dominated

Japan had dominated total car sales for more than 20 years, until China knocked on the door

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Projections for 2025 anticipate a historic change in the global automobile industry. And as they point out data According to Nikkei China, Chinese manufacturers expect to reach approximately 27 million vehicles sold globally, surpassing the almost 25 million expected from Japanese brands. It is the first time in more than two decades that Japan has lost absolute leadership in total automobile sales. Why is it important. For more than 20 years, Japanese manufacturers have dominated global vehicle sales figures. Toyota, Honda, Nissan and company have become a global reference in sales volume and efficiency over all these years. That China is going to overtake them reflects the mammoth change that is happening in the automobile industry, with the Asian giant conquering every possible corner at a speed that is difficult for the rest of the competitors to digest. In detail. According to data from Nikkei China based on information from manufacturers and figures from S&P Global Mobility until November 2025, China’s growth in this sector will be 17% year-on-year. The figures include both passenger and commercial vehicles, and include both domestic sales and exports. The Chinese domestic market represents around 70% of these total sales, where new energy vehicles (pure electric and plug-in hybrids) already account for almost 60% of passenger cars sold. Brands such as BYD and Geely have entered the global top 10 manufacturers by sales this year, while Chery has consolidated as one of the largest exporters in the country. Exports support growth. The domestic market in China is a jungle. Overcapacity and increasingly fierce price competition They are making a dent in the country, which is why Chinese manufacturers have intensified their international expansion. In Southeast Asia, traditionally dominated by Japanese brands, Chinese sales will grow by 49% to reach around 500,000 units, according to data from the report. In Europe, despite the tariffs imposed Regarding electric vehicles, it is expected that there will be sales of about 2.3 million vehicles, benefiting from the fact that many plug-in hybrids are exempt from additional taxes. Emerging markets also joinand the figures indicate that Africa will register 230,000 vehicles sold (32% more) and Latin America will reach 540,000 units (33% more). A turning point. Japan reached its peak sales in 2018 with almost 30 million units. In just three years, the eight million vehicle lead it had over China in 2022 has completely evaporated. Japanese brands have lost market share in key Asian markets and are struggling to adapt to the electric transition, where they have arrived late. Toyota maintains its strength in segments such as pickups and is committed to carbon-neutral combustion engines (via renewable fuels) and hybrid technology, but in China, the largest market in the world and capital of the electric car, that approach is costing them dearly. Not even Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi, which now they collaborate on software and electrical infrastructure, can withstand the storm coming from China, a country that has specialized above all in batteries, software and production speed. And now what. Japan has a great challenge ahead if it wants to recover ground in electrification and stop the erosion in markets where until recently they dominated strongly. China does not have a bed of roses either, since its challenge will be to maintain the pace in a context of growing protectionism, with the United States and Canada Tariffs of more than 100% already apply to Chinese electric companies, and those of the European Union of up to 45.3%. Things are going to be interesting. Cover image | BYD and Xiaomi In Xataka | Ferdinand Porsche devised the first car with an electric motor in each wheel. Today a Chinese manufacturer is going to make it possible

