Chinese

A huge fuel tank has fallen from heaven in Argentina. And we already have suspicious: a Chinese rocket

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The afternoon is almost always quiet in the small Chaco town of Puerto Tirol, north of Argentina. On Thursday, that tranquility was interrupted by an object fallen from heaven. He had appeared on a rural property whose owner did not hesitate to call the police. The police cordoned off the area waiting for firefighters. All the investigations are already made on the Internet. What is known. The object measures 1.70 meters long by 1.20 meters in diameter. It is metallic, has a cylindrical shape and is covered with carbon fiber or a similar compound material, so it is surely a pressurized propellant tank, a piece of the space rockets known as Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel (COPV). When a satellite or a rocket re -enters the atmosphere, most of its body is burned by pressure. These containers, on the other hand, are designed to support very high pressures, so it is not strange that they survive intact. Or judging by the photos, somewhat chamuscados and frayed. What is suspected. The first identification came from the hand of the Caribbean Astronomy Society (SAC) in A Facebook post. They confirmed that it looks like a piece of space vehicle, specifically a COPV. And they pointed out that, of the most recent releases, the main candidate is a Chinese rocket released the day before. The analysis of the trajectory seems to confirm suspicions. The astrophysic and renowned Jonathan McDowell satellite tracker He corroborated this hypothesisstating that the object is “probably” the tank of the fourth stage of a Chinese jielong-3 rocket. From China to Chaco. The private company China Rocket had launched on Wednesday the eighth mission of its Jielong-3 rocket. The Y8 mission took off From a maritime platform At 07:56 UTC to put 12 satellites of the Geely Future Mobility constellation in orbit, a positioning and communications service of the Chinese automotive giant Geely. After displaying the satellites, the fourth stage of the rocket continued to orbit the earth until 9:00 UTC of the next day, when It was sighted disintegrated in the sky 15 kilometers from Puerto Tyrol. Most likely, it will not be completely burned and the deposit survived the fall. A questionable history. China has earned in recent years. The most notorious case is that of the CZ-5B state rocket, whose central stage of more than 20 tons is designed to reach the orbit and then fall to the earth unpredictably within a period of days or weeks. The reality is that this behavior is changing, and both state and private companies are actively providing their rockets on the ability to actively extend, keeping some fuel and after deploying satellites. The problem is not that. But the space garbage, and that is that the Earth’s orbit has become a landfill. There are all kinds of dead satellites and rockets in the terrestrial orbit that gradually approach the earth due to atmospheric braking. With the rise of satellite megaconstellations, every day they re -enter the atmosphere an average of three large pieces of space garbage. And in this case they do it without any control. As a result, incidents in inhabited areas are increasingly frequent. In March 2024, a fragment of a battery pallet discarded from the International Space Station crossed the roof of a house. In January 2025, A half ton ring He appeared in a town in Kenya. In February, several fragments of a spacex rocket They fell near the city of Poland. The Earth is very large and mostly depopulated or covered with water, but it is a matter of time that something happens. Therefore, space agencies such as ESA They are promoting a commitment of “zero waste” to harden the regulations of their own missions. It is necessary, yes, a global consensus. Images | Llitory region In Xataka | The fireball that crossed Spain on Sunday will not be the last one: with 8,000 Starlinks in orbit, it will be a habitual show

There are more robots working in Chinese factories than in the rest of the world together. Beijing’s strategy is already a blow of global authority

