passenger

Europe’s passenger car industry, in a revealing map that makes it clear who is the real “engine” of the EU

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Even though it is submerged in a deep crisis of competitivenessIt’s no secret that The automobile industry is one of the driving forces of the European Union. Thus, it is responsible for 8% of its GDP (figures collected by CCOO) and employs 13,000 million people, including direct and indirect jobs. Of course, the EU is large and the distribution of its factories presents enormous divergence. Although there are things that don’t change. The European Automobile Manufacturers Association has an interactive map which is quite good to see what the distribution is like quantitatively, insofar as it shows even the few electric battery plants on the old continent, but if you are more interested in the qualitative and only passenger cars, there is a clearer map: that of World Wide Mobility. And beyond a barrage of concentrated icons that are difficult to distinguishshows in general terms the main brands that are produced or assembled there, production volumes and the percentage they represent of the total. Which countries are the engine of Europe in the automobile industry The data on the map dates back to 2024 and shows a figure of 11.4 million passenger cars manufactured in the European Union, which are essentially concentrated in three states in a non-uniform manner: Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic. World Wide Mobility Germany, 12 points. The leading country in the old continent when it comes to motors is, of course, Germany: it is not only the largest producer by volume with more than four million passenger cars and a 35.7% share, but also the one with the densest network of high-tech factories. Own brands stand out such as Volkswagen and its five factories that include the headquarters in Wolfsburg, BMW with four factories, the three of Mercedes – Benz or the two of Audi, Porsche or Opel (Stellantis). But it also has plants from foreign companies, such as Tesla in Grünheide (Berlin) or the North American Ford in Cologne. Much lower but still outstanding silver is Spainwith a share of 16.4% and almost two million cars assembled in the state. With the high efficiency per flag (in the words of the Spanish Minister of IndustryJordi Hereu), has fewer of its own brands but in exchange it is the nerve center for foreign groups. Thus, in addition to Martorell’s own SEAT/Cupra, legendary highlights include the Volkswagen factory in Landaben in Navarra, Stellantis distributed in three plants, both of which are Renault, Ford in Almussafes, and the Mercedes-Benz manufacturing plant in Alava. And be careful because it does not take into account the reactivation of the old Nissan factory for Chery/Ebro EV, already operational. Third place belongs to the Czech Republic with 12.7% and almost 1.5 million passenger cars, which together with Slovakia (fourth with 8.7% and almost a million cars) form “the Detroit of Central Europe“. A bronze achieved thanks to the importance of Škoda and the growing impact of Hyundai and Toyota. In fact, Slovakia It has the highest car production per capita on the planet: over there Large SUVs in the most premium segment are manufactured of the Volkswagen group in its factory in Bratislava, but it also houses manufactures of Kia, Stellantis or Jaguar and Land Rover. Romania and Hungary below demonstrate a reality: the strength of the Central European axis in this industry. France deserves special mentiona country with historically mythical brands that have been relocating production, but which still houses five plants of the Stellantis group and four of Renault, as well as foreign brands such as Fiat. And if we go to luxury, Italy and Sweden appear on the map, with high-end brands such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Koenigsegg or Volvo, although their figures are lower. In Xataka | There is a Europe that is suffocating to pay for housing and another that lives in peace. And this map shows the differences In Xataka | All the car plants in Europe (including the few battery-electric ones), on a map Cover | World Wide Mobility

