car

Spain 1- Hungary 0. MG chooses Spain for its European electric car factory, according to Bloomberg

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MG is one of the Chinese fashion brands in Spain. It is the company that dominates the market by sales volume, among other things thanks to its clear focus on the entry-level or mid-range. Its figures in the Spanish state rise like foam: In 2025 they sold 45,163 units and grew by 46.78%. In the midst of the global structural reconfiguration of the sector towards electric mobility enhanced by an EU that does not hesitate to try to regulate the market in favor of classic players located in its territory against the deluge in quantity, quality and price made in ChinaSAIC motor has made a move to protect its piece of the pie in the old continent: set up a plant to act as a European hub. Anonymous sources They have leaked to Bloomberg that the chosen destination is Spain. MG Choose Spain. SAIC Motor, one of the China’s largest automakers by volumeplans to establish its first electric vehicle production plant in Europe within Spanish territory. Anonymous sources linked to the sector they point out to Bloomberg that the decision is not yet final and that key details such as the size of the investment, production capacity or deadlines are missing. As explains The EconomistSAIC Motor has been studying options within the Spanish state for more than a year, which has experience in the deployment of electric vehicle platforms under the umbrella of government incentives. Why is it important. For SAIC Motor the answer is simple: investment is critical to mitigate the impact of the tariffs that the EU applies to Chinese manufacturers. By producing on European soil, MG escapes these taxes, which allows it to continue maintaining its aggressive pricing strategy, essential for its rapid growth. From a technical point of view, having a plant here would allow it to better adapt its models to the standards and tastes of the European consumer, in addition to reducing its logistical footprint. Spain It is the second European automobile producer and ninth in the world, with almost 2.3 million vehicles produced in 2025 according to ANFAC data. The arrival of a brand with the sales volume of MG represents traction for the entire automotive and associated industry, in the face of a panorama of forced transition from combustion engines and with an uncertain future of its most historic plants. That the industry shifts from fossil fuel engines to electromobility is key so that it does not lose relevance in the state GDP. Context. After eight months of investigation, Brussels determined that Chinese electric manufacturers receive state subsidies that distort competition and threaten millions of European jobs, so producing these cars on the old continent avoids those tariffs in the bud. The final tariffs approved by the European Commission applicable to BEVs imported from China are: BYD Group, 17%; Geely Group, 18.8%; SAIC Group, 35.3%, among others. To that we must add 10% base. Bottom line: SAIC Motor Corporation Limited is more interested than anyone in finding a solution. Despite this, they are selling cars like hotcakes: just look at any recent ranking of best-selling cars. Chinese brands have found two ways to avoid tariffs: establish factories within Europe or import vehicles in unassembled kits (CKD) to assemble them on European soil. SAIC aims to combine both phases. What Spain has that Hungary does not have. The eastern European country has until now been the favorite of Chinese manufacturers in terms of electric cars and batteries and there are no shortage of reasons to choose it: it offers lower labor costs, it has a geographically central position in Europe and direct links with China through the Belt and Road Initiative (Belt and Road). In addition, it already accumulates investments from BYD, CATL either NIOas well as other classic actors in the industry. Spain adds to its industrial muscle and its consolidated experience in the sector an advantage that Hungary does not have: a market where MG already leads sales and an ecosystem that is fully activated. In addition to having efficiency as a flag, in the words of the Spanish Minister of IndustryJordi Hereu. But there is a key milestone: the Figueruelas (Zaragoza) plant now has a date for make Leapmotor electric vehicles starting in October of this year, combining Chinese technology and Spanish production, consolidating a model in which SAIC can be reflected. Zaragoza is not only a precedent: it is proof that Spain can accommodate the Chinese electricity transition without industrial or political friction. All the pools point to Galicia. In the absence of official confirmation and knowing more details, the location for the future plant What sounds the most is Galicia: has extensive industrial experience linked to the sector, a consolidated chain of suppliers, the Salvaterra-As Neves logistics platform and the proximity to the port of Vigo, which opens the doors to maritime connections with the United Kingdom, northern Europe and Atlantic markets. The icing on the cake: the president of the Xunta, Alfonso Rueda, focused on his recent official trip to China in strengthening commercial relations in the automotive industry and in his busy schedule he had time to visit the SAIC factories and hold a meeting with the board of directors. First steps. Unveil Galicia Press that the model initially proposed for its Spanish plant points to CKD assembly, with the possibility of evolving towards full production according to sources in the sector. That is, the main components of the vehicle are manufactured at source and sent in pieces to the new factory for final assembly. Leo Zhang, head of SAIC for Spain and Portugal, has already spoken profitability of a possible European plant: from around 250,000 units per year. Although it is unknown which model they will start with (there are those who point to the utility vehicle MG2, direct rival of the Renault 5 and the future Volkswagen ID.2), if there is an orientation regarding deadlines: SAIC intends launch the first model manufactured in Europe in 2027. Yes, but. The news rests on anonymous … Read more