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Close your eyes for a moment and imagine The country with more robots in its factories. The logical thing would be to think of Japan, and not a few would also include the United States in the quiniela. However, the most recent figures point out another destination and do it clearly: China, where robotics has ceased to be an experiment to become the daily pulse of production. It should be specified from the start: we do not talk about showcase humanoids, but of industrial welding robots, manipulation and assembly, which are transforming how it is already manufactured what speed. The last report From the International Robotics Federation offers the clearest photograph of this phenomenon. In 2024 alone, Chinese factories installed about 300,000 industrial robots, a figure higher than the rest of the combined world. In parallel, the total park exceeded two million active units, well above any competitor. In contrast, the United States added 34,000 new robots in its production and Japan lines around 44,000, confirming the magnitude of the Chinese jump. China not only competes, already dominates China’s hegemony in industrial robotics has not appeared out of nowhere. Since 2017, its factories have installed Between 145,000 and 295,000 annual robotswith a especially strong jump from 2021. Pandemia barely slowed that progression, and in 2024 the figure was again located around 300,000 units. In contrast, the United States, Japan, South Korea and Germany not only started from much more modest volumes, but also registered declines in the last statistics. The next step in the Chinese strategy was not only to install robots, but to manufacture them on a large scale. For the first time, Chinese suppliers sold more than foreigners in their own market: 57% of the 2024 facilities were of local origin. On a global scale, Japan remains the main manufacturing country (around 38% of the world supply, according to IFR). This turn reduces dependence, although it does not equals full technological autonomy Chinese industrial policy has been decisive to accelerate the transition to automation. The initiative Made in China 2025 marked the first great milestone in 2015, with the aim of REducate dependence of imports in key sectors. Six years later, in 2021, the country adopted a specific plan to multiply the deployment of industrial robots. This planning added loans at low interest from state banks and support for technological purchases abroad. The result has been a fertile terrain for the expansion of Chinese robotics. When talking about robotics, the most common image is that of humanoids as Optimus either Figure. However, the figures that place China in the lead correspond only to industrial robots: mechanical arms that weld, assemble or move materials in the production line. The report leaves humanoids out, still in an experimental phase and with very small sales. Even so, the state impulse has generated an ecosystem of humanoid -centered startups, such as UNITREEalthough its weight in the industry remains marginal. The figures that place China in the lead correspond only to industrial robots. The integration of artificial intelligence into the factory is not exclusive to China: Japan, South Korea, Germany or the United States also apply with vision systemsautomated failures and quality control algorithms. What distinguishes Beijing is the scale with which this practice has spread, until it becomes a usual component of its industrial strategy. In many plants, the AI ​​monitors real -time machines, anticipates breakdowns and adjusts processes. This broader and more coordinated deployment has multiplied the impact of automation. The technological jump also depends on the people who make it possible. China has a large number of specialized technicians, from programmers to industrial electricians, capable of installing and maintaining robots in complex environments. Even so, the demand exceeds the supply and salaries of the installers have shot, already around $ 60,000. This talent gap reflects a global bottleneck: automation does not advance with capital and machines, it needs professionals who integrate it into the factory. Chinese leadership in industrial robotics still has clear borders. Although the country already manufactures a third of world robots, it continues to depend on foreign supplies for some key components. High precision sensors and advanced semiconductorsfor example, they are still domain from Japan and Germany, with decades of technological advantage. This deficit limits China’s ability to assemble higher range robots, especially humanoids. Even with a thriving ecosystem, technological autonomy is not yet complete and marks one of Beijing’s pending challenges. Although China continues to depend on foreign suppliers, the weight of its market already conditions global dynamics. By producing and installing more robots than anyone, it achieves economies of scale that reduce automation projects and pressing international prices. Its volume also gives it the capacity to influence technical standards and equipment interoperability. In the supply chain, the center of gravity moves to Asia, forcing other countries to adapt to an ecosystem in which China marks the rhythm, even without still controlling all technology. The map of industrial robotics is no longer understood without China in the center. In the next two years, the attention will be to verify whether to reduce its dependence on key components and if it maintains the rhythm of 300,000 new annual facilities. Beijing does not hide that he wants to extend this model to emerging sectors such as humanoids and reinforce their weight in global chains. For the rest of the world, the question is not whether China will continue to lead in volumebut how to respond to a strategy that combines scale, industrial policy and technological ambition. Images | Simon Kadula | Arthur Wang In Xataka | Qualcomm believes that the 6G will be the final network for AI and has already set it: the reality is that 5G is still in diapers

The fastest car on the planet is electric, Chinese and touches the 500 km/h barrier

