Mexico

Byd promised them very happy with his new plant in Mexico. He has just canceled all his plans

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In February 2024, the rumor that Byd was interested in building a factory in Mexico began to gain strength. And, contrary to what usually happens in other cases, for last year there was already talk of possible locations and even the jobs that were going to be created in a specific installation. None of that will happen. Canceled. At least in the short term. Because according to Stella Li, BYD vice president, they are “waiting for greater security before making a decision”, in words collected by Bloomberg. And, according to LI, all brands “are rethinking their strategy” because geopolitical motifs that have “a great impact on the automobile industry.” The answer comes just when the company seeks its expansion in America. To do this, a factory is raising in Brazil (in which they were accused of hard treatment to their workers) but wanted to take Mexico as a basis for an expansion in North America. USA. The biggest problem for this expansion seems to be the Government of Donald Trump. The US government is using tariffs as a pressure measure against other countries, which directly impacts the automobile industry. In order for these tariffs not to impact vehicles, Byd would have to ensure that the components used do not pass through the neighboring country since would make the final product. Without the possibility of selling cars in the United States, playing with the price is key to competing with maximum guarantees in Mexico. And not just the United States. Although the cancellation, at least temporary, of the Mexican factory of byd seems to focus on the US administration, Financial Times He assured a few months ago that China also did not see with good eyes The implementation of the company to the south of the country since they believed that it could be a risk of industrial espionage. Everything indicates that, once confirmed that Byd could not sell their Chinese cars in the United States as a result of the New standard approved by the then executive of Joe Bidenfrom the Asian country they wanted to throw the brake. In June 2024 There was already talk that the country that Donald Trump now runs was Byd’s true goal on his arrival in Mexico. Advanced? What is not entirely clear is to what extent the company’s plans were advanced. A little later, Already in August last yearIt seemed that we had three candidates to host the arrival of the Byd factory. Then it was said that all locations were in the center of the country but Reuters It didn’t give more data. In January, the plant size began to speculate. It was said that the factory would use 10,000 people And that would bend the one that Tesla had planned to build in Nuevo León and that, finally, Nor has it finished getting ahead. Months later, Trump would hit the manufacturers hard that produce totally or partially in Mexico The cars sold in the United States. However, Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexican president, already pointed in March that “they have a proposed investment, but it was never something formal”, in relation to the possible locations that could be of the plant. Now, it does not seem to continue advancing in the short term. Photo | Byd and Roger CE In Xataka | We tried the eye of God with which byd wants to break the market: autonomous driving for a 9,000 euros car

Take cars from China to Mexico. It sank with 3,000 vehicles on board after burning

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It was called Morning Midas. Sailed on May 26 From the Chinese port of Yantai with more than 3,000 vehicles on board and destination to the Mexican port of Lázaro Cárdenas. It never arrived. On June 23, after several weeks to drift for a fire on board, the freighter He sank into deep water From the North Pacific, more than 600 kilometers southwest of Adak, in Alaska. It disappeared in silenceleaving behind a trail of smoke, steel and cars that will never touch the mainland. The fire began on June 3. According to the United States Coast Guardthe smoke came from the roof where electric vehicles were. On board 22 crew members were traveling. Everyone managed to evacuate in time in a lifeboat and were rescued without injuries to the freighter Cosco Hellaswhich was in the area. A freighter that remained to the Mercer in the middle of the ocean For days, Morning Midas was drifting, still wrapped in smoke. Rescue teams worked alongside Zodiac Maritime – the British ship of the ship – to evaluate the situation and prepare a possible recovery. But he didn’t have time. The combination of structural damage, bad weather and water entry ended up sinking it more than 5,000 meters deep. The cargo was as valuable as revealing: 3,048 vehicles, including 70 electric and 681 hybrids, According to data updated by the Coast Guard After verifying the information with Zodiac Maritime. Each unit possibly already had an assigned destination: a dealer or a buyer. Now they rest at the bottom of the ocean, without any possibility of recovering them. Morning Midas The history of Morning Midas clearly illustrates the scope of maritime car transport, a global chain that we rarely see but holds the flow of millions of vehicles a year. It also remembers other recent episodes. In 2023, the Fremantle Highway freighter, with about 3,000 cars on board –including about 500 electric-,burned for days at the North Sea. A crew member died. The ship ended up being towed to a port after a week of uncontrolled fire. Morning Midas That case led to the Dutch authorities to demand urgent improvements in emergency protocols for this type of transport. Since then, the focus on the difficulty of containing fires into ships that transport cars has been made. Morning Midas Zodiac Maritime has deployed several ships equipped with Anticontamination systems To monitor the area. According to the Coast Guardno discharges have been detected to date, although the risk is still present: the ship He transported 1,530 tons of fuelulo of low sulfur content and another 350 marine diesel. Maritime car transport is a key piece of industrial gear. And while loading more than 3,000 units on the same ship may seem shocking, the truth is that today is almost common. Manufacturers such as ByD have begun to operate their own ships. One of them is already in service and can move up to 7,000 electric cars on a single trip. It has not yet been confirmed whether the fire aboard the Morning Midas is related to any of the electric vehicles he transported. What is clear is that this type of incidents occur in full electric car boom. Each route that is planned is part of a learning process. And even if we still have no answers, there is a question that resonates: are we safely transporting thousands of high voltage batteries per sea? Images | US Coast Guard (1, 2, 3, 4) In Xataka | The cars are getting bigger and the squares do not grow. There are those who have a solution: the parking ‘spine’

