car

When you bought a car you were supposed to control it 100%. The industry has managed to make us lose our desire

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An owner of a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N recently discovered that he couldn’t perform one of the most basic maintenance tasks on his electric car: changing the brake pads. The reason has nothing to do with how complex or not the task was mechanically, but rather with Hyundai’s proprietary software and the professional-level credentials necessary to access it. The episode has reopened the debate on the repairability of electrified vehiclesin an era in which we increasingly need professionals specialized in software and electronics in workshops, and carrying out maintenance on our own is increasingly more complicated. The underlying problem. Brake pads are wear components that any car needs replacing periodically, although in electric vehicles they last longer thanks to the regenerative braking. On most cars, this job can be done at home with more or less basic tools and moderate mechanical experience. However, the Ioniq 5 N incorporates an electronic parking brake that must be fully retracted by a computer to allow changing pads, and then recalibrated to adjust to the thickness of the new parts. What it cost the owner. According to shared user SoultronicPear on Reddit, no conventional diagnostic scanner worked on his 2025 Ioniq 5 N. After trying several options, he purchased a subscription to Hyundai’s J2534 software (costing $60 per week) and an approved adapter (about $2,000). Still, the system didn’t work. After contacting the software developers, he discovered that the Windows version was not updated for the 2025 models, while official dealers use a completely different program based on Android. a barrier. When I finally received the updated version of the software, a new obstacle appeared: the system requested credentials NASTF (National Automotive Service Task Force), a US organization that validates professional mechanics and regulates access to sensitive vehicle functions in the country. According to TheDriveHyundai’s technical documentation states in red that “access to two-way tests and special functions requires NASTF Diagnostic Professional or Vehicle Safety Professional credentials.” Therefore, the owner could not access this adjustment firsthand. Hyundai’s position. The middle consulted to the firm, which defended its procedure arguing reasons of security and functionality. “The official repair procedure requires placing the rear calipers into service mode using our Global Diagnostic System or the J2534 app. This ensures proper functionality and customer safety,” a spokesperson explained. The company he added that it is exploring ways to make routine maintenance easier by “balancing convenience with security,” and that its official tool is available for anyone to purchase, although it is worth mentioning that its price is around $6,000. Beyond legality. Technically, Hyundai does not violate the laws of law to repair because it offers access through systems compatible with the J2534 standard, not only through proprietary equipment. However, what has always been a task accessible to individuals with moderate mechanical knowledge who wanted to do it on their own, has been relegated exclusively to professional workshops, at least in this case. A growing problem. Although the case focuses on Hyundai, the Korean brand is not the only one that makes repairs on modern vehicles difficult. The electrification and digitalization of automobiles is creating new barriers for owners and even independent workshops, who also cannot access these functions. For many enthusiasts, this takes away autonomy over their own vehicles and creates confusion, especially for something that should be as accessible as routine car maintenance. Cover image | Tekton In Xataka | In 2001, Renault launched a car ahead of its time: it was a miserable failure that now has another chance

A study analyzed the power of LED car headlights. The conclusion is what all drivers already know