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Byd already has a new notch in its revolver. A little over a month ago that the Chinese company presumed to have the faster electric car in the world. Its Yangwang U9, an electrical hyperdeportivo of 3,000 hp of power already looked through the rearview by any previous brand with its more than 470 km/h of peak speed. Today, Byd can already boast another milestone: he has the fastest car in the world. Yangwang U9 Xtreme, previously known as Track Day The “electric” surname of its record has been removed by raising up to 496.22 km/h peak speed. Yes, they have managed to beat Bugatti. Byd has the fastest car on the planet. I had to arrive It was almost a matter of time for an electric car to be done with the tip speed record. Electric cars have become vehicles with the fastest acceleration in the world but, in addition, with the right battery they had in their hand to take the fastest car title in the world. Keep in mind that Yangwang U9 is a Electric hypercocheor 1,288 hp. It has the latest byd technologies, such as the intelligent control of your body that allows you three -wheel either hop To avoid obstacles. Yes, jump. But in its Xtreme version, this hypercoche raises the power of its four engines up to a total of 2,978 hp. That makes it an authentic missile to which only he can stop his battery. However, with the appropriate accumulator the “fastest car in the world” title was going to fall yes or yes in an electric car sooner or later. In this case, we talked about the first car with a structure of 1,200 volts (the most advanced right now on the street have 800 volts) and an energy accumulator more dense than the rest of the cars that Byd has on the street. That is why it is able to accumulate more electricity in the same space. That battery, however, is huge and despite lightening weight in other elements, we talk about a 2,480 kg car. Solution, with its 3,000 hp of power they have managed to get into a ratio of 0.82 kg/cv. He has defeated pure gross power to Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, which in 2019 reached 490.48 km/h. The almost 500 km/h of the byd model have swept the European model but have been made in a unidirectional pass in the oval of the oval of ATP Papenburg Circuit in Germany. At the moment, the SSC Tuatara remains the fastest vehicle in a bidirectional past, with 455.3 km/h on average. However, the milestone is important. Bugatti has been ensuring that he had reached its limits. The Chiron Super Sport 300+ has a brutal W16 capable of reaching 1,600 hp and had put on Michelin’s roof Its ability to break a new record. Marc Basseng, the pilot on which the record of the record fell, said that it has only been possible because “the U9 Xtreme has incredible performance. Technically, something like that It is not possible with a combustion engine. Thanks to the electric motor, the car is silent, there are no weight changes and that allows me to concentrate even more on the track. ” New horizon? Obviously: be the first car that exceeds 500 km/h of peak speed. There is a new race to get it and Byd has been about to throw the door down. Photo | Byd In Xataka | Bugatti Veyron was a jewel that cost 1.7 million dollars: Volkswagen lost 6.7 million with each one that sold

The “Tiktok template” marks the way to follow for the rest. It is the formula for Chinese technology to enter the United States

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The agreement of Tiktok For the application to remain in force in the United States It is making begg. It is not for less, because it is in the core of a great Commercial War between the US and China. In addition, it also represents something that goes far beyond the application itself or its operation: it establishes a model that could open the doors to other Chinese technologies to operate in US territory. How Tiktok would survive in the United States. According to the leaks of the Wall Street JournalTiktok will operate in the United States through a new company controlled at 80% by US investors such as Oracle, Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz. The remaining 20% ​​will remain in the hands of Bytedance and other previous shareholders. The key is that the US government will have a direct seat in the Board of Directors of the new company. Why is it important. Until now, Chinese technology companies in the United States only had two options: being prohibited or selling completely American competitors. This “Tiktok template”, as Kevin Xu, founder of the Newsletter Interconnected, mentions it, introduce A third way: technological licensing under American majority control. As the expert explains, “this model opens the door for more critical, strategic and advanced technologies to flow from China to the United States.” The real award. Beyond Tiktok, this model could be applied to sectors where China dominates the global supply chain. Let’s think about byd wanting Sell ​​electric cars in the United States, Catl supplying batteries To American manufacturers, or Hesai distributing Lidar systems to robotics. These are technologies where Chinese companies have a considerable technological advantage and are ready to deploy today, while US alternatives could take years to be available on a large scale. The rules of the game. To work, xu Explain That Chinese companies will have to accept staying with a minority and passive participation, renouncing part of the commercial benefits in exchange for the “privilege” of selling in the US market. They must also find the perfect mix of politically related investors and companies with the White House to assemble the company that is responsible for managing the product in the United States. Between the lines. “This was a purely political problem from the beginning, so it could only be resolved with a political solution,” Recognize XU himself after years chasing the case of Tiktok. The analyst explains that neither technology, nor national security, even the laws matter. According to Xu, what works is to identify the most powerful figures and tie them in a network of conflicting but attractive interests that is difficult to reject. And now what. The Tiktok agreement, which Trump He says he will confirm this Friday With Xi Jinping, he could mark the beginning of a new era in technological relations between the two countries. That Tiktok continues in the United States is a decision that will not leave anyone indifferent, both for supporters and detractors. The template is ready, now we need to see who uses it first. In Xataka | The United States and China seem to compete in ia. The reality is that they play completely different sports

