Cars

The one with autonomous cars

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While in some cities in the United States and China it is no longer so weird to meet Robotaxis without driverin Europe we remain stuck in a tangle of regulations that slow the development of autonomous driving. However, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has already given the alarmadmitting that “autonomous cars are already a reality in the United States and China. The same should be true here in Europe.” And the strategy in the EU seems to be very in the line that with AI: “Safety First” (first security). The background problem. Europe maintains technological capacity and large manufacturers, but its regulatory fragmentation is leaving it out of play. Each country has its own rules to test and homologate autonomous vehicles, which complicates large -scale deployment. Meanwhile, states such as Arizona or California in the US, and cities like Beijing or Shenzhen in China, They have been testing robotaxis for years in its streets without bureaucratic obstacles. China and the US have the front. In China, more than 60% of cars sold this year include level 2 autonomous driving technology, often standard even in basic models. Companies like Weride, Pony AI or Apollo Go have the support of the Chinese State and They are expanding aggressively. In the United States, Waymo, owned by Alphabet, already has License to test in New Yorkwhile Tesla He already did evidence Also in Austin last June when transporting passengers in their cars. In fact, Musk’s company would give the tycoon A bonus of one billion dollars If, among other objectives, it manages to put a million robotaxis in circulation. Europe tries to react. Volkswagen He has presented his id. Buzz Ad through Moia, its mobility subsidiary, with plans to display autonomous vehicles in Europe and the USA From 2026. Von der Leyen has proposed Create a network of European cities to pilot cars without a driver, with 60 Italian mayors already interested. However, analysts warn that mass adoption will not arrive before 2030-2040. The road is long and the delay, evident. China accelerates. Blocked in the US market for national security reasons, Chinese autonomous driving companies are accelerating their arrival in Europe. Qcraft has announced a headquarters in GermanyMomenta is associated with Uber to test in Munich, and Deeproute.AI negotiates with European and Chinese manufacturers to install a data center on the continent. “Europe is the only market to which they can come,” assures You, founder of the consultant but Auto Insights. This generates alarm among some European competitors, which demands subsidies and greater regulation to level competition. Delay in Europe. The EU has established strict barriers in data protection and artificial intelligencewhich forces other foreign companies to adapt their systems, but does not prevent their entry. Some European executives, such as Alex Kendall from Wayve, They advocate for an open market that accelerates development. Others, such as Jim Hutchinson from Fusion Processing, They ask greater regulatory intervention. There is a substantive issue, and it is the control of the data that are processed in vehicles, very valuable sensitive information for companies that seek to capitalize on it. What is coming. The European Commission works to harmonize regulations to facilitate the evidence and deployment of advanced systems, but for now only countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom They allow tests beyond level 2 basic. Autonomous driving is one of the segments in which a large investment is expected by specialized companies, and everything indicates that Europe will continue to opt for strict regulation. Cover image | Baidu In Xataka | The European Union will impose a new CO2 tax in 2027. And that means one thing: more expensive gasoline

China’s government is discovering that selling cheap cars is not enough in Europe: spare parts will be insured

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China has proposed an objective: to become the New energy cars supplier of the world. HE esteem that the country exported about 4.3 million cars in 2024, of which 1.6 million were electric and almost 750,000 ‘They parked‘In some country in the European Union. Within China’s expansion policies, companies have made the decision of flood Europe with its cars. For this they are associating with already consolidated groups In our territory, but they have also opted for the most direct way: bring your cars directly in large ships and open dealers. It is what is allowing the expansion of brands like byd, Xpeng or Jaeco/omoda (and Those who are coming, like Xiaomi), But there is a problem: spare parts. We already told it a few days ago: the mechanics were Starting to see Chinese cars with good eyes. Even Euro NCAP, the agency responsible for giving a security score to cars in our territory, Consider that they are safer than many other brands. They are not the only ones: the CEO of Riviain has already said that Chinese cars were better And even Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, commented that He didn’t want to get off his Xiaomi Su7. The problem is when something fails And it’s time to ask for the replacement piece: you have to wait because you have to ask and, sometimes, that piece is easy for you to come … from China. Now it is the Chinese government itself who wants to settle that problem with a goal in mind: take care of the client. And for this they will regulate sales abroad through the ‘export licenses’. Export licenses, China’s weapon to improve the image of their cars In September 2012, China implemented a regulation called ‘Shang Chan Fa N318’ regulations. With it, a series of qualification requirements for national manufacturers were established that requested both cars and motorcycles. It was something that applied to both hybrid and combustion vehicles, but the electric were exempt. If companies could export everything they wanted without any regulation, Isn’t that good for expansion? Yes … and no. On the one hand, the aforementioned expansion is achieved, but irregularities could also be committed, a poor after -sales service and an absence of official guarantee were offered. Basically, “anyone” could bring the car, sell it and disregard. And there is the negative part, since if a user buys a car, fails or does not update and does not have any attention after the sale, that experience will not only do not return to Buy a Chinese carbut recommends not doing it. With the new export license that It will be implemented As of January 1, 2026 for cars that leave China, the government seeks to combat all that. And be careful, not only to Chinese manufacturers, but to companies that manufacture in China, regardless of its origin. In fact, four ministries are those who have jointly announced the measure (trade, industry and information technology, customs administration and the state administration for market regulation) and what companies that manufacture in China will have to do in China and want to sell their vehicles in other countries It will be to request a license that will be renewed annually.