They were carried out with “passenger” planes

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An idea is beginning to gain traction among many military experts. The episode takes place in the first attack of the US campaign against Venezuelan vessels that Washington linked to drug trafficking, a coup that occurred on September 2, 2025 in the Caribbean that left 11 dead. Everything indicates that it was with something very similar to a “civilian” plane. A non-military aircraft. Yes, the singular thing, according to the information of New York Times and the Washington Postis that for that first action an aircraft with a paint scheme and silhouette not identifiable as “typically military” would have been used, to the point of seeming a civil or passenger aircraft. Not only that. It is suggested that he also carried the ammunition inside the fuselage instead of displaying them on external supports. Also because the device emitted a military identifier via transponder, although it is not clear what real capacity a vessel of that type would have to perceive or interpret it during contact. The double impact. The initial attack was marked by the decision of hit twice: after the first impact there were survivors who managed to remain on the remains of the hull and who later died in a second attack which ended up sinking the remaining structure. The boat reportedly changed course after detecting the plane and, at some point later, the survivors appeared to gesture toward the aircraft, without it being clear whether they understood what had caused the initial explosion. This moment is what fueled much of the public debate because it enters into especially sensitive issues of the law of armed conflicts, in particular the treatment of people in vulnerable situations after a sinking. Perfidy. The legal point currently being discussed is whether the use of a civilian-looking aircraft to carry out an offensive attack could fit into the figure of perfidyunderstood as feign protected status (like the civilian) to obtain a tactical advantage, causing the adversary to lower his guard or stop taking precautions. Various specialists cited in the media they explain that the analysis would depend on factors such as the degree to which the aircraft was truly “unidentifiable” as a combatant, whether it came close enough to be seen by those on the boat, and whether that appearance could have influenced its behavior (for example, not evading, not surrendering, or not taking survival measures). It is also highlighted that the obligation to distinguish military forces from the civilian population It is a reiterated principle in manuals and doctrinal guides of the United States. The official position. The administration defended the legality of the attacks, presenting them as part of a confrontation against drug trafficking and associated violent activities, and maintained that the actions were consistent with the applicable law. In parallel, the Government argument that there is an armed conflict against certain criminal groups and cartels, a statement that has been discussed by different experts, but which serves as a framework to present the targets as “combatants” within that category. From the Pentagon, public responses focused on pointing out that the systems and platforms used undergo legal reviews and internal validation processes, and the exact model of the aircraft used in the initial strike was avoided. The mystery of the plane. It has not been identified with certainty which aircraft it was, although hypotheses and indirect clues: from models derived from commercial aircraft as variants of the Boeing 737 in military service, to devices with clear liveries and minimal markings, occasionally seen in operational environments. It has also been confirmed that the Navy operates P-8A Poseidon (based on 737 and with very clear schemes) and that there are other 737 military transport aircraft, as well as more discreet aircraft with civil registration plates linked to corporate structures little transparent. At the same time, is remembered that open flight trackers do not necessarily show all military activity, so the absence of conclusive public identification does not allow specific platforms to be confirmed or ruled out. The technical factor. They counted the analysts at TWZ that the technical plausibility of an airplane “that looks like a passenger” but at the same time can attack is based on already existing solutions to integrate ammunition in a discreet way, especially through the so-called Common Launch Tube (CLT), a system that allows loads to be housed and launched from inside an aircraft without the need for visible supports. The known capabilities The CLT can accommodate munitions and small drones (including light glide bombs, compact missiles and unmanned vehicles) and mounts that can be integrated into ramps, doors or internal compartments, with reloading options and tactical flexibility. The approach has been associated with platforms such as AC-130Jweapons kits on KC-130J and drones such as the MQ-9, suggesting that, by design, it would a priori be adaptable to a wide variety of aircraft, including those that due to their external appearance can be confused with civil or transport devices. Image | x In Xataka | The US did not need to shoot to enter Caracas. All it took was an invisible weapon and unexpected “help” from Russia In Xataka | The mission in Caracas revealed that the best kept secret in the US is not a drone: it is called DAP and you will not see it in the movies