Spacex has asked Mexico to stop invading its property and returns the starship pieces that fell into the country

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The tension between Spacex and the Government of Mexico has climbed this week after explosion of a starship prototype of June 18. While the Mexican government investigates the remains that crossed the border as illegal pollution and studies possible demands, Elon Musk’s company says they are of its property and asks to stop hindering its recovery. Context. On the night of June 18, a stage of the Starship rocket suddenly exploded during a fuel load for a motor ignition test. The explosion destroyed the ship and spread fragments around Starbase. A few days later, the local media of Tamaulipas reported that part of the remains They had reached the beaches of La Burrita in Matamoroson the Mexican side of the border. There were gas tanks, steel sheets and aluminum parts. Civil Protection, the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Environment of Mexico went to the place to remove the remains and take water, sand and vegetation samples for analysis. Mexican anger. The situation has ended up climbing this week until the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, who described the remains of “pollution” and a possible violation of sovereignty and Mexican environmental legislation. According to Sheinbaum, his government will make “the necessary demands that have to be done” according to international laws. Spacex’s response. In one publication of xElon Musk’s company formally requested the Mexican government to return the remains of the rocket, arguing that they are of their property and that their attempts have been hindered. “Despite Spacex’s attempts to recover related remains (with the explosion), which are and remains tangible property of Spacex, these attempts have been hindered by unauthorized parts that invade (our) private property.” “They are not pollutants.” Spacex states that Starship materials do not represent “chemical, biological or toxicological risk.” And offers resources for cleaning. The company claims to be entitled to recover its property and asks Mexican authorities “local and federal assistance.” It is a shock of narratives. Mexico qualifies the incident as an environmental and security impact against Mexicans. Spacex frames it as a non -polluting private property recovery. Spacex embarked the ball into the neighbor’s house. The neighbor is angry and wants to sue. Image | D Wise, NSF

The burning is one of the most mysterious sites in Mexico. And their fire craters continue to baffle archaeologists

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Mexico is a archaeological treasure And, although the Yucatan Peninsula be the one that usually monopolizes All eyes due to Mayan ruins and initiatives such as Mayan train for enhance tourismthe central area of Mesoamerica It is home to other relevant archaeological sites. One is the burned one, which is said to be the original place of The Aztecsand, although there are several mysteries associated with the place, a study He has focused on analyzing the enigmatic fire pits. It is not known if it is where the Mexicans were born, but they have discovered when they lit and ventured to decipher for what they served. Chicomóztoc. Located in a privileged central area of ​​Mexico, it seems clear that, due to its location, natural resources were abundant, being able to be a strategic area for nomadic peoples to supply. At some point in 300 AD A town settled in the placewhere what would later know as “the burned one” was founded. The site reached its peak towards the 800 AD, when it began to fortify strongly to compete against nearby locations, and took place until 1200 AD It is estimated that it was then when a progressive abandonment and, When the Spaniards arrivedthey found ruins with numerous fire traces. Legend has it that, because of this, they baptized the site as “The burned”And it was Francisco Javier Clavijeroin 1780, who associated the site with the mythological original place of the Mexica: Chicomóztoc. Part of the citadel and pyramid The patio of columns Archaeological zone. Located on a hill, the burned one has numerous architectural remains. Using mortar, stone and vegetable fiber, its inhabitants built a series of buildings whose purpose does not differ from that of many others Archaeological sites from Mexico. Thus, we have defensive structures such as a wall of four meters wide and up to six high, or one 70 -meter long ball courtbeing of the Longer Mexico. Also ceremonial buildingslike the votive pyramid About 12 meters high, the Hall of Columns or an Observatory that would serve to monitor and that could also have had astronomical functions. The function of the different elements is more or less clear, but there is something that has confined archaeologists for a long time: huge holes. The holes. The inhabitants of the burned were built in phases about the old structures, but something that stands out is that the recent analysis performed by archaeologists points out that the holes were used at all times. There are several, but they focused on five of them called from LQ1 to LQ5 and, through the Archeomagnetism techniqueThey have been able to identify when they were active. This technique is like reading a fossil compass that allows you to know how many years a clay or stone material has been very heated. When this occurs, internal minerals are oriented according to the Earth’s magnetic field At that time, being “recorded” the orientation forever. It is something that allows the rocks to be dated and find out when it was the last time that element was heated. Thus, they identified that the LQ4 and LQ5 holes were used in the apogee era, between 675 AD and 903 of the LQ1 was lit between 927 AD and 1101 AD and the LQ2 showed more confusing data, but they estimate that it can be the oldest. And from LQ3 no data were obtained. Mystery. Several theories have been established on their use, some pointing to harvesting ceremoniesothers linked to change of stations and also those that suggest that they were torches for night ceremonies. This mystery will be difficult to solve, but as we read in The green compassLQ1 is the one that has caught the attention of researchers. “Its date coincides with the collapse of the site, so perhaps the rituals persisted until the end, as a symbolic farewell,” they say. In addition, it is the closest to the votive pyramid. The different dates of use of the holes, however, reinforce that theory that abandonment was gradual and that, even in the last moments, “the fire could be a way to keep the memory of the place alive.” As we say, it will be difficult to clarify What kind of ceremonies were celebrated In them, but the next step of the project is to study the rest of holes that have not yet been excavated. Images | Google Maps, Tianiser, Javierdo In Xataka | We have just found a 1,700 -year -old Mayan treasure. The problem is that it should be 1,000 kilometers from there

