that it would not be incorporating AI “for the time being.” The reasons given by the company were copyright and privacy violations, as well as “plausible-sounding lies” generated by AI. At the advertising level, doveUnilever’s personal care brand, has … Read more

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