Ford has been slow to adapt to the electric car, so it is going to start manufacturing batteries for… data centers

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Ford has decided to convert its electric vehicle battery manufacturing capacity into a large-scale energy storage business. The move has its own name: Ford Energy, a new division with $2 billion in investment planned for the next two years and the stated objective of supplying batteries to data centers, electricity companies and large industrial consumers. Because now. The starting point is not exactly ideal for the company. Ford’s electric division accumulated net losses of 11.1 billion dollars only in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to Reuters. For this year, the company expects to continue losing between 4,000 and 4,500 million additional dollars in its electrical and software division. “I think the customer has already spoken,” Ford CEO Jim Farley told investors. With battery factories operating at low capacity and the electric vehicle market in the United States in free fall, especially after the elimination of the $7,500 aid last September, Ford has chosen not to dismantle that infrastructure, but to redirect it. What is Ford Energy and how it will work. The bet is articulated around the Glendale, Kentucky, plant, which will be converted to manufacture energy storage systems at network scale. According to counted Ford late last year, the facility will produce LFP (lithium ferrophosphate) cells and storage modules. The cell technology used is licensed by the Chinese firm CATL, with whom Ford already had agreements on its line of electric vehicles. The plan, according to the company itself, is to have initial operational capacity within 18 months and reach at least 20 GWh of annual production by the end of 2027. In parallel, the BlueOval Battery Park Michigan plant, in Marshall, will continue with its production of LFP cells for Ford’s upcoming midsize electric truck, but will also make lower amperage cells aimed at residential storage. Lisa Drake, the board of directors who heads Ford Energy, explained that the “predominant” business opportunity will be in commercial electric grid customers, with data centers as the second priority and the residential segment as the third leg. Drake also noted that when going out to market to explore demand, it became clear that the technology preferred by customers was precisely the containerized prismatic LFP system, something that Ford could easily manufacture thanks to its licenses. For his part, John Lawler, vice president of Ford, counted In the statement, Ford Energy’s core purpose is to “capture the growing demand for reliable energy storage that reinforces the stability and resilience of the electric grid for utilities and large consumers.” The market you want to conquer. The explosion of artificial intelligence electricity consumption in data centers is skyrocketing on a global scale. The International Energy Agency places the demand for these centers around 945 TWh by 2030approximately 3% of global electricity consumption, with a projected growth of 15% annually. In the United States alone, according to the Battery Council International, this consumption could double to between 400 and 600 TWh on the same date. In that scenario, large-scale energy storage becomes critical infrastructure and Ford, like many other converted manufacturersthey see a great business opportunity. Ford is late, but he is not alone. The problem is that Tesla has a decade of advantage. Its energy storage business deployed 46.7 GWh in 2025 alone, 48% more than the previous year according to TechCrunchand was also more profitable than its own electric car division, with gross margins close to 30% compared to 15% for the automobile. General Motors has also made a move: its joint venture with LG Energy Solution has just invested $70 million to convert its Tennessee plant, south of Nashville, into the production of batteries for storage. The transition, however, is neither easy nor cheap. Switching a factory from nickel chemistry, common in electric car batteries, to LFP can take up to 18 months and cost several hundred million dollars, according to share from Reuters. Added to this is technological dependence on China, which dominates the LFP supply chain, and 35% US tariffs on cathode and anode materials of Chinese origin. What this means in the long term. Just like they count From the middle, although the demand for energy storage in North America is expected to almost double in five years, going from 76 to 125 GWh, that is not enough to absorb the more than 275 GWh of productive capacity that the automobile industry has installed with electric in mind. Storage alleviates the problem, but does not completely solve it. Even so, this same reorientation is what many other car manufacturers have opted for in order to take advantage of their infrastructure and contain losses due to their electric cars, especially in the United States, which is where things are much weaker. Cover image | Hans and ford In Xataka | Australia has a straight highway of 150 kilometers. And to prevent you from falling asleep he has put hobbies on the posters

China has shown that the good and cheap electric car exists. So Citröen has had to get its act together