Mexico had its own Alcatraz 130 km from the country. Fortified islands housed the most dangerous murderers of the nation

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In December we rescue A true story which possibly served Michael Bay for his film ‘La Roca’, set in Alcatraz prison. Actually, it wasn’t so impregnablebut the jail (now converted into a tourist visiting space) has become notic again because Trump considers The idea of ​​recovering it as “home” for the most dangerous criminals in the United States. The truth is that, before Alcatraz, Mexico already had such a prison. From prison to sanctuary. For more than a century, The Marias Islands They represented the confinement, exile and hardness of the Mexican Penitentiary System. A story that changed from the definitive closure of its prison in 2019, when the remote archipelago in the Pacific began a surprising and unexpected transformation towards ecotourism and environmental conservation. Located about 130 kilometers from the coast of Nayarit, the four islands, and in particular Mary Motherthey went from being the last Insular Criminal Colony from America to become a Biosphere Reserve managed by the Mexican Navy. In 2022 the visits organized for tourists began under strong security measures and with limited routes, where visitors can travel both the wild nature and the historical traces of a prison past plagued with dark stories. Penitentiary facilities still visible (such as cells, surveillance towers and a maximum security module) are now combined with hotels, trails, lush vegetation and endemic species that have survived thanks to isolation for millions of years. Violence, punishment and resistance. Founded as Prison in 1905the Marías Islands housed many of the more dangerous criminals of the country, together with political dissidents, poor peasants and religious leaders during different historical stages. There were also opponents of the Government of Álvaro Obregón, Catholics in the time of the Cristero Warand figures Like the writer José Revueltassymbol of intellectual dissent. The prison regime varied over time, since semi -liberated modalities in which some inmates lived with their families, even closed structures such as Maximum security section Open in 2011 after the militarization of the criminal system during the war against the narco. In these facilities, described as replicas of American prisons, prisoners lived with extreme punishments, such as the existence of a metal cabin that functioned as a solar heat torture chamber. In fact, The BBC counted that rumors of undercover executions and clandestine burials are still persists in the other islands of the archipelago, occasionally frequented by illegal and drug traffickers. Overpopulation During the last decades of operation as prison, serious overpopulation episodes were experienced, particularly notorious in the 2000s. The angels Times counted and testimonies collected by Mexican media Like the universal and Processat some times they came to live More than 8,000 inmates In precarious conditions, in facilities originally designed to house much less. An especially shocking example was reported by a former inmate who, in 2022, recalled that 500 women They shared only five bathroomssituation that described how to live in a “chicken coop.” Although as we said, in the beginning the prison had a relatively open regime (even allowed some inmates to live with their families), the hardening of the penitentiary policy after the War against drug trafficking In 2006 and the opening of the maximum security module aggravated overcrowding. Complaints of insufficient rations and lack of medical care derived even in A riot in 2013after which the module closed. The combination of structural deterioration, lack of resources and social pressure ended up leading to definitive closure of the prison in 2019. Biodiversity Then came the “second life” of the islands. Despite its gloomy legacy, the natural wealth of the archipelago has survived and even flourished. Since 2010, when the prison still worked, UNESCO recognized the Marias Islands as a biosphere reserve for its unique ecosystem, composed of dry forests, mangroves, coral reef, coasts and endemic fauna such as the Loro Tres MaríasMapaches and rabbits that do not exist anywhere else on the planet. Many of these species suffered during the penitentiary period (they say Some inmates hunted snakes to make belts or trafficked parrots with the help of relatives). Today, the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp) works with the Navy to protect this biodiversity, although the challenges are maintained, especially For illegal fishing. Despite the restrictions imposed since 2000 and reinforced in 2021, scientists such as Marino Octavio Aburto-Opeza Biologist warned that Companies still operate that offer recreational fishing or with harpoon without effective control, which puts at risk the fragile ecological balance of the area. Tourism (responsible). Today, visits to María Madre have become a strange mixture of biotourism and historical memory. Tourists, mostly Mexicans, are attracted to both the wild and The history of suffering inscribed in cells, corridors, murals and cemeteries. It explained the BBC With examples, such as the tomb of “El Sapo”, an alleged state murderer Macheted killed For their cell partners, or the esculos of octopus made by inmates who decorate still closed rooms, episodes that generate an environment between the surreal and moving. In short, although the current approach gives priority to contact with nature and environmental education, the main attraction for many remains the same as in Alcatraz: the possibility of walking for what was once a penitentiary hell. Thus, in the experience of the visit two stories live together: that of an infamous prison that functioned as a tool for social control and repression for more than a century, and that of a resilient ecosystem that now seems to offer a promise of redemption through responsible tourism and collective memory. Image | Vallee, Rawpixel In Xataka | The incredible story of the men who escaped from the Alcatraz prison with spoons, false hair and a homemade boat In Xataka | The Japanese who built a replica of his cell in his garden because his sentence seemed little: he did not get out of there again