The world’s largest passenger plane does not stop breaking

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Airbus has to the, for the moment, the largest passenger plane in the world: the Airbus A380. This bug is able to transport in its entrails up to a maximum of 853 passengers (in very specific conditions). In fact, only the Antonov AN-225 He shadowed him, but he was neither produced in series nor currently exists, since It was destroyed during the Ukraine War. The A380 is, in short, a huge and very important passenger plane for certain airlines, but has a problem: it does not stop breaking. A complex machine. That is what a plane is, and more if we talk about one like this. So that Let’s get an idea Of its complexity, the Airbus A380 is made of four million individual components manufactured by 1,500 companies distributed throughout 30 countries. Inside the fuselage there are inserted 19,000 screws that join each of the three main parts, in addition to the 4,000 screws used to join both wings. It has 220 windows, 16 doors and only exterior paint weighs 531 kilos, there is nothing. Airbus A380 of Air France | Image: Maarten Visser with license CC by-SA 2.0 The problem. That does not stop breaking. According to slide from Bloombergsince 2020 (the plane flew for the first time in 2005), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency has issued 95 aircraft directives for the Airbus A380, twice as many as received by Boeing homologues: the 787, 777 and 747. Among the problems mentioned are the breakage of the axis of the landing gear, cracked joint Evacuation ramps. Some of these problems come from time to time These aircraft passed on land during the pandemic. These directives are, in a nutshell, corrections, inspections or modifications that must be carried out in an aircraft or a component to solve potential security problems. Its fulfillment is mandatory and not only can not only put the safety of passengers at risk, but to assume sanctions or the disqualification of the plane. Lufthansa’s first Airbus A380 | Image: WO St 01 With license CC By-SA 3.0 Keep it or … keep it. The Airbus A380 is 20 years old. As a general rule, airplanes usually withdraw Once between 25 and 30 years old. What does that mean? That the Airbus A380 is too young to remove it and too old to keep it at the same time. The underlying problem is that there is no alternative: The Airbus A380 ceased to occur in 2021so airlines that need a large capacity for long journeys should look for an alternative. Airbus It is not capable To produce the A350s, the largest aircraft of the Airbus catalog after the A380, with enough quickly to meet the demand. The supply chain, in particular everything related to cabins and engines, still having pandemic problems. He Boeing 777xBoeing’s proposal has not stopped having problems. The plane was going to be delivered to customers in 2020, but it has been delayed so much that the first deliveries are not expected until at least 2026. Image | KRZYSZTOF KACZALA WITH CC BY-SA 3.0 License A bottomless well. Airlines therefore have some airplanes whose maintenance will go to more. Reviewing these aircraft not only consumes an absurd amount of time (60,000 hours distributed among all workers, according to Bloomberg), but a lot of space in facilities that are not precisely abundant. That a plane like this failure is a high expense: not only have to be repaired, but to delay flights, relocate passengers, etc. All sum. Be that as it may, Airbus intends to continue operating and offering support: “Airbus undertakes to provide full technical assistance to customers to ensure that they can optimize operations with their A380 fleets, and this will continue while the plane remains in service,” they say from the company. The largest fleet. Emirates is, by far, the airline that has the most Airbus A380: 116 aircraft of which 21 are on land. The operator intends to continue using them at least until the end of the next decade (the investment has been high and few planes move so many passengers at once). Singapore Airlines and British Airways are followed from afar with 12 units each. Other operators, such as Qantas, Lufthansa and Qatar Airways also have some units, but intend to replace them with A350 at the beginning of the next decade. Cover image | N509FZ licensed CC by-SA 4.0 In Xataka | Europe has a message for tourists who are going to fly: prepare for a summer of delays and historical cancellations

You cannot climb to the Madrid subway with an electric scooter. In China’s, robots are already a passenger