China is building more electric cars than you can sell and that announces something dramatic: a manufacturers bleeding

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For years, China has cooked its assault on the electric car. As in other sectors, the country has put a cooked pot and has been done with all the ingredients. Little by little, it has been heating the water, browning the sauce and, with everything ready, the fire has risen. The time has come to get the dishes. And it doesn’t matter if someone stays along the way. A huge market. China is the largest electric car market. Not only that, by volume, it is the country in which more cars are bought if we add all kinds of technologies. His market is gigantic. To the point that In it, 23.5 million cars were sold In 2024. To get an idea, in the United States 16 million cars were sold and around 12 million cars. Why does an electric car have less autonomy than the announcing According to data from Carnewschinasales were slightly lower (22.9 million) but the International Energy Agency (IEA, for its acronym in English) and the specialized medium in the Chinese market agree that the barrier of more than 11 million vehicles of new energy sold (category in which plug -in and electric hybrids are included) was broken). Over low heat. Until last year, European manufacturers had been leaders in the Chinese market. Little by little, local manufacturers have gained ground … until Byd rolled Volkswagen. Among new energy vehicles, more than 60% of sales They are electric cars. And there, Chinese manufacturers have passed over Westerners. They have achieved it with a determined policy. European manufacturers were offered land and labor at balance prices. Of course, they had to associate with local manufacturers. These manufacturers have learned from the West and, in addition, They have received subsidies from the Chinese governmenteither with the creation of state companies (or partial participation in them), almost free land and facilities and soft loans. And, at the same time, the State has been taking strategic positions. China controls the supply chain of semiconductors But also the production of Rare earth and of batteries. All this has caused that the cost of producing in China for the Chinese market is much cheaper for its local producers, which has resulted in a better product at a better price than foreign competitors. Fearless. Once the State has been done with the ingredients and has put the cooker, it has not been afraid to climb the fire with the intention that their marks will eat the western ones in the country. The purchase subsidies have been focused on maintaining a constant sales yield of electric cars and new energy, where China has managed to get ahead. At the same time, a wave of nationalism well aimed from the State (for the interests of its manufacturers) has moved the purchase interests of consumers. They already see Western brands as a thing of the past. Companies that previously positioned themselves as a luxury product today are obsolete in a market that bets on a type of car without barriers. A car that is the object of mobility but is also karaoke or interactive center where to take a while surrounded by screens. Overcapacy. Or overproduction, so that we all understand each other. According to data from the Chinese Association of Automobile Manufacturers, In 2024 there were 31,282 million vehicles and 31,436 million were sold. Keep in mind that much of that production, obviously, was sent outside the borders. In fact, already in 2023 The country beat Japan as the largest car exporter in the world. The problem is that the formula has begun to give symptoms of exhaustion in this 2025. O, as little, of a certain stagnation. Last August, Byd confirmed that he had to redirect your sales prospects. The company I planned to produce 5.5 million of vehicles but its new objective is on the border of the 5 million. With 80% of its sales in China, which by the brake begins to give an idea of ​​the difficulty finding the market to absorb all the cars that are producing. An unexpected war. That difficulty in putting cars in the market has been the manufacturer himself in his meats. They explain in Reuters That in the Chinese city of Chengdu it is easy to find cars with discounts of 50%. Some of them, the Audi that are manufactured in collaboration with FAW, are sold with up to 60% discount. That war is dilapidating the margin of benefits of brands such as byd that have more muscle than rivals to lower prices and reduce stock. Because that is another of the obvious symptoms that point to a slowdown in the Chinese market. A few months ago, The concessionaires themselves asked that manufacturers stop sending cars because they were having problems selling them despite the attractive discount. In fact, The State itself has brought together manufacturers To deal with the topic of kilometers 0, which add up as a sale but then are forgotten in stores in the absence of a buyer. A private market. When China lived its previous price war, we already commented that it was a fire test for some companies. The problem of this wild competition is that manufacturers enter a downward price wheel where cars are ended up without taking out enough benefit to it. So, Tesla and Byd They were the ones that had the entire muscle to destroy the rivals. But, in addition, two peculiarities in the Chinese market must be taken into account. The first is that the launch rhythm is very high. That makes the companies themselves leave the cars they have launched just a few months or a year ago with their own innovations. This is the case of byd And the announcement that His eye of God would reach all his cars From now on. The client observes that the models and prices are renewed with each launch. Conclusion: delays the purchase, the stock accumulates and the cars are outdated. But, in addition, manufacturers … Read more