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I hate traveling at night, almost as much as drive in rain. It had been a while since I went to a national one, but a few days ago I had to do it and what had to happen happened: I was dazzled on more than one occasion. Car headlights have evolved tremendously in a short time and LEDs have prevailed in new vehicles. The problem is that every time there are more signs that we have gone too far with its evolution. And a new report puts a percentage on how dangerous they can be if they are not properly calibrated… or if the car that uses them is an SUV. In short. Whether because you have a new car or because you update the headlights of a car with a few years behind it, they are one of the elements that are most appreciated on the journeys. They see you better, you see better and it is one of the most important points in terms of safety behind the wheel. If the height is correct and they are well calibrated, they are a pleasure, but it can also happen that this is not the case and they dazzle or dazzle you. There, security goes to hell for a few seconds. The British Department for Transport has published the results of a study about glare caused by LED lights. Your conclusion? They represent a road safety problem, altering the habits of drivers in the United Kingdom. We could extrapolate it perfectly. Basically, between October 2024 and early 2025, they combined objective measurements in real conditions with surveys of 1,850 drivers. The results They are devastating: 97% of them affirm that they are frequently distracted, and 96% that glare from headlights is a road safety problem. Analysis. On the one hand, we have those statements from drivers, who were asked about the frequency with which they felt distracted due to glare from the headlights of vehicles traveling in the opposite direction. On the other hand, the objective analysis. To do this, the DfT used luminance cameras and mixed the data using a machine learning algorithm to identify the variables that come into play at high glare levels. They discovered that there was a strong correlation between higher luminance levels and reports of glare in some test vehicles (logical, on the other hand). Also that road factors influence, such as circular upwards or curves to the righttimes when drivers’ eyes are most exposed to the beam of light from the headlights. In the end, these are things that a study does not have to confirm if you have ever driven at night, but what is interesting about the study is the consequences and the “culprits.” Impact. For example, more than half of the respondents have affirmed that this discomfort due to glare has generated anxiety when driving at certain hours, which is why they have reduced night driving or have abandoned it altogether. And more than 20% point out that they would like to take the car less at night because of this, but they have no other option. According to statistics and beyond the indirect impact, they estimate that glare has bound about 290 accidents annually. and the effects They depend on age: a 50-year-old person takes nine seconds to recover from glare, while a 16-year-old takes just one second, which applies another risk factor on the road to older drivers. SUV. Beyond this, they have also found that larger vehicles, such as SUVs, are the most associated with glare in surveys. This is logical: they are taller, their headlights are more aligned with the eyes of drivers traveling in the opposite direction (especially in lower cars) and it seems that all new cars are SUVsso they are the ones with the most up-to-date lights. The problem of retrofit. This term in English refers to the modification of an existing component. In short: updating with new parts and superior technologies, such as changing the brakes for better ones, installing a new infotainment system or change the original halogen headlights for LED ones. You can buy new ‘bulbs’ even on Amazon and many are approved, but there are two problems: those that are not well regulated and those that are installed illegally. The British Administration has identified that illegal conversion is a problem, since changing halogen bulbs for LED means that those housings designed for halogen do not work the same with the new LED headlights, causing dangerous glare. British ITV has intensified its analysis of the sale of these kits, with heavy fines for violators. Not simple solutions. They estimate that around 800,000 vehicles fail their annual inspection due to headlight alignment problems, but although these are UK numbers, this is a global problem (in Spain22% of serious failures have to do with the lights) which implies that, perhaps, we have gone too far with the power of our cars’ headlights. The solution is not clear. The report recommends periodic glare checks and rethinking luminance measurements in modern headlights, but this will have to be studied. In the end, it is something that we all suffer at one time or another although, as they point Our colleagues at MotorPasión, for motorcyclists there is another added problem: reflections on the visor itself. Image | Alexander Jawfox In Xataka | The “made in China” business of the DGT’s V-16 beacons: homologating the same product 24 times and selling it under different brands

Volkswagen has presented its “most intelligent car to date” in China. The trick is that Volkswagen hasn’t done it

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Volkswagen prepares the launch of the ID. UNYX 08an electric SUV developed together with the Chinese firm Xpeng that will hit the market in 2026. For years, Volkswagen enjoyed a large presence in China. However, currently, firms such as Xiaomi or BYD have overtaken them to the right with their proposals and technology. The German group has had no choice but join forces with the Chinese Xpeng to continue competing in this very competitive market. And the greatest exponent of this alliance is this same car of which we are going to tell you all the details. Strategy to come back in China. The German brand has lost positions in this market since 2020, when electric vehicles began their massive expansion in the country. Now it is trying to recover the lost ground against local manufacturers such as BYD and Geely through this technological alliance with Xpengwhich provides its G9 platform and its connectivity and driving assistance systems. Design speed. The ID. UNYX 08 was completed in 30 months, a time that according to Volkswagen It is more than 30% lower than usual. This acceleration responds to what the company calls “Chinese speed”, a concept that reflects its need to adapt to the pace of the local market. The German manufacturer affirms having managed to “fully integrate into China’s automotive ecosystem” thanks to local alliances and its own research and development capabilities. The figures of the new SUV. The vehicle measures 5 meters long, 1,954 meters wide and between 1,672 and 1,688 meters high, with a wheelbase of 3,030 meters. These dimensions exceed those of the Xpeng G9, the model on whose platform it was built. It will be available in two configurations: a 230 kW rear motor or dual motor with 140 kW front and 230 kW rear. will ride LFP batteries from CATL, with a range of more than 700 kilometers according to the CLTC cycle, and will support 800-volt fast charging. Technology at the service of the Chinese driver. The ID. UNYX 08 will incorporate L2++ level driving assistance with the capacity for autonomous operation “from parking to parking” both in the city and on highways. It will also have OTA (Over-the-Air) updates and an artificial intelligence assistant based on advanced language models. Volkswagen presents it as “its most intelligent model to date.” The plan to get back into the fight. This SUV is the first of the two models agreed between Volkswagen and Xpeng in 2023. It will be assembled in collaboration with Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group, a partner with which Volkswagen created its first joint venture in China in 2017 dedicated exclusively to new energy vehicles. The ID family. UNYX, which already includes the 06 (a compact SUV) and the recently unveiled 07 (an electric sedan), thus expands into the medium-large SUV segment. What’s at stake. For Volkswagen, this launch represents much more than a new product: it is a litmus test on its ability to compete with Chinese manufacturers in its own territory. The Asian market has become the main battlefield of electromobility worldwide, and the German brand needs to demonstrate that it can offer cutting-edge technology without losing its identity. We’ll see if the ID. UNYX 08 convinces drivers in China. If you do so, it will set the course of your strategy in the country. In Xataka | The “made in China” business of the DGT’s V-16 beacons: homologating the same product 24 times and selling it under different brands

