volvo

The owner of Volvo and partner of Renault will also sell Chinese electric cars in our country

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It is possible that if you are not very up to date with the automobile market, the word Geely may not be very familiar to you. Yes, it is more likely that Lotus will tell you something else. And you surely know Smart and Volvo. Any of them, any of those companies that were once European, are owned by Geely, one of the largest Chinese automotive groups in the country. Now, the company lands in Spain with its own brand. Yes, Geely in addition to owning a portfolio with up to 16 brands Under his direction, he also has his own car company. So that we understand it quickly and easily, just as the Volkswagen Group has the Volkswagen brand or as Renault owns Dacia but, of course, sells cars under the Renault brand. Geely, therefore, will arrive in our country with two electrified models. Its presence, as is evident from the first and mentioned brands, is already palpable in Spain but now it will have its own vehicles on the street, with its distribution network separate from any other company and with two SUVs that point to the present and future of the brand. Geely arrives in Spain To have a general photograph of Geely and know what is behind this new brand, the first thing you should know is that in 2024 they became the first Chinese manufacturer to establish itself as one of the 10 most important automotive companies in the world. Shortly after, the brand has been surpassed by the enormous muscle of BYD but In 2025 it managed to put 3.02 million on the market of cars counting only the companies born under its umbrella (without adding Volvo or Smart). With the latter he reached the 4.12 million units sold and was positioned as the ninth largest automotive group in the world, exceeding 2024 sales by 800,000 units. For its arrival in Spain, the company has announced two vehicles. Geely E5 He Geely E5 It is an electric SUV with 160 kW (218 HP) and a maximum range of 475 kilometers according to the WLTP cycle. It will be available with two battery sizes (60.22 kWh and 68.79 kWh) developed in-house. In the press release, Geely does not confirm the total peak power and only mentions that it will go from 30 to 80% autonomy in 20 minutes. Geely Starray EM-i On the other hand, the Geely Starray EM-i It is a plug-in hybrid with a combined power of 262 HP where the greatest weight of its dynamics falls on the electric motor that reaches 160 kW (218 HP). It also has two battery options (18.4 kWh and 29.8 kWh) that increase the total range of the set up to 943 kilometers in the mixed cycle. At the moment, Geely does not specify its autonomy in fully electric mode. It is to be hoped that, little by little, we will learn more details about these two new models, especially in their commitment to software and digital functions focused on the user. We do know that this latest plug-in hybridization system has been developed in the heart of Horse, the joint venture that Geely maintains with Renault to continue looking for solutions focused on combustion engines. Regarding its distribution, Geely says that it is developing a network of nationwide dealers “supported by partners with extensive experience and deep knowledge of the local market.” It is to be expected, therefore, that at least in the first months and years its distribution will be supported by the large groups that have been supporting brands such as BYD or the Chery Group. And the Chinese companies are making a strong investment in dealerships to give customer confidence. At the moment, the Chinese company has not set a specific date for us to see these cars on the street but it does set a deadline of “the first half of 2026”, so in the next four months we should have all the details. It must be taken into account that Geely is making clear efforts to expand its market with its own brands. We recently learned that is interested in entering the United Statesdespite the fact that the geopolitical context is complicated. It has also been rumored that it could occupy part of the Ford plant in Almussafes. Movement is key in an ultra-competitive Chinese market that is slowing down and Spain has shown interest in the firms arriving from this country, especially among entry-level vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Photo | Geely In Xataka | MG, BYD, Lynk&Co, Omoda: who’s who of Chinese car manufacturers in Spain

A Volvo S80 has been parked in the middle of a lake for 13 years. And it has become a tourist attraction