The Chinese brand has begun to make its cars in the continent

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The Chinese brand of electric vehicles has launched Your first local production line In Europe, marking an important step in the industry, as it is placed as one of the first Chinese manufacturers to produce local vehicles in the continent. The company has chosen Magna’s facilities in Graz, Austria, to start the assembly of its most successful models in the European market. A key movement. Xpeng’s decision of manufacture at the local level in Europe Respond directly to Tariffs imposed by the European Union to electric vehicles manufactured in China. The tariff tax can reach up to 35.3% for some manufacturers, a percentage that adds to the 10% base tariff. In the case of Xpeng, considered A “cooperating” entity In European research on subsidies, the additional rate is only 20.7%. Xpeng G6. Image: Xpeng The choice of the perfect partner. Magna Steyr It is not any manufacturer by contract. Its Graz facilities have produced vehicles for brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Jaguar Land Rover and Toyota. The plant specializes in flexible production of low volumes to media, and is recognized for its ability to assemble multiple complex models in shared lines. Currently, it is where the Mercedes-Benz class G. and the BMW Z4. The numbers speak. Between January and July 2025, Xpeng registered sales abroad from 18,701 vehicleswhich represents an interannual increase of 217%. In Europe specifically, more than 8,000 units were recorded in the first half of the year. The G6 monopolizes 67% of the brand’s total sales in Europe, becoming the star model of the region. More than a factory. Xpeng’s European strategy goes beyond production. The company has recently opened Your first center European research and development in Munich, Germany. This installation is designed to support technical collaboration and the adaptation of products to local markets. Although, like Explain The president and CEO he Xiaopeng, the center also focuses on conceptual prototypes through “an ecosystem driven by the focused on intelligent electric vehicles, humanoid robotics and flying vehicles.” The time factor. Xpeng has advanced to his rival byd in the race for local European production. While serial production in Austria should be in full operation next month, ByD plans to start Your production in Hungary Towards the end of the year. And now what. The company Plan Expand local production to other models in the future, including the new Xpeng P7+, described as its “car with AI”. The firm already has a presence in more than 46 countries and regions worldwide since its entry into Norway in 2021, being an example of the hunger that the Chinese automotive industry has by conquer other regionsnot only by export, but also through local manufacturing to grow the brand towards international markets. Cover image | Xpeng In Xataka | From Byd to Xiaomi: all Chinese cars that are already sold in Spain, Europe and those who are coming

Chinese researchers believe they have discovered a simple “trick” to lose weight: eat raw vegetables