an underwater YangWang, a 29-meter dune and a car that turns on its own

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The circuit seems taken from the dream of a megalomaniacal engineer: A gigantic dune indoors. A 70 meter pool for cars, not for humans. An impeccable and very wide asphalt route. A gymkhana off road with unevenness, slopes, gravel… BYD has called it Racing Trackwe have gone to Zhengzhou to see it (and test it), and it is much more than a circuit: it is a declaration of intent on the part of its manufacturer, and a not-so-subtle signal of the role it wants to occupy. Not in China, but in the world. Is permanently tighten muscleis throwing the gauntlet to Europe and the United States to see if they keep up. And for us, it is the key to understanding how this manufacturer has gone from a local phenomenon to a world leader in five years. The U8 dune The interior dune is the pride of the complex: 29 meters high, 28 degrees inclined, more than six thousand tons of sand from the Alxa desert. Guinness has certified it as the largest indoor building in the world. He Yangwang U8a luxury SUV with four electric motors, was in charge of climbing it. Of course, a local driver was behind the wheel. On the sides of the dune, dozens of journalists waiting for the climb like a child waiting to open gifts the night before Three Kings Day. Image: Xataka. Image provided. Image: Xataka. Image provided. At one point, the pilot honked his horn and accelerated hard to scale the sand wall. A five-meter tank that went with an unnatural calm. Not a skid, not a hesitation. Just an electrical hum. Another honk, and the descent. Applause and that feeling of celebration of raw power. We missed hitting each other in the chest making simian gestures. But there was something else: that iconic Pirelli advertisement said that “power without control is useless”, and that aphorism fits perfectly here. The U8 is pure power, but full of control. Symbolism. Where cars breathe The next stop was the wading pool, a 70 meter long pond created for the U8. This time we didn’t drive either, but we were inside while the pilot submerged the car in the water. Upon detecting a certain depth, the car automatically raised the windows and opened the sunroof, two safety measures to prevent water from entering the cabin and to facilitate escape if necessary, respectively. Image provided. Image provided. Image provided. Image provided. From there, the motors work like turbines in each wheel. They keep the car afloat and also allow you to steer it. It was impressive to see the water almost at the height of our window. From there, a gentle 180º turn and return to the shore. Science fiction for a amphibious SUV. That said, this function is intended as a response to an emergency such as flooding. It is not something the manufacturer recommends doing for fun. The dune was fun, but The one in the pool was the most hypnotic moment of the dayalthough with a bitter aftertaste due to memories of DANA. But for extreme situations like that this function is supposed to be there. From water to dust with the Denza B5 After the show, it was our turn at the Off-Road Parkan area with 27 difficulty scenarios. We did it, not completely, at the wheel of the Denza B5, the SUV that will arrive in Spain under that brand – although in China it is sold as Fang Cheng Bao 5 -. A competitor to the Land Cruiser that, depending on its price (it will arrive in Spain) will manage to put Toyota in more or less trouble, but in any case it will be noticed. If you don’t know Denza yet, keep his name: technological luxury that has no reason to have any complexes. Image provided. Image provided. Image provided. The assigned circuit was easy: ramps designed to put the car on two wheels, notable inclinations, bridge crossings and areas of complicated relief. Even so, the B5 moved with solvency. Instant electric all-wheel drive and obstacle-filtering suspension with the aplomb of a veteran off-roader. Patrol, is that you? It was not a risky experience, but it served as a symbolic demonstration: Chinese electric cars are no longer only looking for efficiency. They also want to be the most versatile. This one is. And it was extremely easy to drive in those environments even for someone like me, with no experience off-road. The scary crab: Denza Z9 GT The turn of the Denza Z9 GTthe saloon shooting brake that BYD has launched against the Taycan and the Panamera. But we didn’t test it on curves, but on something more disturbing: the crab walk and the U-shaped turn, 180 degrees in static. He crab walk —advancing diagonally like a crab—is a fair trick until you see it in action. You accelerate forward and the car slides sideways, defying all visual logic. It takes a few seconds for the brain to accept that the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front wheels. It is useful for parallel parking without maneuvering. It’s unsettling to drive. And it attracts looks of bewilderment. Image provided. Image provided. But the static 180 degree turn was straight up surreal. Standing still, without moving an inch, The Z9 GT pivots on its own axis until it turns completely around. The four wheels rotate independently, locking one of the front wheels, the car rotates like in a video game and you, inside, only hear the hum of the engines while the world spins outside the window. There’s no need. It is not practical on a day-to-day basis, if perhaps at some specific moment where we do not have an angle to deface a mess But it’s the kind of technological excess that separates a good car from a statement of intent. Of course, it does not seem advisable to play with it too much for the sake of our support tire. “Mickey Mouse” with … Read more