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In October 2023, An incident with the battery of an electric scooter It caused the closure of a subway line in the capital of Spain for three hours. That led the authorities to prohibit The entrance of these devices to public transport Until 2027. In China, there are other battery devices that are already driving at ease by the subway network: robots. Which until not long ago was science fiction material, Today is a reality. The world is pushing the development of robots and, while until recently the demonstrations by companies such as Boston Dynamics They were limited to bailongos robots focused on professional environmentstoday what come to us are machines created for all types of ends. Boxing robots, football robotshumanoid robots that We can buy for what a car costs and even Robot dogs for blind people. And something that everyone has in common is that they are already being tested, one way or another, In China. The latter is an army of robots that already go from side to side for the Shenzhen subwaytaking trains and rising in elevators. And it has all the meaning of the world. Robots assault the subway A few days ago, 41 company robots VX Logistics They began to circulate through different Shenzhen Metro lines. They have a processor that allows artificial intelligence tasks, have Lidar sensors With “viewing” panoramic and that AI work allows them to make decisions in real time to make the best decision when it comes to their destination. The goal of this robot squad is to bring supplies to stores 7-Eleven located inside the stations and, for this, they not only take the subway: they are also capable of going up and down in a totally autonomous way and without supervision by the elevators of the stations. With considerable size and an aesthetic that resembles that of Robots-Camareros They are appearing in some Spanish restaurants, these machines They can load up to 130 kilos of weight. At the moment, it is a pilot program to see how they manage to distribute among the more than 100 stores 7-eleven distributed by the Shenzhen network, with nine million of daily customers, but the goal is to expand their scope. There are elements to take into account in all this. VX Logistics is part of Vanke, a Chinese real estate giant who is also co -owner of the Shenzhen Metro. But, beyond the marketing that has “free” more than 40 autonomous robots for the subway, as we read in SCMP It is something focused on solving a classic network problem: the refueling of stores. Li Yanyan is a manager of one of these stores and, as he explains to the local medium SZ News, “the distributors had to park on the surface, download the merchandise and take it manually to the inside. Now, with the robots, it will be easier and more comfortable.” They don’t say What will happen to those deliverymenif they will be in charge of providing the goods to the robots or if their function will be reduced more. What is known is that, as the company itself has communicated, the robots will be perfected based on their real -world performance. Now, apparently, These robots only operate in valley hoursin which less people are using the network. And less bad that they only operate in valley hours, because agile, what is said agile, are not. What has caused is that the first days of robots work, travelers are They will look or take pictures. The robots were already prepared for this, with a screen that shows a friendly “face” when it crosses someone. We will see how they develop and how long it will take to see similar robots in other stations, but what is clear is that China is pushing strong in the robotics segment For the “day to day” and Shenzhen is one of the lungs of his industry, with approximately 1,000 robotics companies only in that city, 18 of them Focused to humanoid robotics. Images | VX Logistics In Xataka | A Chinese firm has just presented a quadruped that challenges the limits. Boston Dynamics no longer has a clear path

He is beating passenger records despite Ouigo and Iro

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Renfe has had to apologize. He has done it in the mouth of Álvaro Fernández, its president, who has criticized the information in which he points to “rail chaos”. He has done it just when we have known another fact: Renfe never added as many passengers as in the first half of this year. 277.4 million. That is the number of travelers who have climbed to Renfe trains in the first six months of the year. The figure has been advanced by the company itself Who says they have risen to 3% more travelers compared to the same period last year. About 9 million more passengers. In this semester, Renfe has broken another record. June 20 was the day that more people were mounted on a company train, counting 135,600 travelers in 24 hours. It is an increase of 7,170 users (5.58%) compared to the previous record. The key. To achieve this growth, high speed has been key. According to Renfe, the impulse has been generated by the greatest offer from the exits from Madrid to Extremadura and Galicia, passing the latter through Castilla y León. In fact, it is specified that high speed has moved in the first half of 2025 to 17.9 million travelers between January and June 2025. One that is 10.9% higher than that recorded in the first half of 2024 when 1.8 million less passengers traveled. Yet. Passenger record figures arrive at a complicated time for Renfe. The first half of July has been marked by all kinds of delays. Some impossible to solve, such as the meteorological issues that stop the trains in Catalonia, but also for delays that They have hurt the company’s image. Just a few days ago, a Renfe train stopped again in Toledo. There, Adif has a black point that evidenced the problem of Spanish infrastructure at the beginning of the month when that same place caused the fall of the rail network in southern. An Ouigo train suffered a failure in its systems that forced a stop. This stop had an impact on the accumulation of trains in a small section, overloading the network and burning the Renfe Avant systems. The passengers 13 hours were passedNight included. Importual? It is not, much less, the only case. The Spanish rail system is winning the fame of unpunctual although its president says that 88% of trains reach their destination in time. And not only that, this places the company among the three most efficient in Europe, only behind the rail systems of Switzerland and the Netherlands. In Xataka We have asked Renfe what is the definition of “punctuality”, since the company extended last year the margin of time before the client so that he can request the total or partial refund of the ticket. Of the 30 minutes that were common until 2024 They went to 90 minutes from margin. So far, Renfe has not given us an answer. A 2025 controversy. That was last year but if something has characterized the first semester of 2025 have been the controversies that revolve around the company. On January one, what would come later. With the change of year, the new trains for The Madrid-Galicia route were detained. In the following months, more delays would arrive, such as those mentioned in July but also in April and May. 16,000 passengers were affected for the theft of copper on the railway tracks and the problem of an Iryo train with a catenary caused a domino effect that It resulted in more delays. To this we must add the controversies in the Galician corridor, with neighbors who protest the High -speed train stop suppression In a Zamorana station. EITHER The proposal of the mayor of Vigo to skip stops in Castilla y León for the train to arrive before. Photo | Germán Poo-Caamaño In Xataka | The center of Madrid is the last battle of Renfe and Ouigo: he wants to leave from Atocha and only Renfe has the approval