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China is doing very well with the cheap electric car. And if not, tell them BYD Dolphin Surfa 100% electric vehicle that the company finances at just over 3% for 125 euros per month. Without financing it costs 19,990 euros which, after aid, can become 11,780 euros. Saving exceptions like Dacia Springwhich compete in a much lower league, Western manufacturers have no choice but to respond. And Citröen has been the first to do so. 11,700 euros. Citroen has been lowering the price of its ë-C3 for more than a yeara car that was launched on the market for more than 20,000 euros and that, since its launch, has been reduced by almost half. Now, after aid, the Citröen C3 costs 11,700 euros, with an eight-year warranty. What it offers. With a price practically identical to the Dolphin Surf, an almost identical autonomy (220 km under the WLTP cycle), and a technology relatively similar to that of the Chinese alternative, we are finally talking about a price at which the company can be competitive. What China offers. Both vehicles, in their most economical version, have LFP batteries. The main difference is in the charging system: 65 kW for the BYD and 30 kW for the Citröen. The key, however, is not in the specs: it is that BYD has been offering a competitive price since its arrival in Spain, which has catapulted it into the top 3 of the best-selling electric cars in the country. Beyond Tesla. There is no electric car that sells more than the Model 3 in Spain. This is to be expected, given the reliability, range and price of the vehicle. Just below Tesla, we have the BYD Dolphin Surf, which has sold more than 1,332 units so far this year (compared to 2,489 for the Model 3 and 2,023 for the Model Y). Taking into account that they play in completely different leagues, the BYD case is a resounding success. A purely urban car that sells practically twice as much as its direct rivals. The electric C3 has 634 units sold, placing it in the top 9. The ranking points to something very clear: the price is the main purchasing factor for the Spanish electric companyand Western manufacturers will have to tighten their grip if they want to compete with China. In Xataka | The electric cars with the most autonomy that can be bought in 2026

Plastic is the great recycling nightmare. Car battery acid aspires to be the great nightmare of plastic

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Have a problem with recycling. Thus, in general and even in countries that the more they try and complicate things. But, specifically, we have a problem with plastic recycling. It is a difficult and therefore expensive process, rather than producing new plastic, which leads to a scenario in which potential waste accumulates. To complicate things further, there are many types of plasticsand some are terribly difficult to recycle. But the University of Cambridge has had an idea: a solar reactor to destroy those difficult plastics. And the secret ingredient is car battery acid. The data. Before entering the ‘invention‘ from Cambridge, let’s go with some context. Recycling is not collecting, and vice versa. An example of this is Japan, a country in which there are areas in which there are 45 different categories of garbage that citizens must separate and where only 20% is recycled. In Spain, with an infinitely less obsessive systemwe are around 39%. And what is not recycled is burned in Japan and sent to landfills in Spain. Focusing on plastic and according to Cambridge researchers, the world produces 400 million tons per year and only 18% is recycled. And, as I say, there are plastics such as nylon or polyurethane that are particularly complex to recycle because their chemical structure is very resistant, which makes breaking them down complex and very expensive. plastic fulminator. This is where the discovery of the University of Cambridge comes into play. What they have developed is a solar-powered reactor that uses a very special ingredient: car battery acid. This component breaks the structural chains of the polymers into more basic chemical blocks and, therefore, easier to assimilate, such as ethylene glycol. Once the new material is obtained, a very special photocatalyst is what allows it to be converted into hydrogen and acetic acid, putting an end to that ‘rebellious’ plastic. By fluke. The team of researchers comments that the discovery was practically an accident since they knew that battery acid could be used for the process, but it was not convenient because, just as it melts plastics, it ‘eats’ the catalysts. Theirs, however, held out, and it turns out to be cheap and scalable. It is a photocatalyst composed of carbon nitride functionalized with cyanamide and integrated with molybdenum disulfide promoted with cobalt. Lots of text to say that it is a hybrid material specifically designed to remain stable in a strongly acidic environment. According to the team, it is economical and solves two problems at once: it dissolves difficult plastics and reuses battery acid that usually ends up as waste after extracting its lead content for resale. Future. In the tests, the team points out that the system has worked for more than 260 hours without losing performance and works with the aforementioned plastics, but also with that of the plastic bottles They are also not particularly easy to deal with. They claim that their discovery offers a potential cost reduction in recycling tasks because, in addition, reusable hydrogen is produced in the process. The key here is finding a way to collect the battery acid before it is neutralized for uninterrupted use to break down plastics. The team comments that they do not promise to solve the problem, but they demonstrate how waste can become a resource. new life. This approach approaches the problem from the angle of decomposition, but there are other proposals to give these plastics a second life. Because ‘melting’ them may be expensive, but if they are put into presses they can be turned directly into bricks or paving stones for the streets. This is what Nzambi Matee proposes, a Kenyan materials engineer who has proposed convert that waste into construction material. Like the University of Cambridge experiment, it addresses two problems at the same time: recycling and creating necessary non-polluting construction elements, and this idea is catching on because the authorities have given the green light to use this 2.0 brick to pave the streets of Nairobi. Returning to battery acid, the business arm of the University of Cambridge is looking to commercialize the company, but now the most complicated thing remains: making it a standard. Images | Cambridge University (Beverly Low) In Xataka | The big problem with nuclear energy has always been its waste. Russia can now recycle them up to five times