In 2023 some explorers entered a remote cave in Mexico. They found the last archaeological treasure of the country

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The initial idea of ​​Adrián Beltrán and Yekaretina Katiya Pavlova, Mexican guide the first, Russian speleologist the second, had little to do with archeology. In September 2023, both professionals decided to take their bártulos behind their backs and enter the Tlagoococ cavelocated in the middle of Sierra de Guerrero (Mexico), to map their galleries. Once there they discovered, however, something that made this goal happen to the background: after traveling 150 meters to the bottom of the cave and entering a submerged passage, the couple met with An archaeological treasure hidden for several centuries. The legacy of an ethnicity already extinct, The tlacotepehuas. In a remote cave in Mexico … The Cave of Tlayócoc, in the Sierra de Warrioris well known in the area for its natural resources. It provides water. And a guano that farmers usually resort to pay their orchards. What was not known until Beltrán and Pavlova entered the cave in September 2023 It is also hiding a valuable archaeological treasure that will allow historians to expand their knowledge of pre -Hispanic cultures. To get to him the guide and the speleologist entered 150 m in the cave, submerged to move towards the grotto and reached a camera. What did they find there? Two bracelets made with shells arranged in stalagmites. The image was so shocking that, as I would report later Pavlova to the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico (INAH), the first thing that came to mind was that it was garbage. Maybe plastics. When he approached and looked at those more close pieces, he realized that he was facing something different. “It was very exciting! An experience similar to discovering a well of more than 300 m inside the cave. Here we were lucky,” Recognize The Russian cartographer. Was that all? No. In the area there were more pieces, including another bracelet, a large shell and fragments of black discs, similar to pyrite mirrors. Pavlova took photos and raised some theories about the possible origin of all that, but decided to leave the discovery in the hands of experts. He notified the discovery and the ejido authorities and the Carrizal de Bravo Surveillance Committee were responsible for ensuring that the site was not looted. Recently local authorities decided to go further They asked the INAH Let the cave register again. The area is not easily accessible, it is located at an altitude of 2,387 meters and to get to it you have to cross ravines, a river and a road where travelers risk finding snakes or pumas, but in March a team of experts registered the site. Thanks to this work today we have a more precise idea of ​​the archaeological treasure of the Tlayócoc cave: 14 pre -Hispanic objects Among which include bracelets and stone discs similar to pyrite mirrors. Clearing unknowns. Archaeologists recorded in total three shell bracelets, a fragment of bracelet of also malacological origin, the shell of a giant snail (experts believe that of the species Strombus sp.) perforated and with decorations, a fragment of carbonized wood and remains of stone discs, but also fixed in the environment. In the camera they observed, for example, the stalagmites had been retouched during rounding their shape. When examining in detail the bracelets also verified that they were made from shells (TRIPLOFUSUS Giganteus) that someone had dedicated themselves to decorating with engravings of symbols and anthropomorphic figures, including faces, brands in the form of “s” and lines in Zigzag. The brands, the position of the bracelets and the shape of the stalagmites suggested a theory to the experts: the cave was a ritual place. “Possibly the symbols and representations of characters in the bracelets are related to pre -Hispanic cosmogony regarding creation and fertility,” Comment Cuauhtémoc Reyes, of the INAH Guerrero Center. Why is it important? Clarified what and where was another pending question: when. Archaeologists concluded that the pieces are from the post -classic period and were probably placed in the cave between the years 950 and 1521 AD, which leads them to think that they are related to the Tlacotepehua culture, which inhabited that region several centuries ago. “It was a branch of the Tepuztecas, an ancient group that lived in the mountains and was dedicated to working the metals, hence its name,” adds archaeologist Pérez Negrete in A statement of INAH. There are also bracelets that remind other pieces located in guerrenses deposits and farthest areas. “Find of great relevance.” The phrase is again from Pérez Negrete, who insists on the scope of the discovery. “With the study of the contextual relationship of the pieces of the cave, we can interpret symbolic notions, cultural, manufacturing and even commerce aspects, to characterize pre -Hispanic societies settled in the Sierre de Guerrero,” claims. Experts also handle very little information about the Tlacotepehua culture, which It ended up extinguishing at the beginning of the viceregal era. As if that was not enough, the INAH remembers that it is the first time that its experts go to the community of Carrizal de Bravo, which marks “the beginning of a campaign” to promote the awareness and preservation of heritage. Images | Cinah Guerrero and INAH (Katiya Pavlova) In Xataka | We have found remains of an unknown civilization in Mexico: the closest thing is an artistic style of Bolivia and Peru