Elon Musk boasted of having created an “apocalypse-proof” car. Now the Tesla Cybertruck’s headlights are falling out

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Who doesn’t know a C15, prays to any Tesla Cybertruck with this title we headed this article in July 2024. We did it because on social networks it was already common to find comparisons between a Tesla Cybertruck which began selling just half a year before for a price close to $100,000 (sometimes much higher) with the car of “a Spanish farmer flying with three bags of fertilizer and a pregnant sheep in the trunk”, as this X user described. It was no wonder. Since it was first announcedElon Musk did not stop boasting that Tesla’s future electric car was nothing short of indestructible. A story that began crack when, live, the car glass itself could not resist the launch of a steel ball that, in theory, should not have caused any scratches. Now, less than two years after the car went on sale we know that the crack has been getting bigger and bigger. Because Tesla has recalled its Cybertruck for review. This time there have been 6,200 units. It is the tenth time in less than 24 months. Now, the headlights are going out. Indestructible, when it does not self-destruct Elon Musk boasted during the Tesla Cybertruck launch event about having a car “apocalypse proof”. He was talking, we assume, about real apocalypses, not metaphorical ones like the one they are experiencing Tesla sales in Europe. Beyond the jokes, what the owner of the company wanted to show is that he had something like a “armored street car”. In Xataka We already explained why a car that does not deform is a bad idea. If the car does not absorb the impact, it is the passenger who suffers the impact against himself. We are talking, of course, about cars that are on the street, working with all the guarantees. The problem for Tesla is that it keeps call cars for inspection. In the first year he had to do five calls for review. Today it has already been 10 and there are two full months of 2025 ahead, they collect in Electrek. While it is true that some of the problems have been solved with simple software updates, on other occasions they have had to go to the workshop because they were losing pieces in progress. The problem, everything indicates, is the same as on this occasion. The Tesla Cybertruck has some unusual headlights falling out, according to the American media. That is why the NHTSA has had to activate a recall so that 6,197 Tesla cars return to facilities. And Tesla sells headlights that can be installed on the roof of the vehicle as an accessory in its after-sales network, expanding the car’s off-road characteristics. The problem is that those headlights fall out. The glue simply cannot withstand their weight and in some circumstances it ends up expiring. This It hasn’t been the first time that Tesla has problems with the glue used, which has led to calls for review because, among other elements, the decorative molding of the A pillar, the one located on the side of the windshield, fell off. Beyond the possible fun of having an indestructible car that pieces are falling off while movingTesla is experiencing an ordeal with the electric off-roader. The company had the opportunity to make it a flagship, aspirational model and always sell it at a very high price but without aspirations of turning it into a mass product. like Mercedes does with its G-Class. However, it opted for the opposite and now finds itself unable to put the promised versions on the market at affordable prices. But, above all, it does not seem to be selling the expected numbers. And the company says it has a production line ready capable of produce 125,000 units each year. Musk even boasted that they expected sell more than 250,000 units annually. Electrek They point out that less than 65,000 units have been sold since November 2023. Photo | Josip Ivankovic In Xataka | In an attempt to improve sales of the Cybertruck, Elon Musk has found an unexpected buyer: himself

Toyota was determined to make hydrogen the perfect alternative to the electric car. Hyundai has just invested 563,800,000 euros