The first “autonomous” car in history dates back to 1958 and had a peculiar problem: it smelled like fish

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Nowadays, and with few exceptions such as Cybertruckautomobile design is moved by very clear trends. However, in the 1950s and in the midst of the space age, the sky was the limit. Some examples are the amazing General Motors Firebird Ihe Zündapp Janus that you don’t know if it comes or goes or the refrigerator with wheels called BMW Isetta. At that time was born the Golden Sahara IIa car truly ahead of its time. It was so far ahead that it brought driving assistance and full connectivity (of what there was). It is, in short, the grandfather of today’s smart car. A crazy repair idea. If I say George Barris you may not know who I’m talking about, but if I reveal that he is the creator of the Batmobile things change. Well, back in 1953 the car designer had a car accident with his Lincoln Capri: crashed into a hay truck and as a result, the top of the vehicle was destroyed. Probably many of us would have taken the car to the workshop or scrapyard based on the mechanic’s bill, but Barris invested a whopping $5,000 and what was left of his battered Capri (which had a 200 horsepower V8 engine) was built into the Golden Sahara. Be careful, to give you an idea of ​​the inverted grassland: in the 50s the luxurious Cadillac Eldorado It cost $7,750.. Clean slate in the form of an ultra-futuristic car. Equipment from another era. At a time when FM radio was an extra, Barris himself tells its most differential design elements: hand-molded steel panels, vertical design headlights installed in fenders and bullet-type bumpers, fins integrated into the fenders, lounge-type seat with bar furniture on the sides, a removable bubble dome for the roof. Kontinent Media …and paint of with sardines The streamlined design was finished with a two-tone 24-karat gold finish (hence its name) instead of the classic chrome and a paint that shone like a diamond. Barris was looking for a finish never seen before, so he came up with a natural way to achieve a pearlescent touch before that type of paint became popular: with fish scales. As explained the designer in an interview with Jonnie King for his “Hall of Fame Legends” series: “So Shirley and I went to the fishmonger, and I remember that the fish looked very pearly. I had the fishmongers turn all the sardines so that their bellies could be seen until I found the one with the gold. We took it, removed the scales, put it in a jar, took it to the store and mixed it with a natural cellulose clearcoat and toner lacquers. Then I gave it a base of matte white and I sprayed it on top, and it turned out a spectacular pearly gold. The only problem was that it was very difficult to smell because it smelled like fish.” An even more extravagant Golden Sahara II. In 1954 the first Golden Sahara was born and from ’56 to ’58 Barris teamed up with Jim Street and Bob Metz to give it a twist until they found the Golden Sahara II. For this second generation, Goodyear added Translucent and luminous tires to replace the conventional white band tires of the time. It is just the tip of the iceberg of a car that is surprising both on the outside and (especially) on the inside. But Metz also gave it a good facelift and modified the windshield, hood and roof of the vehicle, he put quad headlights and rear fins. And it went from having a radio and steering wheel to truly futuristic technology: with panels on the upper part of the dashboard where it housed a television, tape recorder and even a refrigerator for its bar. It is said that the total cost of the Sahara exceeded $75,000 of the time. Under the hood: ahead of its time. Jim Rote’s electronics It was what made the difference compared to the cars of that era and brought it closer to ours. The steering wheel gave way to a fighter-style central joystick and implemented voice control for tasks such as opening the doors or starting the engine. Likewise, it integrated proximity sensors in two antennas on the front bumper, so that it could brake autonomously. What happened to him. In his days of wine and roses he went to fairs like the Petersen Motorama (his debut), he appeared in ‘cinderfella‘ (1960) with Jerry Lewis, Ed Winn and Judith Anderson and also in the competition ‘I’ve got a secret‘, in 1962. But in the 60s it disappeared from the front page and was relegated to ostracism for half a century, until it returned in style and restored in the Geneva Motor Show of 2019 from the hand of Goodyear. In Xataka | Make your old stickerless car a historic vehicle. A shortcut to circulate through Madrid without fines that does not always work In Xataka | The Bugatti Veyron was a unique car. And we say “was” because Bugatti has decided to betray him with nostalgia Cover | Matti Blume