With Waymo’s self -employed cars we are arriving at a legal absurdity: driverless infractions

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San Bruno police, a Californian city, He stopped a Waymo Robotaxi after making a prohibited turn at a traffic lightbut he had to let him go without sanction: the Californian law does not contemplate fine vehicles without driver. Why is it important. This episode has revealed a legal vacuum that may seem anecdotal now – a simple illegal turn – but that raises a much more serious issue: who responds to a deadly accident caused by an autonomous car? The context. California allows the circulation of autonomous vehicles for years, but its traffic code has not been updated so fast. Circulation fines require identifying a responsible driver. If there is no driver, there is no possible sanction. The agents contacted Alphabet, the Waymo matrix, but could not issue any citation. “Our fine forms do not have a” robot ‘box “, the police department has recognized in Your Facebook profile. He has said that he is “preparing legislation that will allow agents to issue notices to the company.” It is expected that Between in force in July 2026. Between the lines. The problem is not technical but political and judicial. Technology companies have deployed their robotaxis fleets faster than legislators have been able to adapt the laws. And that gap not only generates absurd situations such as this, but it leaves citizens unprotected against serious accidents. The big question. If a waymo mortally runs over a pedestrian, who is going to trial? The algorithm? The engineer who scheduled it? The CEO of the company? For now, nobody has an answer. However, we must distinguish between criminal responsibility – who goes to jail – and civil liability: In the event of a deadly outrage, the victim’s family would not face a no legal exit. His demand would have a perfectly identified recipient: the company, Waymo, as the final head of the vehicle. The objective in that trial would not be a prison sentence, but a millionaire compensation for the damages caused, based on established concepts such as the responsibility for defective product or business negligence. The real vacuum is not if someone would pay for the damage, but how to adapt a criminal code designed for humans to the autonomous decisions of a machine. In perspective. This legal vacuum is not exclusive to California. As autonomous vehicles extend around the world, the legal systems of dozens of countries will have to solve the same dilemma: how to sanction machines that cannot declare, cannot be imprisoned and technically have no will. Outstanding image | San Bruno Police Department In Xataka | I have tried a totally autonomous taxi. This is traveling without driver

The entire planet looks intrigued at the cars factories of China and Morocco. Meanwhile, another power grows in the shadow: Türkiye