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For decades, scientists have discussed the effects of vegan and ovo -vegetarian diets on weight loss and heart disease prevention. Without much success, really. Not because The clues in favor have not accumulatedbut because something was missing. A common link, a thread that organized all that scientific evidence and gave meaning. In recent years, a team of doctors from the Qilu Hospital of the University of Shandong He thinks he found That piece that was missing. And it’s an important piece. Above all, because obesity is becoming The great epidemic of the 21st century. 1.9 billion overweight peoplesome 600 million people with obesity and up. Something that would not be a problem if it wasn’t because, like They wrote Yani Xu and his team in their research, “obesity and its associated complications not only lead to an increase in morbidity and mortality, but also to a reduction in quality of life.” Finding simple weight loss strategies goes beyond aesthetics or fashion: it is an investment in quality of life. But did not solve Ozempic? It is true that the arrival of Ozempic (and the rest of New agonist medications from LPG-1) has radically changed our way of seeing overweight: as Antonio Ortiz said, these medications are helping us understand that Metabolism and appetite are biological facts, not moral elections. Biological facts that, as we see, bring huge social consequences. Plan b. Therefore, although the “new ozempics” are being revolutionary, they are far from being the solution to all our problems. Not only is these very expensive medications (and obesity shows a clear correlation with greater rates of poverty and precariousness economic); They are not substitutes for healthier and more balanced habits. That’s where Yani Xu and his team enter. In search of lost evidence. Tracking in the previous bibliography, Chinese researchers found 24 studies that followed more than 2,000 people. They were quite quality studies (randomized clinical trials) and that has allowed them to conclude that there was a detail that showed very strong links with a lower risk of obesity and heart problems: raw vegetables. In fact, this is true even when they eliminated the effect of genetic factors from the equation. Something not too common and, therefore, very interesting. “The vegetarian diet is a viable option for people who wish to control their body weight and (prevent) metabolic diseases,” They explain. How is it possible? The researchers They shuffle some ideas: From its high content of phytosterols and fatty fats to its role in reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. However, it is not too clear: we have a statistical explanation, but we still lack a mechanism of action. We may have solved one of the big problems when establishing a clear relationship between weight loss and veganism, but not at all. However, with the data that Let’s have on the tableit seems that the idea of ​​progressively increasing the weight of vegetables (and raw vegetables) seems like a positive strategy. More positive than we thought. Image | Elena Mozhvilo In Xataka | Ozempic to lose weight: its effects and risks beyond controversy, according to science *An earlier version of this article was published in September 2024

The ‘Great Chinese Firewall’ is no longer just from China. Now it is sold as a digital repression platform to other countries

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A mass filtration of 500 GB of data in the form of more than 100,000 documents has exposed a disturbing initiative. A startup called Geedge Networks is selling to governments around the world censorship systems modeled from “China Great Firewall“. There are at least three countries that are already applying restrictive measures similar to those of the Chinese government. What happened. The leaked documents By interseclab They reveal how one of the investors in Geedge Networks is Fang Binxing, one of the “Parents” of the “Great Cortaygos of China”. Researchers have discovered that the startup markets an advanced surveillance platform that includes hardware for data centers and Software for local officials. Intercepting everything. The central component of that platform is the so -called “Tiangou Secure Gateway” (TSG), a tool that acts as a gateway and that is installed in the data centers to process the Internet traffic of an entire country. All these data scan when this component is passed, and from there it is filtered and can be blocked so that it does not reach its destination. If the traffic is not encrypted, you can intercept and collect passwords and email addresses. If it is, it makes use of deep inspection systems of packages and automatic learning to detect and block tools that avoid these censorship systems, especially VPN. Three countries already have their own “Great Firewall”. A consortium formed by media and human rights organizations (such as Amnesty International) identified that this platform is active in Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Myanmar. In Geedge Networks they have published job offers for engineers willing to travel to countries such as Malaysia, Bahrain, Algeria and India, and are also hiring Spanish and French translators, which makes it clear that the startup is developing an important expansion strategy. TSG control panel capture for Myanmar showing real -time traffic categorized in total bandwidth and active connections. Source: Interseclab. An example of control: Myanmar. In a filtered capture the TSG control panel for Myanmar And it looks how the system was monitoring 81.6 million Internet connections simultaneously. In February 2024, Geedge hardware equipment had been installed in 26 data centers and 13 ISPS of Myanmar. There, 281 popular VPN tools were identified and the blockade of 54 of them was prioritized, including Expressvpn or Signal. Growing suspicions. Although researchers warn that documents are not a definitive proof that this system is causing specific blockages, Geeedge’s records show strong correlations with certain important events of the past. In Ethiopia for example the TSG system changed passive monitoring mode to “active detention” of traffic just a few days before a remarkable internet blackout that It occurred in February 2023. There are other cases in which connectivity problems in these countries have coincided with events registered in TSG in filtered documents. And incidentally, new Digitgal repression techniques in China. Among the leaked documents are also spoken of an active project in the Xingiang region, in China. There the startup has collaborated with Chinese research institutions to test a distributed firewall model instead of using a centralized one. There are also alarming experimental functions such as the ability to create relationships between users, group individuals according to applications that use or triangular the location of users through mobile base stations. And the dreaded punctuation systems. There is also a prototype in which a kind of Score for the reputation of each userand that would apply individually. Each user would have a base score and to increase it would have to add personal data such as their national identification, data that allow facial recognition or employment details. If this score does not exceed a certain limit – or decreased due to the use of a VPN detected and prohibited, for example – the Internet access would be denied to the citizen. Government malware. Another of the threats posed by this system is Geedge’s ability to Inject malware In user traffic. An operator could identify which website visit a user and, if it does not use a safe protocol (HTTPS), could inject malware directly into that connection. The researchers explain that although these experimental options are being tested in China, once the technology is mature, any foreign client can request those same functions on their platform to update it and have it available. Image | Ran Liwen In Xataka | The ‘China Great Firewall’ becomes even harder and blocks all TLS 1.3 traffic with ESNI to avoid aisos to prohibited destinations