Mr. Beast has brought his extreme tourism videos inside the Mayan ruins in Mexico. That is a problem for ruins

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Mrbeast It is the most important youtuber and followed in the world, and virtually any idea it has to generate content in its channel becomes a trend. Millionaire contests, spectacular challenges, philanthropic maneuvers … and now, adventure tourism. One of his last adventures has been to pass One hundred hours in an old Mayan temple two thousand years old. It is an idea with a peculiar dark side. One night in the temple. In the video we can see how Mrbeast wanders inside several Mayan pyramids, among other Chichén Itzá. Accompanied by an native guide, which reinforces its promotional character for the powerful tourism business in Mexico, sleeps in the jungle, and can touch funeral masks of the kings buried in the area. A privilege that is not at the scope of any tourist. A superstar. With almost 400 million followers and more than 82,000 million visualizations, no one doubts that Mrbeast is The most important youtuber in the world. The average video display on its channel is about 100 million, although it already has many exceeding 200. The income of your channel They can exceed four million dollars, not counting sponsorships or agreements. An authentic icon of the platform that is largely responsible for the spectacularization of Influencers: Always looking for the most extreme challenge, the most shocking image and the most unexpected trip. The spectacularization of YouTube. This spectacularization of the content is very clear in the titles of its last videos: ‘Would you risk drowning for $ 500,000?‘, I survived 7 days in an abandoned city, I survived the 5 most mortal places on earth… It is a radicalization of the content that is not only in the subject, but in the visual: climbing assemblies, a lot of noise and screams, many careers, a dynamic that stuns and that Keep the spectator dopamine by the clouds. Extreme tourism. Mrbeast exploits a new form of telematic tourism that is hooking millions of viewers by making these trips to remote places, often giving them an adventurous narrative: these trips are often linked to extreme challenges or tests, and have turned tourism into an experience that can be digitally consumed. For example, a few months ago we talked about Fabio Belnome and his trip in a 1998 Fiat to Japan. But there are many more in different social networks: the mountaineer @Nimsdaithe urban explorer @Shieyfreedom or the traveler to high -risk countries @drew_binsky. Thanks to them, the hashtag #tikToktravel, for example, has More than 23,000 million views. The dark side. However, there is a dark side in videos such as Mrbaest Chichén Itzá. In 2024, the Secretariat of Tourist Development of Yucatán reported that he expected the arrival of 6.7 million tourists, more than double those that arrived in the last year pre-pandemic. It is an area to which tourism provides 90% of its income. The controversial Mayan train. To promote and facilitate tourism, projects such as Mayan traina transport that will travel relevant areas of the Mayan zone, with special attention to serve tourism, connecting airports in a space of 1500 kilometers. But the authorities are concerned about Environmental impact of the pharaonic López Obrador project. For example, the works have been arrested in the area of ​​the Riviera Maya, one of the most frequented by tourists. The impact is more than studied in what affects caves, temples and other protected areas, and Even Unesco has intervened. The double track. Mexico is, in this way, before a dilemma: the content of Mrbeast is sponsored, as the video credits affirm, by the Tourism Secretariat of Mexicoin collaboration with institutions such as the National Institute of Anthropology and History. But at the same time, the massification of tourism is eroding archaeological treasures such as these temples, in a dilemma of which perhaps the great travel and adventure youtubers will have to begin to take responsibility in the future. Header | Mrbeast In Xataka | The videos of AI have broken the Instagram and Tiktok algorithms. Welcome to the new “AI landscape”