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The European Union has more than A year applying the “compensatory rights” to the Chinese electric vehicles. This rate really applies to all manufacturers they produce in China and then bring their cars to European soil. The goal? That companies manufacture in Europe. But if all eyes point to China, other countries make their way. Morocco is not the only one that is consolidating as the springboard Star to Europe: Türkiye is asking for a step. And it is not something that are taking advantage of Chinese brands: also European. Trampolines. The Chinese automotive industry has a simple objective: to conquer the world with its electric cars. Companies have experience, technology, ships to transport thousands of cars of a tacada and are leaders in the manufacture of the most important: The batteries. China has launched some strategies to meet that plan, such as expand its factories in Europe, associate with European companies and create Kits that are manufactured in ChinaThey are transported disassembled and remembered in the final car on European soil. But, they are also taking advantage of “empty” in those compensatory rights. The combustion car is its ‘Trojan horse’but also countries like Morocco and Türkiye. In both, the labor is cheaper than in Europe and most importantly: they have commercial treaties with the EU, which allows those ‘tariffs’ to skip. Touchstone. It is calculated that The investment in Morocco is about 10,000 million dollarsa figure that contemplates not only manufacturing, but also the exploitation of key minerals for battery production. Morocco has huge deposits and China does not want to miss another portion of a chain that dominates with iron fist. In the case of Türkiye, there are examples like Chery investing $ 1,000 million for a plant in Samsun that will have a production capacity of 200,000 electric and hybrid vehicles every year. SWM Motors too will open A plant in Eskisehir to create hybrids and gasoline, and Byd will have one of its biggest factories In the West in Manisa. Besides, Not only will they be dedicated to manufacturing: In the case of Byd we also talk about an R&D center. Not only China. But it’s not just that China looks at Türkiye: Europe does not lose sight of them either. Brands like Renault and some from Stellantis produce There models for both the local market and Europe (The new Clio, for example). Moreover, the European Union, through funds such as Horizon Europe, intended 1,000 million euros in the 2021-2027 framework for the development of the automotive sector in Türkiye, especially for electric mobility, the development of load infrastructure and initiatives such as the manufacturing and recycling of batteries. Win-Win. Obviously, the situation is beneficial for all parties. On the one hand, China wins a springboard to European soil and the possibility of introducing their cars at very attractive prices in a local market that is upwards. The estimate is that Türkiye is the Major Market Fourth of electric cars for sales in Europe during the first half of 2025, only behind Germany, the United Kingdom and France. This is something favored by the State thanks to reductions and a series of advantageous tax conditions and tax exemptions if an electric car is purchased. And Türkiye, with that money, promotes the transformation of the sector with new R&D centers and strategic agreements with Europe to further reinforce its position. Toggg. And eye, Türkiye, Following The example of Europe put an aggressive tariff on Chinese electric cars, but with a condition: if manufacturers began to invest in local production facilities, they would be exempt from that import tax. But in all this there is an asterisk: Chinese companies, with their high capitalization and strong technology, can offer advanced vehicles at very competitive prices that overwhelm local producers like Toggg. There are already those who points That this competition, instead of healthy, could suppress the growth of the local ecosystem, being a danger if, at some point, Chinese companies decide to leave the market. And the United States? Apart from this issue, it is evident that the country is playing its letters well as the “bridge” between the East and West is, also in terms of critical raw materials to create batteries –part of the rare earth that China controls-. And, if you are wondering what happens to American companies, the truth is that their giants are not investing directly in Türkiye, but they are doing it through the calls Joint Ventures. They do not want to make too much outside the United States (something that recent tariff Otosan to create cars on Turkish soil and sell them both in that market and in the Middle East. In the end, as they say, a scrambled river, fishermen’s gain. And everything indicates that Morocco and Türkiye are those fishermen. In Xataka | Family and friends keep asking me if “it is worth buying a Chinese car.” This is my answer

The mechanics of Spain are increasingly trusting Asian cars. And maintenance data are right

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“If you want a car that does not fail, buy a Toyota or a Honda.” This phrase is a classic when it touches Buy a carwe want one that passes as little as possible through the workshop and we start asking acquaintances. It has an obvious problem: it is a bias limited affirmation and experience, but there are more and more voices that point that, perhaps, it does not go so disenchanted. Because there are countless brands, each with its reputation, but beyond the film that each company wants to tell us to close the embers to its flame, there are two elements of help when buying a car that does not fail: Reliability surveys and experience of mechanics. The mechanics. “I think the Asian market has eaten the European, when it was the other way around.” This is the opinion that the mechanic Kike Ferrer shared A few months ago, pointing out that “the best cars you can buy are Asians, they are the ones that are least repaired in the workshops” That is an important point because when they are under guarantee, it does not bother to have to visit the workshop, but the problems come when the Reliability outside that guarantee framework It begins to be compromised. There may be minor arrangements, but also many who bite in their pocket. The mechanic Carlos Pérez has also commented Recently that “Honda, Mazda, Toyota … are very reliable cars, well manufactured and that endure many kilometers without giving problems. Nor must we forget Kia and Hyundai, Korean and a quality guarantee.” The statistics. Kike’s is not an isolated opinion, and to check it, you have to go to statistics. This type of surveys and lists They are always controversial Because reliability is measured for both software and mechanics and, above all, because it is segmented to the North American market. Two of the most important are that of Consumer Reports and that of JD Power. Consumer Report Analyze 20 problematic areas of the car (ranging from the brakes to the engine, through broken beautifiers, potential problems outside battery, transmission and problems that affect the electric and hybrids as the battery and load) and compares with the historic since 2000, giving a score from 1 to 100 to each car. JD Power also handles reports sent by thousands of consumers. They are not simple surveys, but a thermometer that the automobile industry takes very seriously (so much that some of its findings They have forced brands to take action (such as the failure in the rotary engines of Mazda in 1973). That said, Asians such as Toyota, Lexus, Subaru, Honda, Hyundai or Mazda usually occupy the top positions. OCU table The OCU. Within each brand, obviously, there are better or worse models. For example, within Toyota, the BZ4Xlowered the score of the brand in one of the surveys. Interestingly, it is the basis of Subaru’s single, and also lowers the average of this company. But of course, when we say that it is a biased list, we mean that, although there are models that we share between markets, the European and the American are not the same. There the OCU comes into play and Whatar. Let’s go with the seconds. It is a British media that conducted a survey of almost 30,000 drivers to find the most reliable models of Great Britain. The same as before: the ones that have gone through the workshop. The result is that Lexus and Toyota (same group) led the list with the Lexus NX and the Toyota Aygo X. The following were the Mini Countryman, the Audi Q3 and the Kia Picanto. Regarding the OCU, with other almost 30,000 people surveyed in Europe and information of 276 models, In the 2024 table We see that the Top 10 is occupied by eight Asian brands and the only non -Japanese/South Korean are Cupra and Smart. And the Chinese? In the different surveysthere are names that usually exchange positions, but there are three elements that do not vary. The first thing is that Lexus is usually the first. The second is that the Japanese and South Korean are the ones who take the top positions and the third is that those brands that we see more and more through the streets are missing: the Chinese. In Kike Ferrer’s interview to Adrian.gmartin, the mechanic mentions To the Chinese cars among those reliable Asians, but with an asterisk: the spare parts logistics that, in their opinion, is not yet up to it, sharing an opinion with Pérez. Brands like mg (of the best selling in Spain) or byd are the ones that we begin to see the most in the streets and, although it will have to spend time for official guarantees to be exhausted and we start having data on how much they pass through the workshop, there are already authorized voices that approve Chinese cars. For example, Enroncap, the body responsible for granting security scores in the European territory that is clear that they are even better than others of more settled brands in the region. But of course, in the end, although a very valid opinion has nothing to do with seeing them more or less in the workshop. For that, as we say, we will have to wait a few more years. Images | OCU, Magic Booster In Xataka | The German ITV has analyzed the reliability of the Tesla and has reached a conclusion: Dacia is above