the symbol of the Spanish electric car boom faces a difficult horizon

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In its day, Wallbox was one of the great hopes for him electric car in Spain. A symbol with unicorn aspirations with Spanish capital, listed in New York and a simple initial purpose: to sell electric chargers. A purpose that gradually escalated to end up focusing on the comprehensive management of domestic energy. The problem? Since last year the company has a value less than that of your debthas laid off a third of its staff and urgently needs a financial boost. One who doesn’t know where to find. The situation. At the beginning of this month, Wallbox activated the pre-bankruptcy process. The company owes nearly 170 million euros to entities such as Banco Santander, BBVA, CaixaBank, or the Official Credit Institute. The pre-bankruptcy status prevents creditors from executing their debts, so this shield is a small temporary ball to negotiate debt and reach agreements. Dates? Evolution of the Wallbox share. Javier Lacort. The hope. Wallbox closed the 2025 fiscal year with losses worth 103.19 million euros, 32% less than in 2024. The company reduced its labor and operating costs by 25%, managing to stop the debacle in its adjusted EBITDA. What happened. In 2021, Wallbox was listed on the New York Stock Exchange with a valuation of more than 1 billion. Four years later, the company was worth 37 million. The company has been adding year-on-year losses that have plummeted its stock. It has reached a price below the dollar The situation led to massive layoffs and cost reduction plans Since 2024, the company has focused the strategy on reduce operating losses and get creditors to sign a new financing plan. According to Wallbox, 85% of them support the plan but HSBC, one of the giants behind the financing, is reticent about the new roadmap. Buying time. Wallbox is buying time with its pre-bankruptcy request, trying to refinance the 170 million debt. Although the situation is critical, all is not lost. The company is managing to cut net losses and affirms that its strategy is aimed at “a more efficient, resilient and future-ready organization.” We have until summer to check it out. Image | Wallbox In Xataka | Install an electric car charger at home: how much does it cost and steps to follow

Sony and Honda have canceled Afeela, their first electric car. One more example of China’s triumph where others fail

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Honda has encountered a wall called the electric car. One that has carried out the development of three of its own electric cars, another that was underway with Sony and that will have an impact on its accounts of about 22.5 billion dollars. The situation, it seems, is not the best. Honda’s jump to the electric car It seemed like an immutable reality just seven years ago. Seven years may seem like a long time but in automotive industry terms it is just the usual jump between two generations of cars. Perhaps that is why the plans, in addition to being immovable, seemed risky. In October 2019, the company announced that From 2022 it would only sell electric cars in Europe. Our continent seemed to be moving towards the electric car under pressure from regulations. Tesla was booming and the companies thought that this was the best path for our market. Today, Honda’s catalog for our country does not have a single electric car. In these years, the Honda e has obtained a very discreet result, victim of a very high price. He e:Ny1, a sort of electric HR-V, is also no longer available after selling an almost negligible number of cars in our country. Along the way, they announced the development of three new electric cars for the US market, all with a groundbreaking and futuristic aesthetic. Also a car that would arrive together with a collaboration with Sony. All of this has been cancelled. The Chinese surprise Much has changed in recent years so that Honda has gone from targeting only the electric market in Europe, developing three new cars with this technology for the United States and another with Sony, to canceling everything. And the company confirmed a few days ago that he reversed his electrical project. First with the cancellation of cars designed only for the American public. The move almost seems logical. The country still does not clearly embrace the electric car and Donald Trump is giving wings to keep every combustion car alive and without any effort. With a country of enormous distances and a charging network that remains insufficientthe electric car continues to have significant pitfalls. This cancellation has had two clear consequences. The first is an impact on Honda’s accounts of more than 20,000 million dollars. How we have the case of Stellantisthis money is not a direct loss, it is the sum of the investments already made, the fines to be paid to suppliers for unfulfilled agreements and the money that is not received from the sales that had been estimated, among other items. The second impact is that Afeela 1 has also been cancelled. This car was born from a collaboration between Sony and Honda. At CES 2023 It was already announced that it would arrive in 2026. Last year, at the same fair, the car was priced for the US market: $89,900 for the “cheap” version and more than $100,000 for the “face.” This year, at CES, we had no news. Less than three months later we know that the project has been canceled because, among other things, it rode the same platform as Honda’s other three electric cars. Once this was cancelled, producing a single car with a single platform was economically unviable. Sony’s car was sold as a leap forward for Hondaa preview of where the market was going to go. The intention was that Honda would provide the hardware and its knowledge making cars, Sony would provide the software and its experience getting the most out of elements such as cameras or sensors. Qualcomm and Epic Games were also supporting the project, the latter company creating an on-demand mobility service for the vehicle. The evolution of the automobile industry has attracted various technology companies. First it was Dyson the company that surprised us by announcing its own electric car. We know that Apple has tried to bring its own car forward and along the way he has left 10,000 million dollars. Microsoft was an investor in Cruise before its closure. Google is making efforts with autonomous cars. This company also wants Android Automotive be an essential part of the future of the electric car. Of all these companies that have been involved in the development of electric cars, all of them have failed. Only Google with Android Automotive seems to be building a long-term ecosystem, which Apple doesn’t seem to be getting it with CarPlay either. We are not talking about companies that supply hardware to automotive companies like Qualcomm or Nvidia, we are talking about companies that also they get involved in the development of a car through their software services or their knowledge to take advantage of that hardware. And, here, China is leading the market. What Sony and Honda intended was to demonstrate that two leading Japanese companies still had enough muscle and knowledge to produce a ground-breaking and competitive electric car. At that time, Xiaomi has built it itself. And Huawei is giving a lesson in China on how to take advantage of these collaborations. Right now, this last company collaborates with Toyota on the latest electric vehicles they have launched for the Chinese market. Its cars have their own ecosystem developed by Huawei that relies on, among other things, the electric motors that Huawei also develops. That is, the Chinese company is in charge of providing its parts and its software knowledge for the ultimate control of them. Huawei and Xiaomi are taking over the operating systems of Chinese electric cars with HarmonyOS and HyperOS. Both companies have extensive experience designing interfaces and digital experiences for the user, an essential service in China to sell electric cars and where Europe, Japan and the United States are still in their infancy, if we compare ourselves to what we see there. Specifically, Huawei has spread its tentacles in the industry until getting its hands on Toyota developments and having cars on the street that will rival Porsche, like the Aistaland GT7sedans that … Read more