It is called “Narcotanque” and is a nightmare in Mexico

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The drug cartels are still a problem in Mexico. Also in other Latin American territories, but Mexico is the country that exemplifies How far they can go These organizations. They are present in segments as lucrative as the avocado culturehis violence It affects tourism And it is so widespread in the Mexican economy that already controls the 13% of products distribution. And nothing exemplifies both its power and influence as a vehicle. The drug tank. Narcochapuza. Before entering land vehicles, let’s talk about sailors. Not of the boats, but of something much more sophiscite: the Narcosubmarinos. Very handmade submersible vehicles at the beginning and more sophisticated over time They are the ones that the drug cartels use to cross the ocean and move tons of drugs on each trip. They were the answer to the need to move the drug produced. In the case of land vehicles, the need is not so much to move merchandise as protecting it, sow panic among enemies and demonstrate the power of each organization. Thus, about 15 years ago, and as we see in BBCNarcotanques began to appear: commercial vehicles available in the market that the cartels modified, adding armor layers to create something bungling and not very aesthetic, but functional. Monsters. The photo that opens this article is an example that it was not the most sophisticated work in the world, but fulfilled its mission of being a heavy vehicle with protection against conventional ammunition and with the ability to sow terror among the adversaries. Its appearance motivated the nickname of ‘monster’ or ‘vehiclerhinoceros‘And, like those first submarines, they were artisanal armored by the addition of steel plates between two and three centimeters thick, bases and sight points for machine guns and rifles, as well as reinforced front systems in case you had to collide with something. Photo of Vïctor González Photo of Vïctor González Narcotanques. Since the beginning of the last decade, these vehicles have extended between different bands due to their effectiveness sowing panic (imagine seeing a mole of these on your street) and because they resist impacts of the ammunition of the rival poster. But, as in the case of submarines, the cartels have begun to create increasingly sophisticated armored. They are still handmade and the welding lines or the fact that they use conventional vehicles can be seen, but in a short time they have passed from ‘fugitutes’ with steel sheets to vehicles that could go through a military tank. An example is the one shown by the youtuber Víctor González in this video: Ford Super Duty. The specs From this pickup they are spectacular. Available in 4×4 with V8 engines, load capacity of 3.6 tons and possibility to tow another 18 tons, the Ford Super Duty It is the dream of any average American, but also the base on which the drug traffickers have built a armored … spectacular. Photo of Vïctor González In González’s video we can see that not only have they adapted the camouflage patterns of military vehicles, but we cannot intuit what vehicle it is because the exterior is deeply modified. Steel plates that cover each millimeter, small crystals and with several inches shielding, small openings that can be closed and for those that appear guns of the rifles, protected inputs and even a 360º upper torrett system. Photo of Vïctor González As we said, there are elements that highlight, as the welds seen, but have shielded to the wheels. The price of such a modification? High: up to two million pesos, equivalent to about $ 100,000, as we read in Infobae. Others are more … discreet. They look like normal trucks, but they have a considerable caliber cannon inside: Capture. And it is not something that the drug traffickers have hidden: when a group has been having better armored ones, they have boasted both of them and the captures of similar vehicles of rival groups. It is still, as we said some lines, a sample of power and a powerful deterrent. Now, just like the drug traffickers capture ‘tanks’ of enemies, the authorities also have a decade ‘ensuring’ the drug trafficking. In recent years, the authorities have seized almost 300 of these armored vehicles, which they subsequently use in training centers of their police and military forces. In this way, security forces can know what tactics are drugs to shield vehicles, discover their weak points and perform maneuvers and simulations as realistic as possible. Also They destroy Those who are not useful. Relative effectiveness. And the big question, or one of them, may be how troops are these tanks in combat, and not as much as a deterrent. The answer depends a lot on who is facing. In that war against rival cartels, conflicts in the streets and even ‘standard’ police forces, these armored ones are useful. Against army forces with more prepared armored people and, above all, with greater technology, drug trafficking are not so effective. Now, they are modernizing. Groups such as the Gulf Cartel Han started to implement improvements that go beyond armor: software installed in vehicles that blocks the signal of enemy drones. What is clear is that these narcotanques have changed a lot in a few years, moving from very handmade vehicles to authentic moles with modern military capabilities. And it is another sample of the power of these organizations and how far they can go to protect their resources and end the rivals. Images | ZestymasterofzestyVíctor González In Xataka | Mexico plans 3,000 new kilometers of train for goods and passengers. The big question is what happens to the drug traffickers