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Time passes and the hydrogen car continues to be the great promise of clean mobility. The problem is that, little by little, time passes and hydrogen seems to be at the same point: challenges that seem impossible to solve and the eternal promise of revolutionizing transportation. Along the way, a good handful of companies said they were joining the hydrogen wave. Toyota has been one of those that has bet the most but, in the midst of a decline, it has been Hyundai that takes a new step. Reconversion. Hyundai has confirmed which has already laid the first stone of its new fuel cell and electrolyzer production plant in Ulsan (South Korea). The company has invested 930 billion won. That is, 563.8 million euros to convert the space and give it a new industrial use. According to the company, starting in 2027 they will be able to manufacture 30,000 fuel cell units per year in a space that extends across 43,000 m2. The intention is to produce systems for hydrogen-powered passenger cars but also for heavy transport services. a bet. Hyundai’s commitment to hydrogen is not new. The company has on the market the Nexusone of the few hydrogen cars that can be purchased and that has no competition since the Toyota Miraithe other great hydrogen car, is a sedan with a totally different approach. At the end of last year, Hyundai also presented Initiumthe preview of what should be a new hydrogen car that will arrive in 2025. However, the company has not launched the new model on the market. The Nexo has not been the first car powered by a Hyundai fuel cell but, for now, it is the last despite the fact that in 2021 they announced that we would have the entire range on the street with hydrogen versions in 2028. The promise. For years now, hydrogen has been proposed as the great alternative to the electric car. Although, really, it is an electric car. In its operation, a fuel cell car is a vehicle that carries out the electrolysis process inside to generate electricity that is stored in the batteries. In this process, the car does not generate CO2 and only expels water vapor through the exhaust pipe. The great advantage is that its carbon emissions are non-existent while it recharges the tanks in a few minutes to travel hundreds and hundreds of kilometers. The problems. There are many and they are difficult to remedy. When it comes to bringing hydrogen to a street car, the technical difficulties are enormous. First, because hydrogen occupies a large volume for the energy it can later generate. That’s why the Toyota Mirai is, almost everything, huge tanks. The latter is solved by turning the hydrogen into a liquid state but requires keeping it at -30ºC. It is a solution that has been designed to be used as fuel in a combustion engine and to remember the sensations of a combustion engine but generates very polluting particles such as NOx. That is, hydrogen requires huge tanks or a good amount of energy to keep it at a very low temperature. When this is achieved, it requires a complex system to carry out electrolysis or burn it in the engine itself (which generates very polluting particles). And all this without counting the complexity of producing and transporting it to the service station on duty. Non-viable. What happens at this point? That hydrogen is, at the moment, very expensive. As expensive as in Germany the cost of filling the tank was as expensive as filling it with diesel. It does not seem so strange that service stations are being dismantled in Germany and that although Stellantis offered to convert electric vans to hydrogen to gain autonomy, has ended up abandoning his plans. For now, on the way BMW too says it is developing hydrogen cars. Renault says to do the same. And Toyota continues investigating with burn hydrogen in combustion engines while turning his back on his Toyota Mirai in the United States where he faces a class action lawsuit from owners who they feel cheated. a light. In addition to light transportation, Hyundai says it wants to focus fuel cell production on heavy transportation. The company has its hopes that this type of transportation can find a true use for hydrogen. Heavy transport can find some advantages over electric transport. To charge an electric truck in a short time, enormous infrastructure is needed with chargers as fast and powerful as those from BYD. If hydrogen poles are created in dry ports or large distribution centers, it could make sense with less dispersed and therefore less costly distribution. Also the cost of filling the truck with huge tanks is lower because in percentage terms it would not eat up as much space as in a car. And, at the same time, recharging would be faster for less clean transportation than purely electric but much cleaner than current diesel engines. Photo | Hydrogen In Xataka | Renault is clear that the electric car is not the only way. Your proposal for the future: a hydrogen plug-in hybrid

The best-selling car in Spain is the Dacia Sandero. It is a completely irrelevant fact to understand Spain