How did a passenger survive

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It was suffocating heat From the first hour, and from afar, nothing suggested that something could twist. An Air India plane took speed on the track of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airportin Ahmedabad, he raised the nose and took off. But just a few seconds later, everything changed: he began to lose height and ended up crashing into a residence for doctors. The tail of Boeing 787 Dreamliner It was embedded among the remains. What seemed like a total tragedy, without any margin for hope, took an unexpected turn just a few hours later. During the first minutes, the figures were devastating: 242 people on board, and any news of survivors. The magnitude of the disaster did not seem to leave place for exceptions. Until A video began to circulate in social networks and Indian media. In the material, a man advances, with traces of blood, and staggers towards an ambulance. A few hours later, The Interior Ministry of India confirmed What many could not believe: among the passengers of flight AI171, There was a survivor. The man in seat 11A How Hindustan Times points outIt is Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a 40 -year -old British citizen who was traveling back to London with her brother, also aboard the flight. He occupied the 11A seat, a row next to an emergency exit. He arrived at the hospital with multiple injuries, disoriented, but out of danger. His case was confirmed by the Indian authorities and by his own Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited the hospital this Friday and briefly met him. From his bed at the Civil Hospital of Ahmedabad, Vishwashkumar Ramesh spoke with several Indian media about the moments he lived inside the plane. His story, brief and choppy, has been one of the few direct windows inside the flight. In an interview with DD News Vía BBC said there was a time when the plane seemed as if it were “stuck in the air.” Ramesh continued to explain that “the lights began to flash in green and white” before the collision. “The (emergency) door was broken, I saw that there was a hole. I tried to go out there. And I did. ” Ramesh explained that he was on the side of the plane that was at the ground level and did not hit the facade of the building. “The other part was embedded in the wall. No one could have left there,” added the only survivor of the tragic accident. In another statement, Collection by Hindustan Timeshe explained: “When I joined, there were bodies around me. I was scared. I got up and ran. There were pieces of the plane everywhere. ” The video that showed Ramesh walking towards an ambulance, broadcast shortly after the accident, was the first proof that someone had managed to leave the fuselage in flames. His words make it clear: “I still can’t believe how I have survived.” How do you survive such an impact? The question is still open. There is no official explanation on how it managed to survive Ramesh. Nor has it determined If your location on the plane was decisive Not if any structural factor influenced its output. What does exist is technical information about the variables that are usually analyzed in this type of scenarios. The Washington Post collects the perspective From Anthony Brickhouse, American consultant in air security with almost three decades of experience in the accident survival study. The expert says that researchers usually focus on three main factors: The level of force G at the time of impact. The structure of the plane that surrounds the passenger. The conditions after the clash, such as fires or injuries. “This man survived something that should not be possible to survive. I can’t scientifically explain how he succeeded.” Asked about whether certain seats are safer than others, In statements to NewsweekGraham Braithwaite, director of the Aviation Area at Cranfield University, said “is a very difficult question to answer.” He added: “While this does not serve as comfort to those affected by the tragic accident that occurred yesterday, the answer is simple: all the seats of modern aircraft are incredibly safe.” An unprecedented accident for Dreamliner Ai171 Air India flight was destined London. He took off from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday, June 12 at 1:30 p.m. (local time), with 242 people on board: 230 passengers and 12 crew members. Less than a minute later, he crashed into a residence of doctors of the BJ Medical College, located on the perimeter of the airport. More than two hundred people died, including several students who were in the dining room at that time. The security cameras captured the sequence: the plane took height, stabilized briefly and then struck to crash and explode on fire. The causes of the accident have not yet been determined. The aircraft was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, a model introduced in 2009 and recognized for its fuel and autonomy efficiency. Until the moment of the incident, the Dreamliner accumulated more than a thousand units delivered and no fatal accident registered in commercial operations. The wrecked apparatus was delivered to Air India in 2014 and had made more than 8,000 take -offs and landings, according to data from the firm Cirium. The General Directorate of Civil Aviation of India reported that the pilots issued a Mayday emergency signal after takeoff, but there was no more communication from the cabin. A few hours after the impact, the authorities confirmed the recovery of one of the black boxes. The analysis of the flight data registrar will be key to clarify what happened. Experts consulted by international means have indicated that unusual configurations are observed in the take -off video, such as the deployed landing gear and the flaps without extending, although for now there are no official conclusions. Images | Interior Minister of India (1, 2) | Prime Minister of India (1, 2) In Xataka | We prepare to say goodbye to Windows 10, but part of the US Air … Read more