is ceasing to be the ‘Chinese Samsung’ to be something more similar to ‘the Chinese Apple with a car’

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Xiaomi’s 2025 has been a record in several aspects, but also the certification of something that we had been seeing coming for a long time: the end of the Xiaomi that we knew. And it gives way to a new, much more interesting Xiaomi. Why is it important. For years, Xiaomi was the company that made the margins of Apple and Samsung a war to fight. His promise was, above all, the price. Now, for the first time in its history, the smartphone segment has decreased by 2.8% in revenue while the electric car and AI segment has grown by 224%. The company that built its identity on bargain He has started talking about something else. The panoramic. Total revenue in 2025 exceeded 450 billion yuan (about 57.7 billion euros), 25% more than the previous year and the first time that the company has surpassed the 400 billion barrier. Adjusted net profit reached 39.2 billion yuan (about 4.95 billion euros), an all-time high. But the real headline is in the composition of that revenue: a year ago, the smartphone and IoT device business represented 91% of the total. It has now fallen to 76.8%. Fourteen percentage points in a single year is too abrupt a drop not to assume that we are facing a different scenario. Between the lines. The segment that Xiaomi calls “smart electric vehicle, AI and other new initiatives” has achieved its first year with positive operating profit: 900 million yuan (about 114 million euros). The figure seems modest, but in reality it hides an intentionally opaque financial architecture. That same segment has increased its operating expenses by 87.7% year-on-year, to 24.8 billion yuan. Included are the costs of the car, but also the billion-parameter MiMo language modela robotics program, the development of own chips and the AI ​​agent platform Xiaomi miclaw. That is to say: the profits from the car are financing the company’s AI bet. And in 2026 that balance could be broken: Xiaomi has committed 16,000 million yuan (about 2,020 million euros) only in AI and “embodied intelligence” this year, part of a three-year plan of 60,000 million. The contrast. While the car moves forward, the phone moves backwards. The gross margin of the smartphone segment has fallen from 12.6% in 2024 to 10.9% in 2025, and in the fourth quarter it plummeted to 8.3%. The reason is the memory crisis: the demand for AI data centers has generated a bullish supercycle in DRAM and NAND prices which is swallowing the profitability of any mobile manufacturer. In the end, the same AI boom that Xiaomi is trying to capitalize on is what is eroding its core business. The company that financed its expansion based on tight margins in mobile phones now discovers that those margins are unsustainable precisely because of the trend it wants to lead. For years, the label that best defined Xiaomi was “the Chinese Samsung”: a company with a very wide range of products, presence in all price segments and a business model built on volume. Now the accounts point in another direction. The growing weight of the ecosystem of services on a base of premium hardware, the car as an aspirational extension of the brand and the own AI models integrated into all devices draw something more similar to Apple: a closed ecosystem where the hardware is the gateway and the services are the margin. The CEO of Ford already drew this parallel. With the difference that Xiaomi also makes the car. Apple doesn’t do that. The context. This shift has not come overnight. We have been seeing for years how Xiaomi patiently built its premium jump, first with Leica cameras, then with a SU7 that aimed directly at Tesla and Porsche. What the 2025 results confirm is that this repositioning is no longer a declaration of future intentions: it is the present financial reality of the company. One detail: 60% of buyers of the SU7 They are iPhone users, a sign that Xiaomi is capturing the consumer who pays for ecosystems, not specifications. The big question. Can a single company simultaneously maintain an under-pressure smartphone business, scale an electric car operation with some fiscal uncertainty, and fund an AI program with indefinite to delayed returns? The 754 million monthly active users and the 1,080 million connected IoT devices that Xiaomi has are an argument for optimism, but maintaining three demanding fronts at the same time, with the business that finances them under siege, is the great challenge that Xiaomi has ahead of it for this new stage. In Xataka | Leica is teaching Xiaomi everything it knows: when the student no longer needs the teacher, the agreement will have fulfilled its function Featured image | Xiaomi