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The Dacia Sandero was, in 2024, the best selling car in Spain. It was, in fact, in a total of five countries around the world. In addition to Spain, the Sandero repeated the throne in Bulgaria, Kosovo, Morocco and Portugal. This year we are on track to repeat it, with a Dacia Sandero that has added 28,765 units. Well above the MG ZS, the second best-selling car with 19,251 euros. The data tells us that among the best selling cars In our country the cheapest vehicles triumph. The Renault Clio is the third option. Despite having announced a new generation, it is still the third best-selling car in our country and can be found for prices starting at just over 16,000 euros. The Seat Ibiza is the fourth best-selling car and its starting price is just below the 15,000 euro border. Among the 10 best-selling cars we also find the Peugeot 208, which starts at 17,000 euros. Are we poor? This is what many responses on social networks affirm to each and every one of the lists of the best-selling cars in the world. The reactions compare us with the Nordic countries or Belgium, where the Tesla Model Y was the best-selling car last year. But… what if the statistics were distorted? Simply looking at which is the best-selling car by country gives rise to some paradoxes. France has a salary average of 44,968 euros, while in our country we move at 31,698 euros, according to data collected by Expansion. Despite this, the best-selling car in France in 2024 was the Renault Clio… followed by the Peugeot 208 and the Dacia Sandero. Photography is not very different from that of our country. Finland has an average salary of 52,893 euros, double the 25,198 euros in Greece. Both, however, share that the best selling car in their countries last year it was the Toyota Yaris Cross. The same car that repeated as the best-selling in Poland. Now, we can understand that the photograph may be somewhat distorted. Bestseller just means “bestseller” “The fact that sales were concentrated on that type of car (the Dacia Sandero) or on its price level, that it was the best-seller did not say anything about our purchasing capacity” Who maintains this is Manuel HidalgoDoctor in Economics from the Pompeu Fabra University and professor at the Pablo de Olavide University (Seville). He did it with a tweet on According to his calculations: 33,251 euros. That is the average price of cars bought in Spain. And the data even has nuances that would raise this figure. We might think that a very expensive car will undoubtedly raise the average price. For example, a Dacia Sandero sells for less than 15,000 euros, so a car worth 150,000 euros is equivalent to the registration of ten of these cars. Source: Manuel Hidalgo But Hidalgo has also crossed the frequency with which these cars are purchased. And in the graph above you can see that, indeed, there is a good number of vehicles sold at the average price of a Dacia Sandero and then there is a spike when the graph approaches 20,000 euros. However, most cars sold In our country they stand at 30,000 euros, very close to the average of 33,251 euros. From here, there is a marked drop. The professor and Doctor in economics explains that to obtain the data he has taken the data of the best-selling cars in our country between January and September 2025 (latest data available) and has crossed them with the RRP of the price at which each and every one of the cars in our country are sold. These data show that six times more cars are sold at the 30,000 euro border than at the 14,000 euro border where the Sandero starts. The leadership of the latter is based on the fact that it is the market reference among the cheapest cars. The options in this price range are also much more limited, so at higher prices sales are diversified and, therefore, it is more difficult for a car to gain points to appear among the 10 best-selling cars in our country. But, as we said, it is very likely that the average price we pay for our car in Spain be taller. We asked Manuel Hidalgo about this possibility and he confirmed it. It must be taken into account that the data shown is obtained with the RRP of the car but not with the expenditure that the private client makes on equipment or superior mechanics. And the basic versions of a car are, in many cases and more so in cheap vehicles like the Dacia Sandero, focused on large fleets. This explains that if the car is segmented between individuals and legal entities, the curve shifts to the right. Source: Manuel Hidalgo According to the data collected by Manuel Hidalgo, the average of the car purchased by an individual is higher than the average of the legal entity. Specifically, an individual spends 33,982 euros per vehicle, while an individual spends 32,376 euros. Looking at the graph above, we see that it is common to buy cars for very low priced fleets. So much so that the graphs between individuals and companies do not equalize until both reach 20,000 euros. Among individuals, the frequency of purchases between 20,000 and 30,000 euros shoots up earlier and it is evident that the final average price is driven by a rebound in purchases between 50,000 and 60,000 euros. Among individuals, it is evident that there is a purchase for fleets and work vehicles where the cheapest cars are sought. Then, the frequency shoots up again at the border of 30,000 euros, showing that it is the segment preferred by companies for cars used by their employees or by self-employed people who can deduct part of the fees. That is, yes, in Spain the most purchased car is the Dacia Sandero but the variables that must be taken into account to analyze the … Read more

BYD has built a megafactory in record time. And it’s not just a car factory: it’s a city

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The chinese automotive industry has one goal: flood the west with their cars. BYD is one of the companies that, while wanting to take over the national market, wants a good slice of the international pie. For this you have as many employees as a small countryand to carry out its vision it has the most beastly car factory you can imagine. This is the Zhengzhou plant, and more than a factory, it is a city. Gigafactory? Best Uberfactory. Everything that surrounds the Zhengzhou plant It is imposing. Starting with the times, BYD and the Henan government they signed the project in September 2021, in just one month the works began and less than two years later the factory began production. His ability It is imposing and, already in its first operational phase in April 2023, it demonstrated that it could have a ability 400,000 vehicles annually. Not only did they get it up and running in record time: its dimensions are also impressive. The plant is estimated to have an area of ​​10.68 square kilometers in factories alone, but when the project comes to completion, it will occupy about 130 km². Context. Ten times more than Tesla Gigafactory in Nevadawith its 12 km², and larger than the area of ​​the city of San Francisco (it is approximately 120 km²). It is not unusual for large technology companies to have “cities” under their control and, without leaving China, Huawei has a similar campus (and another that copy different European cities). But BYD is overwhelming. More than cars. The factory is a “living” project of which four phases have been completed so far. The first two have focused on the production of cars, but as we said, we are talking about a factory that goes beyond vehicles. The third phase launched a plant for the battery manufacturing and the fourth has the necessary facilities for the production of semiconductors. They are underway new phases to expand production to two million vehicles annually and it is estimated that the facility generates a complete vehicle every 50 seconds. Technology. This is achieved thanks to an automation rate of 98%, one of the highest in the automotive industry worldwide. For example, the welding process is carried out with 91% robot labor and there are hundreds of them operating in other sectors, such as assembly or logistics. It is not due to a lack of human work, since the factory currently employs about 60,000 people, 90% of them coming from Zhengzhou or its surroundings and there are plans to reach up to 200,000 employees in 2026. Imagine all of Salamanca working in the same factory. Independent Republic of BYD. That is why we are not just talking about a factory: it also has housing and everything necessary is being built to make it a full-fledged city. Apart from housing blocks for employees, the megafactory has canteens, commercial areas, recreational facilities such as soccer fields and other areas for playing sports, as well as an internal transportation system. It also has additional facilities to carry out tests on their vehicles, such as a 1,758 meter circuit with nine curves, sand dunes to carry out off-road tests, a 70 meter pool (this is where you can see the Yangwang U8 in action) and multifunctional areas to carry out braking, acceleration and other more specific tests, such as autonomous parking. Apart from testing, it is like an amusement park for those who want to see the benefits of the brand’s EV cars. International connection. In the end, it is a mix between ambition and space (something that is abundant in China), which gives rise to a city focused on a single task: producing new energy cars with which China is setting the standard globally. In addition, it is an economic engine for the region and such a strategic element that, in 2024, Zhengzhou inaugurated the International Land Port with a one kilometer railway line to the BYD base. In this way, BYD can produce cars and instantly send them by train to the international market. It is also easier to load them into RO-RO boats with capacity for reach Europe in three or four weeks. Such is the importance of Zhengzhou for the company that its seventh ship car carrier was named after the city. Images | BYD In Xataka | Volkswagen is determined to copy China to make its electric cars attractive in Europe: put a gasoline engine in them