Now NASA has vetoed Chinese citizens even in zoom

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The tension between the two largest space superpowers has reached a new peak. The unprecedented measure of Block the access of Chinese citizens To all the programs, facilities and networks of NASA remembers the last century, with some turns of the times that are running: the veto is so strict that It extends even to zoom meetings. Beyond the Wolf amendment. US laws They already prohibited direct collaboration Between NASA and Chinese entities. The most famous law is the Wolf amendment, which prevents China’s access to the International Space Station since 2011, which is why the Chinese Space Agency has put in orbit Your own space station permanently inhabited. The new veto, which entered into force on September 5, affects all citizens of Chinese nationality, although they reside in the United States with visas in order. NASA not only prevents them from working on agency projects as contractors, but also as postgraduate students or university scientists. All Chinese have restricted physical access to NASA’s facilities, materials and networks for a matter of “cybersecurity.” In full lunar career. The veto is produced just when NASA’s acting administrator Sean Duffy has adopted an aggressive rhetoric against China. “We are in a second space race,” he said In a recent meeting With NASA employees. “We are going to win the Chinese on the Moon. We are going to do it safely. We are going to do it fast. We are going to do it well.” Not everyone shares their optimism. The former NASA Chief Jim Bridenstine, the original promoter of the Artemis program, declared otherwise Before the United States Senate: “Unless something changes, it is very unlikely that the United States exceeds the calendar planned by China to reach the surface of the moon.” Duffy’s response? “That they condemn me if that is the story we write.” A cold war for the control of the moon. The background of this new lunar career is both geopolitical and economic. Whoever first arrives at the South Lunar Pole and establishes a permanent basis will have a decisive advantage to exploit resources such as ice water and communications: the country that installs the first antenna in a high place will be the one who establishes the protocols and technical standards of the southern space. But the greatest fear in Washington is that China can declare an “exclusion zone” installing a small nuclear reactor on the moon for its electrical systems. A concern that led the government to order NASA that Accelerate your plans to install your own nuclear reactor Before Ilrs do it, the Sino-Rusa Alliance to establish a laboratory on the Moon. A spying plot. The distrust climate is also fed by a long history of accusations of industrial and technological espionage between countries. This fear has been revived with the Artificial intelligence boomtaking giants such as Google and OpenAi to harden their selection processes to avoid the filtration of commercial secrets. The semiconductor sector, a pillar of modern technology, has been one of the most affected by blockages between the two countries. Not for reason: key companies such as Dutch Asml and Taiwanese TSMC have suffered Theft of commercial secrets by employees linked to Chinese companies. The United States even extends its concern to the renewable energy sector, where it claims to have found Non -documented communication components on Chinese manufacturing devices. The veto to Chinese citizens is the last movement. An unequivocal sign that, before The internal problems of your lunar programThe United States is willing to take drastic measures to protect what its technological leadership and national security consider. The new space race has ceased to be an engineering competition to become an open conflict, where talent and scientific collaboration now have a passport. Image | POT In Xataka | While NASA faces the cancellation of 41 missions, China is making authentic virguerías in space