I have calculated how much I will spend on gasoline this Easter. I’m already looking for an electric car

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Tomorrow, March 28, will mark one month since the United States and Israel attacked Iran in an offensive that appears to be stalling. Four weeks since the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed, since the price of oil skyrocketed and gasoline prices skyrocketed. Four weeks paying more for our deposits. Four weeks looking at electric cars with different eyes. Tied to fuel. The price of gasoline and diesel has fallen significantly since the Government applied the discount on VAT on hydrocarbons. The market, which was beginning to reach two euros/liter, has relaxed in the case of gasoline (1,562 euros/liter on average), according to dieselgasolina.combut it is still very high in the case of diesel, which remains at 1,773 euros/liter. This gap between diesel and gasoline is making let’s live an unprecedented situation. Already with the war in Ukraine we saw the price of diesel skyrocket. Now, with Russia already out of the market (at least the legal one) and with a new tension in the supply chain, Europe is witnessing an increase in diesel prices for having gotten rid of its refineries over the years. A considerable saving. Taking prices in Spain as a reference, the savings in the cost of using an electric car were already high in recent years. But this has skyrocketed in the last month. Spain continues to be dependent on diesel for an aging fleet where diesel is used by 57.1% of the total volume of cars, according to Anfac. although new cars sold with this technology are very few. And in Europe the x-ray is very similar. This has made many look at the electric car with different eyes. How we tell you our calculator and the professionals themselves explainthe more kilometers traveled with an electric car, the cheaper its cost of use. Or, simply, the greater the gap that exists with gasoline. Let’s give an example, with diesel at 1.773 euros/liter, traveling 100 kilometers with a car that consumes five liters of fuel costs 8.86 euros. In the case of gasoline, if the car consumes seven liters on average, the cost to travel 100 kilometers is 10.93 euros refueling at 1.562 euros/liter. With an electric car that consumes 20 kWh/100 km on the road, the cost is the following: Domestic rate (10 cents/kWh): 2 euros/100 km Direct current recharging up to 50 kW (20 cents/kWh): 4 euros/100 km Direct current recharging up to 150 kW (30-45 cents/kWh): 6-9/100 km Direct current recharging above 150 kW (60 cents/kWh): 12 euros/100 km Winner? Yes, especially the slower we reload. And the comparisons between a combustion car and an electric one are somewhat complicated since the consumption of the car on the road (quite variable between electric cars) and the price of the chargers come into play. Below we will leave a practical example but first we will make some details clear: The consumption of an electric car on the road has important differences. A Tesla Model 3, perhaps the most efficient car at the moment, consumes about 16 kWh/100 km at sustained rates of 120 km/h. A “gastón” car can go at 24 kWh/100 km. That, with high rates, means recharges of up to four euros more per 100 kilometers The real savings of an electric car are in slow recharges, especially domestic ones. Here, rates vary greatly. There are flat rates of 15 cents/kWh but those who have license plates and a favorable environment can charge at 0 cents/kWh for a good part of the year. In our case, we are going to assume 10 cents/kWh. On a trip like Easter, it is very likely that we will stop to sightsee in a city or to eat. At these stops, slow or direct current charging can be done but at low power, below 50 kW. Just as service stations have loyalty cards and programs, electric car users can also take advantage of subscription rates to save money. We will leave them aside because the possibilities in both cases are very wide. Our example. To understand whether or not we save money, let’s assume that this Easter we add a trip of 2,000 kilometers. In it, we will leave with a full battery, as a typical electric car user would. Our electric car has a range of 400 kilometers. The round trip will take us 1,200 kilometers and we will do another 800 kilometers moving from one place to another, getting to know new places. Let’s assume that the car’s consumption is 20 kWh/100 kilometers and that the battery has a size of 80 kWh. Thus, we are going to assume the following recharges: We leave home with 100% (80 kWh and 400 km) and we stop when we have 10% battery left (8 kWh and 40 km) We fill the battery with a high-power charger up to 80% (we have recharged 56 kWh and have 320 km available) and we arrive at the destination with 80 km left in the battery (20%) At the destination we charge the battery to 100% to move with a 50 kWh charger. We have a second recharge at destination. We are going to do 800 kilometers of tourism, that is two full batteries which is equivalent to the first full recharge already mentioned and a second to have another 400 kilometers ready. On our return we will repeat the move: we will charge in our holiday area (third recharge at destination) with a 50 kW charger up to 100%, we will repeat the fast charging on the road at more than 150 kW and we will fill the battery at home to 100% to check the real cost. Here we will arrive with 20% battery. The expense. Taking all this data, we have the following results: First recharge on the way up to 80% (56 kWh at 0.60 euros/kWh): 33.60 euros First recharge at destination up to 100% (72 kWh at 0.20 euros/kWh): 14.40 euros Second recharge at destination up to 100% (80 kWh at 0.20 euros/kWh): … Read more