Japan had in Mexico the perfect ally to fill the USA with hybrid cars. That is about to end

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In his battle for torpedoing every car that comes from outside the United States, Donald Trump’s government has imposed a hard 25% tariff to every car that is manufactured outside its borders. And he has also raised an economic wall for cars manufactured there with pieces from abroad. That measure is especially shocking for Europe, which sold vehicles to the United States by value of 38.9 billion euros in 2024. But, above all, it is for Japan. The country had in United States a sales reef. A huge market that was willing to buy its cars, especially hybrids. It is now in a real problem. Everything that comes from Mexico will have to pay tariffs. Everything that comes from Japan will have to pay tariffs. And its presence on American soil is minimal. The Japanese Balancing Game Complex The automobile industry for Japan is especially important. To understand it, just look at the size of its exports. Until last year, Japan was the country that sold more vehicles outside its borders. His companies have a huge tradition, from giants such as Toyota and Honda to smaller companies such as Nissan or Mitsubishi and others with great recognition such as Mazda or Subaru For its growth, Japan installed new vehicle factories in the United States in the 80s. They produced there but The pieces arrived from Japan So the costs were minor and, in addition, generated wealth in their local market. Now, Donald Trump threatens to destroy that way of working. Before they had already achieved the favor of Americans with good cars in the 60s and, above all, a perfect opportunity with the oil crisis in the 70s. Now the car represents 3% of Japanese GDP but cars sold to the United States added 28.3% of all exports made to the North American country. The impact of maintaining a 25% tariff is such that Reuters He points out that he can impact a 0.2% drop in the country’s GDP. The United States is, for half a century, the main market of its exports in the car market. In 2015, for example, They sold 1.7 million cars In the North American country, for the more than 700,000 units that sold throughout Europe. Its weight is such that in 2023 they sold cars worth 41,070 million dollars to the United States. The figure almost reached that registered throughout the European Union in 2024, when it placed in the US market 38.9 billion euros (42,560 million dollars) in vehicles. They are figures that take into account the production of cars in Japan but, in addition, Japanese firms have found an ally in Mexico in recent years. His proximity to the United States has allowed him to get huge performance to his cars. They offer more affordable vehicles than those sold by local brands and, in addition, they are manufactured at a much lower price. The path taken by Donald Trump has made Jump alarms Within the Japanese government. In fact, the United States already confirmed yesterday (April 7, 2025) that Negotiations with a Japanese delegation opened high level that had been sent to negotiate the terms of the new tariffs. It must be remembered that, in addition to cars, the United States has imposed an added tariff of 24% to all Japanese imports, which is a commercial attack on the largest foreign investor in the country, in data collected by EFE. In Bloomberg They encrypt a 0.59% drop to growth forecasts due to these tariffs. According to calculations echoing ReutersJapan could lose 17,000 million dollars as a result of these tariffs. In Bloomberg They emphasize that American manufacturers do not pay tariffs in the United States for their car sales but claim that strict security measures, among other regulations, prevent them from acting there competitively. It is a case similar to the European where the United States has difficulty selling its cars. On the contrary, the Customer Caladero that Japanese companies have in the United States is huge. Bloomberg points out that 23% of Toyota’s sales worldwide went to the North American country. The figure grows to 28% in the case of Nissan and … at 83% if we talk about Subaru. The country’s weight has been growing thanks to the fact that they have been turning with the Hybrid car salesa Japanese specialty. They are very bad news for brands like Toyota. However, the sanitized accounts of the Japanese giant allows you Reuters. The fall would be 8% for Honda. But the provisioning that Japanese companies make of pieces produced in Mexico They are a real problem for smaller companies or with more gloomy economic perspectives. Mazda and Nissan would be the most affected, with a 59% benefit drop for Mazda and 56% for Nissan. Nissan is, without a doubt, the one who has a more complicated horizon. The company is looking for a buyer who holds him from a dramatic fall in his income that It has taken 9,000 layoffs. The Japanese government has pressed without success for Honda to buy To the company. And now It is Foxconn that positions itself as the alternative that sounds more strongly. Focused on the hybrid car and with an almost testimonial presence among the electric ones, the Japanese need to reach an agreement with the United States urgently. In Europe they need to sell more electric cars if they want to meet the European regulations in 2027 Or, as a minor evil, reach an agreement with other manufacturers. At the same time, In China they have it more and more complicatedsince the market has moved to the electric car. And Chinese competition is, more and harder. Photo | Shahzin Shajid and Justin Cron In Xataka | While the world lives a dizzying race through the electric car, Japan goes to its own rhythm: the innovative dilemma