iRobot invented and dominated the robot vacuum industry. Now it’s bankrupt

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The company that created the Roomba robot vacuum cleaners, iRobot, has declared bankruptcy in the United States. The future of its products seems safe, but only after a move in which the winner is the Chinese technological steamroller. what has happened. The company already r in March, and a potential bankruptcy seemed imminent. The financial results The third quarter certainly didn’t help. This Sunday, those responsible requested entry into the so-called “Chapter 11”, a technical bankruptcy that companies in trouble request. The objective of this process is for a company to reorganize its properties and debts to continue operating instead of liquidating all its assets. Disastrous results. iRobot generated nearly 682 million in revenue in 2024, but its benefits have been fading, mainly due to competition with Chinese manufacturers such as Ecovacas. Although iRobot continues to be a protagonist in markets such as the US and Japan, this competition has forced it to lower prices and see its profit margins reduced. The tariffs. Another cause of the fall according to the documents of that bankruptcy application has been the tariffs. Especially those that apply to imports from Vietnam, where iRobot manufactures its robot vacuum cleaners for the United States, and which are 46%, a figure that is hardly sustainable for the manufacturer. That tax increased costs by $23 million in 2025 and made it more difficult to establish future plans. Amazon has gotten away with a good. amazon announced the purchase of iRobot for 1.7 billion dollars – later the figure was adjusted to 1.4 billion. The operation finally was canceled because as the companies expressed “there was no path to regulatory approval for that agreement.” When that agreement fell apart, iRobot began accumulating debts that Picea, the manufacturer of the Roomba, assumed. iRobot will pass into Chinese hands. The plan to get out of iRobot’s technical bankruptcy consists of something very simple but equally terrible for its creators. Picea will end up taking over 100% of iRobot’s assets and will cancel the $190 million of accumulated debts, in addition to the $74 million of debts that iRobot also owed to Picea under the manufacturing agreement that both had. Users can rest assured. According to iRobot, this process will allow there to be no impact on the functionality and support of its products and applications, its customer programs, its partner relationships or its supply chain. This means that current Roomba users will continue to be able to enjoy them with (theoretically) the same level of support as before. Not only that: Picea will theoretically continue to develop and market new models going forward. In four years they are worth 25 times less. In 2021, iRobot had a valuation of $3.56 billion. The pandemic boosted demand and significantly encouraged sales. Four years later data compiled by LSEG and cited in Reuters They indicate that its value is 140 million dollars, 25 times less than then. Pioneers devastated by the Chinese steamroller. iRobot was created in 1990 by three robotics experts from MIT. Although they initially focused on defense and space projects, in 2002 they launched the first robotic vacuum cleaner Roomba. The product was an absolute success, and today it continues to be the dominant brand in the United States (42% share) and especially in Japan (65%). China takes over the market. In recent years, Chinese manufacturers have managed to innovate faster and end up outselling iRobot models. Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame and Xiaomi have already managed to outsell iRobot in the first quarter of 2025, and with the current agreement – ​​Picea, a Chinese manufacturer, will be behind the Roomba – China’s effective market share will be almost absolute in this industry. A clean and silent conquest. In Xataka | “Humanoid robberies are a fantasy”: iRobot co-founder believes there is a robotics bubble

The model that dominated technology for 50 years has died

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The numbers do not usually lie, especially in the long term. And Intel’s figures during the last decade speak of a historical replication. Of A giant come less in an alarming way. In figures. In 2015, Intel’s stock capitalization multiplied by Nvidia. Almost ten years later, that of Nvidia, the first company in history to exceed four billion dollars, multiplies by 41! to Intel, which has been jibarized at a time when it has been exceeded by many lower companies. A brutal change that symbolizes the change of technological era: Nvidia’s boom first for its GPUS sales for cryptocurrency mining and then for the training of AI models. Intel’s decline due to its inconsequence in the mobile era, the rival boom in CPUS, or the passage of Microsoft or Apple to ARM. And not only Nvidia has advanced. Also Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, AMD … Gelsinger’s legacy. The contrast. In 2006, Intel refused to make chips for the iPhone Because I considered that Apple was too small. That same year, Intel tried to buy Nvidia For 20,000 million dollars, but Jensen Huang refused. Today these decisions have completely checked Intel’s route, which at the beginning of the century was always in the top 10 of world companies by stock market and today is close to leaving the Top 200. The threat. The Hard recent admission of CEO Intel, Lip-Bu Tan, that Intel is no longer among the top 10 of semiconductors, says many more things. The company that fed the PC revolution, which created the Wintel ecosystem that dominated for decades and was synonymous with American innovation, now is worth less than Spotify, Coinbase or Iberdrola. Yes, but. The 5,500 new layoffs announced by Intel They are more than an adjustment or cut. In California, almost 2,000 jobs will disappear. In Oregon, almost 3,000. In total, 20% of the workforce will be fired. The workers who developed the technology that moved the world are now expendable. The turn. Intel has outsourced TSMC 30% of its production by 2025. Paradoxical in a company that presumed its vertical integration, which controlled from design to manufacturing. And that now depends on his Taiwanese rival to survive. A symbolic surrender: the king of manufacturing asking for help to who removed the throne. Between the lines. The strategy of pivoting to the edge announced by so sounds like last minute refuge. “It’s too late for us“The CEO admitted. It is not only to recognize the loss against Nvidia, it is to recognize the loss in the most important race of what we have been from the century: that of AI. And another paradox: China represents 29% of Intel’s incomemore than any other market. The most iconic American technology company depends more on China than its own market. Trump is focused on technological independence in this legislature … … but Intel needs China to stay alive. Turning point. He 18A process That must save Intel by 2025 generates certain doubts. And if he fails, Intel runs out of his last asset to compete with TSMC. If it triumphs, it will be a partial victory, since it will be arriving five years late to the battle. This Intel fall also symbolizes something else: the end of the vertical integration model in chips represented Intel against Nvidia’s specialization model. The first designs and manufactures. The second designs but leaves manufacturing in the hands of TSMC. And hence the problem for the West: advanced manufacturing is concentrated in Asia and the value is redistributed. In Xataka | In its darkest time Intel is receiving a crucial economic support from its best client: China Outstanding image | Intel