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Google Maps is a tool that can take us on a trip through the most unusual places without leaving the sofa. The great pyramids, the Canadian tundra or even Everest are ‘visitable’. But if we enter the coordinates 41.35474 – 88.79789, there seems to be an error. A car in the middle of a lake? It’s not a normal car, it’s a Volvo. What’s more, it is THE Volvo. On the outskirts of Ottawa, about 130 kilometers from Chicago, there are a tiny artificial island that is just the right size to house a Volvo S80 silver from 2001. And if you are thinking that someone forgot it parked there when the area flooded or any other strange story, you should know that the story has a much simpler explanation. And also much more fun. Volvo Island Year 2012. Scott Mann, local citizen and owner of a couple of car repair shops, owned the land of an old open pit mine which had been abandoned and flooded, forming an artificial lake. As sometimes it seems that advertising has no limitsMann had an idea: place a car in the middle of the lake. We do not know if the result of a “because you don’t have noses” or because it really seemed like a good idea, the businessman conceived this as a marketing strategy to promote his workshops. As? Well, I don’t have the slightest idea, but he must have had it very clear. Their plan was to place the car there in the middle and organize a contest for people to guess how it got there. Actually, placing the Volvo was very simple: since the land is his, he towed the car to the end of a spit of land and, later, removed the segment that connected the peninsula with the rest of the continent. Ready, the Volvo S80 was already in its new home, and there it was abandoned waiting for someone to wonder how it happened. There are a couple of things that are wrong with that plan, and it turned out that someone in the office questioned whether it was really a good decision. Tiffany Warren, office manager, explained to the local media The Times They started doing it with the idea of ​​the contest, but in the end they abandoned the idea because “It was actually quite dangerous.”. The reason is obvious: the ground is not the most stable, there is 12 meters of depth around the car and if someone tried to reach it for whatever reason, misfortune could occur. So, the idea of ​​the contest was abandonedjust like the Volvo and any other genius marketing plan Mann might have in his head. The Internet did what the Internet does best For a few years, Volvo Island remained a local curiosity, but in 2015… it exploded. appeared in Google Maps and Street View and the Internet did its job. The place went viral and, although it can only be seen from afar because it is still private property, hundreds of fans have come to contemplate this work that could be another of the wonders of the modern world. In fact, the most delirious thing is that on Google Maps it appears as a “Tourist Attraction”, and has accumulated 455 reviews at the time of writing this with a score of 4.9 out of five stars. The reviews are for a laugh, but don’t think that people simply write a review and that’s it: they actually go to the place, take photos and upload them to the platform. “Photos simply don’t do this place justice. I feel truly blessed to have seen Volvo Island with my own eyes. I drove to Volvo Island in a Volvo for an incredibly immersive experience. As I drove away in my wife’s Volvo, I was overwhelmed with the emotion of what I had just witnessed: Volvo Island in all its glory,” says someone in the Google system. There are also more serious questions, such as how is it possible that, after so much time, the bodywork is still in that state, without signs of corrosion when it has been outdoors for at least 13 years. And people who claim that the island is the Grand Canyon of the Midwest or the Taj Mahal of Western civilizationa mandatory place if you go to the United States and a recommendation: go early because there is a line. Jokes aside, the truth is that it is most curious that Google Maps shows the icon of a car in the middle of the lake. It’s also a great example of how the Internet becomes a cultural phenomenon? something so unexpected that it has not only inspired digital tourism, but also physical one. And it appears that Mann has no intention of removing the vehicle or modifying the island. It has taken, as we say, measures to prevent people from accessing the islet due to both the depth and the sudden changes in terrain below the surface, but everything indicates that this failed “announcement” will remain there for a long, long time. He should have put up a sign for his workshop, or something. At least… he gets that publicity. In Xataka | All your worst nightmares have been captured by the Google Street View car. Here you have the proof

Volvo does not start with the electric car and believes that his big problem is in Spain

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They said that “there was no future for internal combustion engines” from 2030. Last year they softened their expectations. And now they confirm that the transition to the electric car has been choking to the point that it will not be possible if in countries such as Spain a serious plan to electrify the country does not go ahead. Yes, we talk about Volvo. “It’s very difficult”. These words of Håkan Samuelsson, CEO of Volvo, summarize the feeling of the company with respect to the electric car. In an interview with the German media Die Zeitasked about the slow transition to the European electric car, which was expected faster, Samuelsson has responded to the following: There must be a clear sign that at a given time it is changing to electric mobility. But, of course, if there is no load infrastructure, especially in southern Europe, it is very difficult to implement it. A general concept is needed. Therefore, I can also imagine classify new hybrid vehicles with plug -in and long -range technology. In addition to southern Europe, a region in which Spain is undoubtedly, the CEO of Volvo also points out that “in certain regions of the world it is complicated for us, for example, in the west of the United States, with its own particularities. We probably need a few more years there. For electric mobility to succeed.” More loaders. With both answers, Samuelsson points directly to the load infrastructure as the main stumbling block to achieve the expected impulse with electric mobility. In the case of the United States it is evident. Tesla created a recharge network that held its first sales. Now, with your own loaders, your network is so good that has made manufacturers adapt to your bet. And in Spain we also have lessons to learn. Although we have improved and in Xataka We support that with the current volume of electric cars the reliability of the loaders than the pure power, According to ANFAC’s latest electromobility barometerin June 2025 we barely covered 17.5% of the total loaders that we should have installed at the end of the year. Tranquillity. Having a dense and reliable recharge network remains the main concern of those who do not dare to make the leap to an electric car. The ultimate goal is to be able to leave home without having to plan a route but that, right now, is not possible. And not only is it not possible, besides With a small battery electric carit is essential to be clear where, when and for how long to stop. Without a doubt, when one takes an electric car for a while it does not take time to adapt to its demands. Acquire the necessary knowledge to Do not pass hardships It is simple but that entrance barrier is still too high for those who want to disburse 30,000, 40,000 or 50,000 euros in a car and want to forget to pass anxiety for autonomy. But, above all, it is especially complicated among those who are looking for an electric car of 20,000 or 25,000 euros and know that they will have to Pay with some discomfort Your low price. What happens with Volvo? The problem for Volvo is that their electric cars do not advance to the expected rhythm and their plans were to stop selling combustion engines in 2030. In 2021, just four years ago, they said that “There is no future for internal combustion engines”. However, in 2024 they have had to admit that the transition to the electric car is being resisted more than the account and They already advanced that it was likely to maintain hybrid cars in the market for a longer time. Again, The low sales in the United States were key. Now, its CEO uncheck getting pressure so that countries take the initiative and put their efforts to create a solvent recharge network. Is something done? Yes, something is being done. First, countries have to give an acceleration to the recharge network forced by the European Union itself which has designed a plan to have fast loaders in the main routes of the continent in the short and medium term. In addition, you work to oblihar that the new loaders have Your own payment TPV systemwhich should facilitate adoption to the electric car. Right now, it is still necessary to have a good number of applications on the mobile if you load with different companies. And the government is also working for make cargo plugs visible With a new signaling on the roads. The ultimate goal is to go through the drivers that Spain is not a wasteland without loaders and that can be traveled with relative tranquility. One last curiosity. For Samuelsson “no, we were not too fast (about the jump to the electric car). For us, as a rather small company, the fully electric vehicle market is large enough.” Words hide a defense of their own legacy. The current CEO of the company already held this same position between 2012 and 2022. That is, the commitment to sell exclusively electric cars in 2030 was yours. After a small hesitation period, Samuelsson returned from his retirement to re -direct the Swedish company. A company that, on the other hand and by preference of its own CEO, is increasingly China: I want more cooperation from Volvo (with Geely). I want Volvo to remain independent, that is, with the headquarters in Sweden and that it is cited in the Swedish bag. But I also want to increase the value, the interest of the owners, and therefore more exchange within the holding company, to save money and introduce new technologies more quickly. Photo | Xataka In Xataka | Spain already has its first national map of cargo points for electric cars. We have tried it and we have opinions