2025 is being a relief for the sale of electric cars in Europe. For everyone, except for Tesla

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Although the electric vehicle park in Europe is still very much from what the European Union He plans For the next few years, the truth is that the European market for electric vehicles lives its best stage to date. And is that its growth It has been 26% In the first eight months of the year. In contrast to this, it is also worth focusing on Tesla, a brand that leads the electric vehicle segment on the continent with its Model and and that, however, Its sales have decreased significantly. Tesla still does not lift heads. Tesla keeps Model and as the electric most selling from Europebut their figures tell a different story. Between January and August, sales have been 83,314 units for Model Y. If we compare the figures with the same period of the previous year, we see that it is a brutal decrease of 34%. He Model 3which occupies third place in sales, does not escape the trend with a drop of 29% and 50,237 units sold. The company now faces a radically different context than that of only a few years ago, since there is greater diversity of electric vehicles and competition. If we look at concrete markets, the firm fell significantly in August in France, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Italy, as points Reuters In France they fell 47.3% in August, and in Sweden 84%. However, it should be noted that in Spain (1,435 cars sold in August) and Norway (rebound of 21.3%) their sales have grown, although the percentage is much lower than the performance of ByD in these regions. In Germany, which is where the brand has greater competition, between January and August They sold 11,441 cars. The American manufacturer is located in Germany in thirteenth position, behind Opel, with 13,000 electric cars sold in the same period. There was a year in which Tesla maintained the first position in this country, back in 2022, when the firm sold almost 70,000 cars Only that year. Now, with much more competition and expansion of the rest of the manufacturers, the context is very different. Volkswagen takes control. While Tesla goes back, traditional European manufacturers take advantage of the wave. Volkswagen has been crowned as The largest electric seller in August With 16,105 units, a spectacular jump of 45% year -on -year thanks to its ID.3, ID.4 and ID.7 models. Tesla was second with 14,245 cars sold during that same month, but with a general fall of 23%. BMW completed the podium with 12,546 electric vehicles, growing 7%. More adoption, but it still remains. Between 2024 and 2025, Europe has lived constant growth in the adoption of electric vehicles, the result of the largest variety of vehicles that are available for purchase, and the growing evolution in infrastructure and incentives. The 154,582 electric vehicles sold In August they represented 20% of the total new cars sold that month. Several manufacturers They point That a 20-25% quota is sufficient to meet EU emission objectives by 2025-2027, although there is still a cloth to cut, especially for The objectives that the agency is scheduled for 2030 and 2035. The conquest of China. Chinese manufacturers, especially bydthey have broken into European territory. According to data From Jato Dynamics, Byd came to overcome Tesla in April in some regions, tripling his enrollments in certain periods. Chinese competition combines competitive prices with a diverse range that includes plug -in hybrids, gaining ground despite EU tariffs. Then it is that Byd is the one that resonates the most, but there is everything A flood of Chinese brands settling in Europe, as is the case of MG, Xpeng or Nio, among many others. In Xataka | Hyundai has tired of the autonomy of its electric cars. Your solution: copy China and stuff them a combustion engine