Deepseek is not a passenger fashion. It is the future of AI for Chinese mobiles

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Apple has been the first company to ally with OpenAi for introduce chatgpt as a complement to your own assistantSiri. Samsung has done the same with Gemini, which He works in the pair with Bixby at his ultra galaxy s25and manufacturers as honor have also op Magic7 Pro Honor. In Europe, we seem to be clear that Chatgpt and Gemini will be the two key solutions to enhance phones through AI. But in China they have a new ally. One that we have known for just a few weeks and that already has integration plans with some of the main Chinese manufacturers. Yes, we talk about Deepseek. Honor will open the ban. Honor has officially announced Deepseek’s integration into its assistant yoyo. Although this function, at least in Spain, is not too popular, is important for the company. Yoyo is the smart wizard in the honor ROM, and users in China will be able to use Deepseek within it. What will be able to do? Improve Yoyo capabilities when processing natural language, as well as its logical reasoning and contextual compression. It is already available on all honor phones with Magicos 8.0 or posterior, and just update to version 80.0.1.503 to be able to use it. At the moment, only in China. Nubia climbs into the car. Nor Fei, president of Nubia, has also announced Through Weibo The future integration of Deepseek into its phones. The company is already testing it in its Nubia Z70 Ultrawith plans to integrate it into the system deeply. They clarify that they do not want to create a mere access to direct to the chatbot, but adapt it within the system and get it completely in the operating system. In this case, there is no announced date. A much faster integration. Deepseek has been accessible to the public for less than a month. Chatgpt has been with us for more than two years. It impacts the speed with which Chinese manufacturers are hugging Deepseek, a national alternative to OpenAi AI, and whose data control “remains at home.” While Chatgpt raised as the reference AI, Android is still from Google, and the company is fighting for Gemini to be the model to be implemented. With honor and cloudy climbing to the ship in China, it is plausible to think about future integrations with more manufacturers. Now, the doubt is whether Deepseek will remain as an alternative only for the models with Chinese ROM, or if it will end up doing the competition to Chatgpt and Gemini in the European Roms framework itself. The nervousness of the big surprise with this China is clear: There are governments trying to veto it at all costs. Image | Xataka In Xataka | Deepseek guide: 36 functions and things you can do for free with this artificial intelligence

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