The “best mechanic in Spain” says that leaving the car parked for a long time causes “irreversible damage.” It’s not as terrible as it seems

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Any object that uses mechanical components is something that should be used from time to time. Although we are talking about cars here, it is not exclusive to cars. If you have one bicyclesome automatic watch either photo cameras old, it is something that you most likely have in mind. And the thing is that, with the passage of time, the liquids dry out or become stuck and the components can begin to suffer from corrosion. That’s exactly what happens to a car. When a vehicle is not movingthe moving parts lose lubrication and the liquids always remain in the same places. It is also easier for corrosion to appear. In short, it is the same case as the previous ones. With the difference that a car is an object that usually weighs between one and two tons and is designed to move at high speeds on the road, leaving aside its maintenance clearly puts our health and that of the rest of the drivers we meet on the road at risk. But what should we fear and what can we not worry about? For the best mechanic in Spain in 2023, the problem is obvious: “irreversible damage may occur.” a long, long time In 2023, Javier Sendín, from Talleres Cardiocar de Salamanca, was chosen as best mechanic of Spain for The Official Workshop Community. This award delivered annually and over the years it has brought together more than a thousand participants. The winner is chosen after online tests in which theoretical questions are presented and, phase by phase, it ends up deciding who is the best in Spain. In The Vanguard They have contacted Sendín to ask him about some risks that we should not overlook when maintaining our car. Whoever was the best mechanic in Spain has remembered the importance of not forgetting of a vehicle because we cannot expect that after a long time without starting, the car will be in perfect condition. “Although it may not seem like it (leaving the car still for weeks), this can be harmful. Components such as the suspension are affected, since the silentblocks and other rubber pieces tend to dry out or warp when left in the same position for weeks or months. It is also very negative for the battery, both in thermal vehicles and, especially, in hybrids and electric vehicles (…) there is a risk of irreversible damage.” What “the best mechanic in Spain 2023” claims is undoubted. The question is how much time has to pass for the damage to be especially noticeable. The truth is that if a car remains stationary for a few weeks, the damage is still minor. For example, it is not good for tires spend a lot of time supporting the weight of the car in the same position as deformities may arise. Despite this, in less than a month you will not notice substantial changes. Of course, keep an eye on its pressure so that when you get going again everything is in the best state. The battery is the other problem that can appear when the car has not moved for a long time. Especially if its useful life is already on its last legs, it is not a good idea to leave the car stationary for a long time. Yes indeed, if only a few weeks passthe worst that can happen is that the battery is completely discharged. However, if the battery is in good condition, may take more than two months to download. If we contemplate this happening, a good idea is to unplug the battery completely. So, when should we start paying real attention to our car? The American Automobile Association recommends that we put more emphasis on car care when they pass more than 45 days immobile. In that case, you should try to keep the car indoors and in a dry place. In this way, the car is more protected from corrosion and components that suffer from changes in temperature and humidity, such as tires, are more protected. Among the advice given from RACE There is checking the levels of the car’s fluids: brakes, coolant or oil. And with the passage of time, part of them may evaporate or have dried out in some specific points. Keep in mind, however, that again we are talking about months with the car stopped and not a few weeks. In that case, do not force the mechanics excessively when putting the car back into operation since we will not be risking any breakage. In fact, it is estimated that until after three months Since the car came to a complete stop, the components will not start to cause real problems. That is why possible damage from having the car stopped is not the most common case. Yes indeed, from the RACC They also recommend paying close attention to gasoline. First of all, we should not rush the tank to the maximum since impurities always remain at the bottom of it and it is easier for them to end up damaging a component such as the spark plugs. But if the car has been stopped for a long time it is not good to leave it loaded with fuel either. Over time, it loses properties. If we have a classic car that we use a few times a year, it is best to leave some gasoline in the tank but renew it shortly after we get going. You don’t have to use up the tank but you also don’t have to leave the car forgotten with a full tank. We talked, once again, about leaving the car sitting for months. Photo | Felix Neudecker and Sten Rademaker In Xataka | The “one minute rule” or how to always keep your car ready and avoid breakdowns worth 3,000 euros