The more and less reliable car brands of 2025, in a graphic dominated by Japan and with a surprise: Tesla

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Buying a car is A authentic headache. It is logical if we consider that, usually, after the house, the purchase of a car is the greatest expense we make. There are many variables to take into account (motorization, securitymore or less screens …) and something that should be seen are the lists of the most reliable cars. There are several, Like those of Consumer Reports Or JD Power, who help us make the decision. And, precisely, in this graph elaborated by Visual Capitalist We have the list of the most reliable brands of 2025 according to one of these databases. JD Power. First of all, let’s see the context of this company. Founded in 1968, it has been specialized in handling big Databases that collect consumer data in various industries. One of them is that of the car, where they analyze all those data to prepare reports with achievements such as the discovery of a defect in the design of the rotary engines of Mazda in 1973, something that forced the company to remedy. In the automobile segment, they publish several lists, being one of them that includes the general degree of satisfaction of the owners of the different brands. On this occasion, it focuses on the United States, but as is the case in the Consumer Reports lists, although the US market is slightly different from the European, many of the brands and models are common in both markets. PP100. To understand the list, you have to know that the number of problems per 100 vehicles is detailed (problems per 100 or PP100) after three years of property. For example, in the Last year listJD Power collected the response of more than 30,500 people from cars bought in 2021 and, after three years, detailed the problems belonging to nine categories: Abroad Inside Seating Driving experience Air conditioning/air conditioning Controls Infoentrate system Engine Driving aids The best. Going to the list, we have a recurring company in the first position: Lexus. In different consumer surveys, Toyota’s luxury brand has been crowned as the company that has the most degree of satisfaction among its customers. In this case, although it has more errors than in the list last year, it continues in first position. The American Buick is the second and, thirdly, Mazda advances to Toyota. Nothing surprising: Japan continues to lead in the high satisfaction positions, but others like General Motors manage to sneak because they have varied the most with respect to the previous period. The biggest changes. Precisely, there are several changes in the list marked by that improvement or worsening in front of the 2024 survey. Mazda is one of the one that improves the most with respect to the last year, reducing its PP100 by 24 points. Ford reduced it at 31 points and Tesla starred in the biggest change by reducing it by 43 points. There are also changes worse, such as that of the aforementioned Toyota, Alfa Romeo, Hyundai, Acura or Jeep, something that surprises less if we see recent movements of the company in American territory, with policies that are not liking and other determining factors for this list. Worse. The really interesting, beyond the brands whose reputation improves or worsens in recent months, is the fact that, globally, the average errors per 100 vehicles has reached, according to JD Power, its highest average since 2009. This is curious because it was the year immediately later to the financial crisis of 2008 and the manufacturers may cut in components, but cars analyzed in 2024 They are built during the Covid-19 pandemic, which points to a correlation between a crisis moment and an increase in vehicle failures. More technology, more problems. The more options a device has, the more possibilities there is something fail. It is something that surely you have heard: do not buy you a washing machine because it surely fails more than a washing machine and a separate dryer (insert the example you want with a microwave-shock or whatever). Well, in the case of cars, according to JD Power reports, half of the main problems of the entire industry are related to the great novelty of recent years: integration with smartphones and systems ANdroid Auto and Apple Carplay. In fact, in surveys, 56% of users claim that they have not noticed improvements even after updates and that, the more software related to the Infoentrate It has the car, there is more likely that something fails. Obviously, Millions of cars are sold a year And many have that integration, but also owners or solutions such as Android Automotive and the units that fail represent a small percentage. But, in an industry that becomes more and more in this and Use of screens (With brands that are already reculating), It is normal for more mistakes of this type to appear. Choosing a car now does not go only motor or design, but also of stability in the software, and it is convenient that we keep it in mind when choosing. Images | Visual Capitalist In Xataka | There is a clear winner with the 25% tariffs to the car: it is called byd and represents everything that China has to win