Mexico is developing its first electric car and Puebla has the responsibility of delivering it: Olinia

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Mexico has a plan: the ‘Mexico Plan‘. It is the roadmap to attract investment and develop industries such as biotechnology, that of semiconductors either that of electric cars. With tariffs, Mexico has realized that it must depend more on itself, and Olinia will be a way to achieve this. It is the name of a family of ‘Made in Mexico’ electric cars that was put on the table last year as part of that ambitious plan. And it needs -a lot- of money to get started. The plan. In Mexico there is a beastly infrastructure to create cars. In fact, the United States bought thousands of units of those cars manufactured in Mexico each year. However, Trump’s latest policies They convinced some manufacturers to move to American soil. That made the Sheinbaum government realize that they need their own industry to achieve technological sovereignty, and Olinia was the answer. in language nahuatl“olinia” means “to move”, and is the name of a family made up of three types of 100% electric and cheap vehicles: A small one for the personal mobility of young people and taking their children to school, as an alternative to buying a motorcycle. One for mobility in the neighborhood. One for last mile merchandise delivery companies. Puebla. During these last few months the development of the car has been moving, but recently we have had two interesting developments. The first is the manufacturing area. Puebla aimed to be, due to some plants they had, a systems supplier for the Olinia. The Technological Institute of Puebla would be in charge of some tasks, such as design, but now everything will take shape there. It will be one of the 60 technological innovation projects that will be developed in Puebla over the coming months, but it is evident that Olinia is the most visible piece of the strategy. The Government stated that the project is very advanced, but that we will have to wait until June for the launch of two prototypes. The car platform show me the pasta. This is not only a boost for Puebla in the particular struggle with Jalisco and Sonora to become the spearhead of the Mexican technology sector, but a declaration of intentions. It seems that the car is closer than we think and that commercial goal set in 2027 will be met. But something fundamental will be financing. Olinia is a program backed by public money (scarce so far, according to Bloomberg), but it is already noted that a few more million from private capital will be needed for it to see the light. At least, another 200 million dollars What the Government is looking for to be able to produce these first models in something that they describe as “a common practice in the market when talking about relations between governments and automobile companies.” Lithium. Little by little, Olinia is taking shape and phases of development are being completed. The intention is for them to be short-range cars for short-distance urban trips, but beyond the issue of financing, there is something on the horizon that could put a brake on the Mexican electric car: lithium. Because Mexico has some of the most important lithium reservesbeing a crucial component for the batteries of any device, but it is not produced on an industrial scale. And if it wants to be technologically and economically sovereign, perhaps the focus should be on discovering how to achieve a stable production of lithium and other critical minerals. In Xataka | The United States knows it has a problem with rare earths from China. And he believes he has an alternative: Mexico

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