Europe has filled with Stellantis cars that are not sold. And Madrid and Zaragoza will pay the consequences

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Zaragoza and Madrid will suffer a temporary stop in vehicle production. This has been confirmed to us from Stellantis, who we have asked about the rumored machine stop in six European floors. With a stock that is not giving out, the company does not want to return to past times. Temporary. That is the makeup: a temporary stop. Although we have asked in Stellantis about stops distributed throughout Europethe company has only confirmed in our case those related to Madrid and Zaragoza. Nor have we been offered data on when and how long these stops will take place. If it is confirmed that the company for the Poissy factory, which produces the DS 3 and Opel Mokka, from October 13 to 31, 2025, according to the French media Echos. In Bloomberg They expand the stop to the Italian Pomigliano factory where the Alpha Romeo Tonale and the Fiat Panda are manufactured. There are already four confirmed plants but in the French media it was ensured that the strikes could affect up to six European factories. Spain. What is manufactured in our country? In Madrid, Stellantis produces the Citroën C4y C4 X, as well as its completely electric variants. For its part, in Zaragoza produces the small electric electric. That is, Los Lancia Ypsilon, Opel Corsa Ey Peugeot E-208. In addition, it had recently confirmed that the B10 Leapmotor would arrive in Spain and, everything indicates, should land in Zaragoza. The one that will not stop is the Vigo plant. There Stellantis produces the commercial vehicles of Peugeot and Citroën, as well as the 2008 Peugeot and its completely electric version that takes advantage of the lines of the electric vans. The stock. Stellantis’s intention is to reduce the stock of his stores. The company has long dealt with its stores at a healthy level. In fact, during The last call with shareholders Following the middle of the year results, the message was sent that the company had maintained a “strong discipline in inventories after the corrective actions of 2024” and that it is “maintaining that discipline throughout 2025”. These messages are not causal. The company has been dealing with an enormous overstock, especially in the United States. So much so that in that market some of their concessionaires came to accumulate so many fiat 500 electric that ended give them away to take them off. The company does not want to be in a similar situation but some of its products are becoming outdated and are increasingly complicated to sell. That is why the production of cars such as the Alfa Romeo Tonale or the DS3, which do not reap good results. A serious problem. In your latest results reportStellantis confirmed that the network has more than 1.2 million cars without selling. Of these, 300,000 are possession of the group but there are more than 900,000 cars distributed by independent dealers to those who have not given exit. In Europe, in addition, this inventory has grown by 7% compared to 2024 because products to the available cars portfolio have been added. Among the data maremagnum, he emphasizes that Stellantis has produced fewer cars but his margin has also collapsed. If we talk about Europe, the company had already reduced its production in about 100,000 units but its benefit for the sale of these cars has collapsed at 2,000 million euros, because of discounts to sell vehicles in stock, low sales and the obligation to repurry units set on the market. Sales. In that last fact, sales were made. At the end of August, According to AceaStellantis has reduced its sales by 8.9%. And what is worse, the rivals eat ground because their market share has gone from 17,%to 15.9%. The reorganization in the portfolio of its range leaves us dramatic falls in what we have been. For example, Opel, its third best selling brand, falls 11.8%. Fiat, its fourth best brand, falls 19%. Lancia, which only has the electric ypsilon, falls by 72.8%. And the electric? When it was confirmed that Zaragoza was going to continue receiving electric cars, Like the Leapmotorwe already explain that the news can be seen from two perspectives that seem contradictory. The optimistic is that Zaragoza will manufacture the electric cars of Stellantis, which should guarantee the future of the long -term factory, especially if we take into account that, together with CATL, the company will raise a battery production plant To nurture your lines. This should be the confirmation that the bet is very serious. The pessimistic is that although the small electric car Sales should increase (especially if manufacturers want to meet the maximum limits set and flee) They will have to put these cars on the market. But, for now, they continue to demand certain complications from their owners and, therefore, they are being more complicated to sell even if they lower their prices. And a financial situation … difficult. To all of the above we must add what we have already counted a few weeks ago. Stellantis is going through a complicated moment in some decisions made by Carlos Tavares in the past. His commitment to the multienergy platform has forced the company to make great efforts to develop the Stla Medium and Small. Those economic results are still green. But, in addition, they have gotten into investments such as hydrogen and two electricity cars that They have been canceled. In total, 3.3 billion euros in the trash. Photo | Stellantis In Xataka | Before developing a pile of hydrogen or competing with Chinese electric, Stellantis has chosen a third way: surrender