The Persian Gulf has dominated the long era of oil. Now he is preparing to lead the era of solar energy

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There is an increasingly more and more evident energy change, and even the countries we would never think are jumping to the renewable pool. Yes, I talk about the countries of the Persian Gulf. However, the tests are there: seven Chinese solar companies were generating more energy capacity than the world’s greatest oil companies. So, now, with their money and a lot of sun, everything indicates that they will give sorpasso. Wild investment. For very recently, Gulf countries have decided to invest in renewable projects. On the one hand, the United Arab Emirates They have announced a solar project 5.2 GW with a battery system, also betting on storage. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia is developing its energy transition plan through the Vision 2030 Plan. Recently, the Saudi Aramco oil giant has announced an agreement to start producing lithium in 2027. In addition, They are developing a plan to extract and enrich uranium For nuclear energy. Likewise, the Saudi country is carrying out different solar energy projects, some in Collaboration with China and others with Spain. And we can’t forget Kuwait, who already started two years ago has develop 17 GW of renewable energy and 25 GW capacity for the production of green hydrogen, which propose to export it to international markets. Data. According to the recent report by the International Renewable Energies Agency, the Middle East has Less than 1% of the world’s renewable capacity. However, from the agency they have detailed that the forecast for the next few years will be of accelerated growth. For its part, An analysis of the consultant Rystad Energypoints out that within five years, more than 30% represents total capacity in Gulf countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. From the consultant they detail that this impulse is due to the weather conditions and the favorable conditions of the market. New solar panels will boost electricity generation in the Gulf Favorable energies. In the graph of Rystad EnergyWe observe that the Persian Gulf has two very different parts. The colored areas of orange, blue and green that represent renewable energies we see how they increase exponentially, especially solar. However, we see how nuclear and hydrogen have a slight growth that is maintained over the years. On the other hand, oil and gas, colored gray, although they are currently the main sources of energy, they will fall by 2050. China, ally or competition? The Asian giant has become a double agent in the energy transition, acting as much as a partner and competitor. On the side, Chinese companies such as Jinko Solar, Longi and Byd are providing solar panels, batteries and other technologies for the ambitious renewable projects in the desert region. On the other hand, China is carrying out the development of its own solar and wind projects. Besides, Your dominance over the global supply chain of batteries and solar panels gives you an advantage in the energy market. At the same time, its expansion in the Middle East allows you to gain influence in a region that has historically been dominated by fossil fuels. The change. The Persian Gulf is in the process of investing in renewables to mark its path to sustainability. However, they still have a stretch to travel because infrastructure and energy supply stability are still aspects that must be resolved. Image | Unspash Xataka | In full desert, Saudi Arabia is preparing its next great energy bet with the help of a partner: China

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