25% tariffs on cars are already translated into dismissals and plants at medium gas in Mexico

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One has a thousand ways of Spanish to search synonyms to talk about threats and continuing notices. That of “the wolf”, the pitcher and the fountain, to pull the rope … It will not be for stories, word games or metaphors. Exactly that is the risk that is run with the tariff war that Donald Trump has opened. Since he arrived at the White House, the new president of the United States does not stop launch threats of new tariffsincendiary messages against their own allies (or those that were considered allies until not so long) and more and more statements in which The same is attacked to Europeans than Mexicans and Canadians. And, along the way … little or nothing applicable. Because although the United States applies since April 2 A 25% tariff on cars that pass through their borders and the pieces that help manufacture them, as well as steel and aluminum (also Keys in the automotive industry). The caraded tariffs to these two neighboring countries They are suspended. On April 2 tariffs have been announced to almost the entire world. They should Enter into force on April 9. Yes, we talk about 20% of tariff to any European product and even the 10% tariff applied to an uninhabited island. Or at least Only inhabited by penguins and seals. But along the way, China has already sent a notice: if the tariffs continue, if there is no possible conversation, They will impose back 34% of tariffs to American products. It is the most forceful response that the United States has received so far. But it is not the only one. Because so much threat has consequences. Canada and Mexico already prove how their automotive industry can go through many problems. Some, in fact, are already specifying. The first consequences Until now, Canada and Mexico had been commercial partners. To the point that the Inflation reduction law promoted by the government of Joe Biden that prioritized tax incentives to companies that produced in the United States also contemplated that part of the production would take these two countries. In either of them it occurs A very high volume vehicular. Except Tesla (produces all its cars there) and Ford (77% of what it produces is manufactured in the United States). The rest import vehicles in a much higher amount. General Motors, for example, produces 30% in Canada and Mexico. Nissan 31% and Toyota 27%. With the aim of counteracting the coup, Canada has announced that it will also impose 25% of tariffs on US cars that do not comply with the T-MEC free trade agreement. Both countries, together with Mexico, had been subject to a reciprocal agreement for 60 years so as not to pay tariffs on the import and export of vehicles and promote a connected automotive industry. To understand to what extent the new relationship is complicated, in BBC They explain with a map the complex process since a piston of an engine is born until it is introduced into the cylinder. On the way, the piece crosses the United States to Canada, from Canada passes to Mexico and from Mexico returns to the United States where, it is finally mounted. Impose round trip tariffs It will make a product that has its consequences on employment and the volume of cars sold. Stellantis is one of the companies that has announced drastic measures. The first, the temporary retirement of 900 employees in the United States. They are people distributed by five floors that will cease their work assembling motor trains and trains for a decrease in production as a cause of tariffs. In addition, another 4,500 employees will be sent home in Ontario (Canada), where their factory will remain closed for two weeks. Mexico does not get rid because its Toluca plant (2,400 employees) will also be closed throughout the month of April. Despite being the least affected (taking into account exclusively the production of cars and not so much where the pieces they use), Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, already warned in February that “a 25% tariff at the borders with Mexico and Canada would open a hole in the US industry as we have never seen,” they collect in The New York Times. These pieces are, without a doubt, the part that most directly affects Spain. Our country had an important commercial partner in the United States when selling parts to produce cars. There 4% of them are exported but, above all, they take air to the paths that the trade war will take in Mexico where a good part of The largest Spanish companies are settled. The other way is to make the products more expensive, move there part of their production or, directly get them out. The latter is what they value in Mercedes that can Stop selling your Mercedes Gla. Small cars are more complicated to make profitable and would not be competitive if they face a 25%tariff. Volkswagen is in an extremely complicated position. 43% of their sales for the United States arrive from Canada and Mexico. Another 36% produce it in Europe, mainly. Only 21% of their sales there are produced within their borders. An option raised is to bring the most profitable vehicles to the plants they already have in the country. For the moment, Automotive News He assures that the German company has already ordered to stop its shipments from Mexico and Europe. And Toyota, who was already reducing its production, has also ordered to reduce the working hours at its Guanajuato (Mexico) plant, they point out in Bloomberg. The same path leads in Honda, where they also have conversations to reduce their production and, therefore, send workers home even if it is temporarily. Photo | Honda and Luis Ramirez In Xataka | The Spanish car will not suffer with 25% of the United States tariffs but with its consequences: a poorest Europe

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