Mercedes has filled its screens cars. Now your software boss says that the lifelong buttons are better

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Automobiles are immersed in two revolutions. One seems to have a clear destination: the adoption of batteries for support decarbonization. The other is that of the buttons, and it is somewhat more diffuse. If a few years ago the main companies They launched into the arms of the screens Already the condemnation of the physical buttons, now there is a shy back. And, precisely, one of the cars that is returning to the buttons is the New Mercedes GLC. Yes, the one with a 39.1 -inch side screen. Mbux Hyperscreen. Presented during the Munich Auto Hall a few weeks ago, the new Mercedes GLC is a most curious electric. On the outside, it reminds us of more classic cars of the brand, but inside it is an absolute fantasy. It does not reach the end of Intel prototypes with screens everywherean idea that became ‘obscene’, but in the dashboard we have a huge screen of almost 40 inches from side to side. It’s about your Hyperscreena subway and a half screen that simulates three screens and that has the controls of the entire infotainment system, car information and, after the steering wheel, the digital velocimeter area and important details for driving. Reverse. When Mercedes designed it, he relegated absolutely all car controls to digital buttons on that touch screen. However, the industry is in a moment of change and there are brands that are rethinking those movements. Although shy, Mercedes has joined this with the aforementioned GLC, but also with the Cla Shooting Brake (Another electric). The German brand has redesigned the steering wheel to include elements that should not have disappeared from it as knobs, rollers and buttons to control important sections of the car and do not have to divert the view of the road to look at a screen. The British environment Coach He has been able to talk to Magnus Östberg, head of software in Mercedes (so he must be one of the most interested in integrating everything into the user interface of the screens), who has recognized that, perhaps, they went from futurists. The new steering wheel with buttons The buttons are better. In the interview, Östberg pointed out that wearing the buttons back to the wheel is “the easiest and most profitable way to add physical controls to cars” while maintaining cabins in which there is great importance to digital. To the surprise of few drivers, “having that balance between physical and tactile buttons is extremely important for us. We rely on the data and what is most used, and the data show us that the physical buttons are better. That is why we have put them again,” he says in a forceful way. The software chief commented that this will mark the Mercedes roadmap from now on and that, probably include more buttons. Now, it will not be in all models. Östberg points out that, while the flyers with buttons will mark the new path of the brand, those cars that will include more additional buttons, surely will be the SUV. “In the largest cars we have more freedom of space and, in addition, the buyers of these ranges care more about the buttons,” he says. This may depend on the market, since the manager suggested that there could be different flyers depending on the region. He pointed out that while Europeans want buttons, Asians prefer screens and voice controls. Climatizer controls will continue on screen Also in the industry. The truth is that Östberg’s statements do not catch us by surprise if we take into account what other companies are doing. One of those who made a big difference between the classic and new ‘cabins’ with screens everywhere is Volkswagen and, precisely, in the Munich Automobile Hall presented Your new design language for interiors of their cars: more buttons and, in addition, real buttons (Nothing of its controversial capacitive buttons). But it is not just that companies are realizing that the buttons are useful for security reasons: Euro NCAP announced a few months ago that cars will only get five stars (a very important marketing point for the user) If the basic functions continue to control with physical controls. Mazda and his “Submit me the cup”. But, while some of the companies that most bet on the buttons are collecting cable, even timidly, there are others that move in an opposite direction. I mean Mazda, the Japanese company that became resistance When betting on small screens and many buttons and that, with its last models, has given the flying to embrace the touch screens. He Mazda 6e It was a warning, but consolidation came with the Mazda CX-5 2025a car that relegated important controls to the large central touch screen. And, like Östberg, from Mazda United States, they said that drivers want … screens. But well, despite the words of the Mercedes manager, the screens will not disappear. In fact, in Autocar, the design chief of the German firm, Gordon Wagener, said that the interior of the GLC is a luxury and that they look at Apple so that the software is the differentiating point With competition. The point now is to find that average term in which the buttons and the screens of a meter and a half manage to live together. Images | Mercedes-Benz In Xataka | Volkswagen adds to an increasingly common trend: to pay a subscription so that your car runs more

Ford had 20,000 workers in the Colonia factory. Ten years later they are 7,600 because their electric cars are not bought