Xavier Martinet, CEO of Hyundai Europe, before the Chinese threat and its next release

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Xavier Martinet is an busy man. What is expected when you are the CEO in Europe of a company like Hyundai. But today it is not one of those days when meetings accumulate on the agenda or flights are taken to go to one country or another. Today he is a busy man because Hyundai has decided that His great presentation of the Münich IAA Mobility He will do it on the street. The Motor Show of this German city is now a space that embraces the public. There is a closed congress center to which it goes as a press, to do business or if you are willing to pay the entrance. If you live in Münich or, in a few days of tourism, you have coincided with the fair, I recommend that you lose yourself through its historic center. About 500 meters from Marienplatz you will be inside the bowels of a gigantic Mercedes scenario. By his side he compensates for Cupra Tindaya And the American proposal Lucid. A little further, Porsche and Audi. Before the end of the Wide Ludwigstraße, the stand of Hyundai It stands out on the elevated. There are four spaces. The ends are flanked by the present, with a Ioniq 5 on one side and a Ioniq 6 N in the opposite. In the center two attractive design exercises. On the left the Hyundai INTEROID, a version with steroids of the Electric small which seems perfect to assault a championship of Rallycross. To the right and Martinet’s back, the concept Three, the prototype designed by Eduardo Ramírez, head of design in Europe of the brand, who will also give us some brushstrokes on it. Hyundai is full of Spanish figures in relevant positions. José Muñoz, his global CEO, is the last responsible for the brand worldwide. Two of these three appear have spoken with Xataka about their next release. The fair price “Today we are presenting the Concept Three. The production version will be launched next year. We do not confirm the official name but bearing the name of Ioniq … they can guess what it will be called,” says Martinet who refuses to speak directly of the company’s production model. The present, for the moment, is a futuristic prototype that could only be a design game if it were not because Hyundai has risked in its electric versions. We could say that we do not believe its frontal sharp or its pixel lighting but the second can be seen in all the company’s electric. For the first, only a few steps are needed and placed in front of the spectacular ioniq 6. The Hyundai Concept Three seems the logical and electrical evolution of the Hyundai CR-Z, a car for day to day, rational and logical but with a point of aggressiveness and risk that makes it attractive and different on the outside. Time will tell how far the company tense the company with the final image. “It is a concept thought of the European, aerodynamic client, very efficient … but also thought to have a large interior space,” Eduardo Ramírez points out that, as we said, is the head of its design and together with Martinet, is today the most sought after person. For that European client, the price is essential. “The Hyundai Inter starts at 23,000 euros and the electric Kona Kona in 37,000 euros. The production version of the concept Three will fit very well between them. For us it is really fundamental, really, to continue offering electricity in the heart of the European market, in segments B and C,” Martinet points out about the future position of the car. Here is one of the keys and one of the questions that is most repeated in this type of electrical approaches. Is the public willing to pay an electric of between 20,000 and 30,000 euros assuming that It will generate some discomforts When do you want to make a long trip? “The electric is not everything in Hyundai’s strategy. We are also continually developing hybrid technology, and right now we need to have this double approach,” Martinet already advances although he later points out that “it is very important to demonstrate that we can have a very strong supply of electric in all segments and demonstrate that changing to the electric is a possibility.” That jump has two variants that Hyundai’s CEO rensures us. “The electric are more expensive than combustion cars. But you have more technology. The total cost, however, it is interesting because you have lower maintenance costs, electricity is cheaper than gasoline … Electrification is the way to follow to decarbonize the automobile industry.” “At this time, we have a market share of 3.8% and we are quite stable compared to last year but we have space to grow. As a brand you have to add value, this component that we generate, say, the will of the customers to buy your vehicles. Hyundai has a distinctive positioning. The design is very important for us, technology also,” Martinet insists. “Let’s not be defensive, let’s play the attack. We are one of the brands is more likely to resist better against the Chinese,” says the Hyundai Europe CEO “A bold, modern and surprising,” those are the three words with which Eduardo Ramírez describes the brand’s design, a pillar on which the company’s models have been settled. “For the Ioniq range we have defined a characteristic language with the lighting of pixels, an interior space that is treated as a furnished space. Anyway, all Hyundai cars can be recognized because they have something in common in design even if they are different.” Thus, one of those pillars on which to lift the brand is, without a doubt, the design. The other is technology. “There you have the ioniq 6 N. we are demonstrating that you can have sustainability, advanced electrical technology, and still a lot of driving pleasure with the characteristics of N (its sports division). We are demonstrating … Read more