The best-selling car in Spain is the Dacia Sandero. And we are teaming up with France to defend the jump to electric cars

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Rarely can it be said that France and Spain are teaming up to achieve the same objective. At the same time They torpedo themselves as much as they can on the high speed railway or what they face each other directly because of the energetic connectionsthe electric car seems to have united the two countries. At the same time that the European Union seems to be cracking regarding its positions on the electric car, France and Spain have not hesitated in positioning itself to defend possible modifications to a regulation led by Germany. The Germans are pushing to open the door to combustion engines and countries like Italy seem convinced that it is the way to go. However, from Spain we have put many efforts to electrify our industrywe are embracing a good part of the models that should power Europeans in the coming years. France has also done everything possible to embrace the technology that, until recently, almost all of Europe defended as the best for the future. What is being played? The eternal and convoluted European bureaucracy In 2023, European countries They voted to ban combustion engines from 2035. The ban left almost any technology that did not rely on electric or hydrogen out of play. First of all, we must understand what the European Union roadmap is. The plan is to drastically reduce the volume of emissions from heavy and light transport. Among the measures proposed, 2025 should be the year from which manufacturers would receive a fine of 95 euros for each car sold and for each gram of CO2/km exceeded in their average emissions at the end of the year. This has not been fulfilled and the manufacturers, who They expected billion-dollar fineswill be accountable in 2027 taking as reference the average emissions for the period 2025-2027. That is, if everything remains the same, whoever does not comply in this year 2025 must compensate in the coming years. From 2030, the emissions limit is drastically reduced. The 49.5 gr/km of CO2 raised They leave any car with a combustion engine that is not highly electrified in the lurch. In fact, with the changes approved for plug-in hybrids, their sale is not a great guarantee when it comes to lowering emissions. Reducing these involves, yes or yes, selling electric cars. And when 2035 arrives, cars with combustion engines that emit CO2 will not be able to be sold. This is important. The original wording spoke of “polluting emissions” and was finally changed to “CO2 emissions”. This makes sense because a fuel cell car can generate some polluting emissions in its electrolysis process but does not emit CO2. The first draft left everything that was not electric out of the market. Finally, it was approved that cars with combustion engines will be prohibited from emitting CO2. But also the door was left open to e-fuels or synthetic fuels. These fuels trap CO2 for their production, so it is considered that the emissions produced in the engine are being compensated. Europe still has to debate whether to finally approve the proposal that would allow these cars to be sold. The intention is that, if approved, these cars They will only be able to circulate with e-fuels and they must have sensors to prevent them from operating with traditional fuels or a mixture of synthetic and traditional fuels. But, in addition, the 2023 approval in which the ban on selling cars with combustion engines was confirmed already included the obligation to present a report before December 31, 2026 by the European Commission reporting on the progress that was being made. This report has been brought forward to 2025 and it is being studied. It will depend on him whether, finally, any type of modification is carried out. Europe divided Faced with this situation, Europe is divided. Despite the votes and the fact that the regulations should be firm, countries such as Germany and Italy and manufacturers are pushing for the current ban on combustion engines not to be maintained as drafted in 2035. Spain and France have presented a document in which they reaffirm their position in defense of the current prohibitions. This comes after the European Commission confirmed that will advance the review at the end of this year of the current state of the regulations, which can open the door to modifications and more lax regulations. In it document They reject favoring the use of plug-in hybrids since they consider that they emit more polluting particles than those reflected in the current tests and assure that “subterfuges should not be enabled that allow us to escape the ‘zero emissions’ objective for 2035”, in words collected by EFE. The document is, as we said, the response to the pressure that countries like Germany and Italy are exerting. The Germans have even asked, directly, that the ban on selling cars with combustion engines be eliminated. They assure that allowing synthetic fuels will leave us with “cleaner mobility”. Italy is the other big obstacle that the French and Spanish are encountering. Since Giorgia Meloni came to power has pointed out the regulations as wrong already approved that should prohibit the sale of engines that generate CO2. Like France and Spain, Germany and Italy also go hand in hand but in this case they have signed a document in which they consider that the current emissions regulations contemplate “disproportionate penalties.” And here comes what can change everything. In Germany and Italy they believe that the volume of emissions must be taken into account “throughout the entire value chain or through the use of renewable fuels.” That is, each brand should be analyzed taking into account how many emissions it produces not only during the burning of the fuel in its engines, but also during its production. The final objective seems clear: if the manufacturer saves on emissions during its production, the engines should have room to expel that CO2 that the brand is already compensating during its production. That is, … Read more

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