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Three years ago, Ford presented its short and medium -term road map for Europe. Then they announced seven new completely electric modelsof which they were commercial vehicles. Of the other three, only one was a Ford. And, in fact, it has ended up becoming the electric variant of a combustion car. We talk about Ford Pumaan electric car in which they have had to juggle to put an electric motor train. A car limited to the city because platform restrictions Combustion barely leave space for a 43 kWh battery. With its more than 34,000 euros of departure, it has become a difficult car taking into account that it moves on the highway between 200 and the 250 real kilometers of autonomy. The other two, as we said, are not Ford cars. The Ford Explorer and Ford Capri They are electric cars mounted on the Volkswagen platform. In both cases we have stressed that, dynamically, cars have a slightly more interesting tuning than that of the Germans, with more hard suspensions and a slightly more direct direction. However, if you mount one and another it is easy to verify that both models are mounted on the Volkswagen MEB platform. That is disguised with the vertical displaceable screen in depth and a speaker arranged as if it were a sound bar. But that’s it. The interface of a good part of the menus is Purely Volkswagen And, specifically, it is evident that it is a hardware and software mounted on the MEB platform. And that is bad news. For your touch controls or for your usability decisions. And they are also bad news for Ford. So much that it will fire a thousand German employees because their electric cars are not buying. The results of a failed strategy A thousand employees. That is the number that Ford will say goodbye to its neighborhood plant (Germany). They argue that “in Europe, the demand for electric cars is still well below the forecasts of the sector” and that, therefore, the plant will pass to a single shift in 2026, reducing its productive capacity, in words collected by Motorpasion. They explain in the middle that so far this year, Ford has sold 19,000 Ford Explorer units and Capri is still below. In fact, you have to go down to the fourteenth place between best -selling electric cars in Europe in the first half of the year to find the Americans. Cupra, Byd or Peugeot were above them. We could talk about bad results but Ford invested 1,000 million euros in Colonia to modernize the plant and get its electric cars out of there. With a productive capacity of 250,000 vehicles per year, the factory works at half a gas. Nor is it a good time to receive this news since The company is losing money this year and suffering with American tariffs. So much so that last year he earned 1.8 billion dollars and this year plays in red numbers. The result is also the consequence of a risky strategy: to offer two clearly differentiated products. In October 2024, Jim Farley, his CEO, said that the company was “leaving the market of boring cars to enter the market of iconic cars” to the magazine Car. The statements They coincided over time with the abandonment of classic vehicles in the European market such as party, Mondeo or Focus. And it continued: “We are good making a quick car (about Ford and the bronco sub -jack) and authentic SUVs. Look at the Raptor, we brought it from Mexican competitions and turned it into a car that can be used in the street. It is a great example of where I think our passenger cars should go (…) We can face Porsche with the Mustang, it is the best -selling sports coupe in the world. and be stronger and stronger “ In those words, Ford’s strategy was hidden. European emission regulations They aimed at 2025 of Milmillonarias fines. Finally, the sanctions were delayed to 2027 but, if applied, Ford needs to sell many more electric and few cars like the ones Farley mentioned since they exceed the maximum proposed emissions of 93 gr/km of CO2. The answer was the hug to the Volkswagen MEB platform. This has been criticized harshly by critics and the public. In their eagerness to reduce costs, decisions have been made as a profusion of tactile controls They bother in place of adding. And cars have not highlighted precisely for good autonomy or a groundbreaking price. But, in return, Ford has obtained two electric cars in the market with a minimum investment. The risk is almost limited to the modernization of the colony plant. So, There are two clearly differentiated business lines In Ford: Cheap cars (developed on the work of others) and expensive and representative cars that do not even refer to Ford. It is no accident that the Mustang, Bronco or Raptor have lost the Ford logo on their front. They are, in themselves, as families that work almost independently. The problem is that the public has not bought Ford’s bet. The Ford Explorer or Capri are not bad electric cars but you have to assume the youth errors of the MEB platform paid, in addition, at a high price. In what we have been, in Spain, 649 units have been bought between the sum of these two models. 649 units of the almost 21,000 registrations that Ford is registered at the end of August. The damage is especially bleeding in more powerful markets. In Germany, Volkswagen has managed to overcome with the ID.3a car that seemed dead but is the best selling in the electricity market. He is followed ID.7which also uses the MEB platform. The Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 They are positioned in the fourth position (add up to the same bag because ID.5 is only the Coupé variant of ID.4). You have to go down to the twelfth position to find the Ford Explorer. Capri is not among … Read more

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