“The problem is not the price, it is that Chinese cars are really better”

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The founder of Rivian, RJ Scaringe, has launched a warning that can be uncomfortable for the western car industry, especially for how the panorama is in terms of The conquest of Chinese manufacturers. And it is that for the CEO of Rivian, Chinese manufacturers not only compete in price, but have developed superior technology. In his recent statements, the US executive makes it clear that obsessing with the cost of Chinese electric vehicles is a strategic error that can cost expensive long -term. Chinese technological advantage. During An interview In the podcast plugged-in, Scaringe went straight to the grain: “The alarming, if you look at the entire industry, is that technology is much better.” The CEO does not only refer to lower prices, but to cars that technically exceed the majority of western manufacturers. “They are technically very advanced and more advanced vehicles than most western manufacturers, I would say that Tesla and Rivian are exceptions,” declared Later in the Everything Electric podcast. More than Smartphones on wheels. While Western brands have been promising to convert their cars into “smartphones on wheels”, China takes time that has achieved it. And today, Chinese vehicles incorporate powerful infotainment systems with voice assistants and even karaoke, with architectures similar to those we commonly see in the consumer electronics sector and frequent software updates. An outstanding example is the Xiaomi Su7that Scaringe described as “an impressively well done vehicle”, especially notable for being the first car of the Chinese technological giant, who have also contributed their great software experience. The cost is not the background issue. “There are two things that will happen: or we will put tariffs that match the cost, or we will allow Chinese manufacturers to build in the United States. But in both cases, the cost will be essentially the same,” explained Scaringe “There is nothing magical when disarming it that allows these really impressive cost structures. There is nothing secret and magical,” said the manager. Chinese advantage comes from government subsidieslower labor costs and a lower capital cost. The reality of supply chains. The Rivian CEO also addresses a crucial point that tariffs cannot resolve: the dependence on critical materials. “We don’t have the same geological advantages we had in the fossil fuel area,” pointed outexplaining that your company needs nickel for batteries, but the greatest world production is in Indonesia, not in the United States. The real challenge is about to arrive. Scaringe admits that when commercial barriers are reduced or Chinese manufacturers establish plants in the West, competition will be decided by technology, not for the price. “They will win in technology,” he warns. “If I were a current manufacturer, I would worry less about the cost and focus more on cars are really better,” says the manager. The founder of Rivian has not been the only one to recognize this point, since Ford He also recognized That China has “much higher vehicle technology” and is developing new platforms specifically to compete. In Europe, a multitude of Chinese brands begin to establish themselves, with Byd as main flag bearer. Tariffs are the weapon of the European Union to stop that mismatch in competition, but it will be difficult. Cover image | Patrick T. Fallon and Rivian In Xataka | Toyota has been using a megaprensa for 90 years to make cars. They have transported half planet to continue using it

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