Volvo has equipped its electric SUV with a very potent lidar. So much that the risk of frying the camera of your mobile is real

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Volvo has among its ranks a SUV up to technology, the Ex90. Presented in 2023, it is the electrical alternative to the classic XC90, presuming systems such as the Autonomous Level 3 SAE driving or the equipment of a radar Lidar to detect elements of your environment. What perhaps they had not told you is that, precisely, the lidar sensors of greater capabilities are the archNiene of our usual partner: the smartphone. You can leave you the fried camera. Volvo warns him in his own Support page: Lidar light waves can damage external cameras. The technical explanation is brief, but the message is clear. “Do not point a camera directly when Lidar. Lidar, being a laser -based system, uses infrared light waves that can cause damage to certain camera devices. This can include smartphones or phones equipped with a camera.” Although it sounds like a warning, perhaps something alarming, there are already those who have shown in real time how a lidar can instantly disintegrate the pixels of a mobile sensor. They are not color. They are supposedly fried pixels after burning when aiming at a lidar. The lucky one. In Volvo’s subform in Reddit A video has been viralized in which it can be seen how, when recording the lidar of this electric car, the sensor pixels are gradually burned. Reddit is Reddit and no one can ensure the authenticity of the video, but if we understand the theory behind that a lidar can disintegrate a camera, all the pieces begin to fit perfectly. Your camera sensor. Smartphones use sensors that not only capture visible light (spectrum of 380 to 750 Nm), they are also especially sensitive to near infrared (750 to 1100 nm). In fact, they usually come equipped with an infrared cutting filter in charge of mitigating this light and preventing it from affecting the final result. These filters usually block most infrared light, but they are not perfect. An easy test to do at home is to aim with a TV command to the camera of your mobile. That purple flash that you see is proof that smartphones cameras let infrared light. Destroying pixels. The infrared light emitted by a command has barely power, is emitted in a standard frequency of between 850 and 950 nanometers. What happens to the Lidar del Volvo Ex90? That emits pulsed lasers of 1550 nma wavelength in the middle infrared. This is still invisible to the human eye, but it is a considerable power. If a lidar laser with enough power points directly to a CMOS sensor, it can end up saturating the pixels of it. In other words, it can cause permanent damage and load the pixels that have received their emission of light. A phenomenon studied. Although the Lidar del Volvo Ex90 has put this problem on the table, this is a problem that we have been dragging for more than 20 years. In 2004, studies such as “Lase-Induced Damage Thresholds in Cmos and CCD Sensors ” The destruction of both individual pixels and complete columns after being exposed to compact laser systems was shown. It was highlighted how in wavelengths between 800 and 1,600 Nm (just the latter is the one that caresses Volvo), the damage is irreversible and there is no possible physical defense for infrared protection filters. Lidar in the Volvo Ex90 Volvo is not the only one who warns. Smartphones are not the only devices in using CMOS sensors: the vast majority of consumption miral cameras use this technology. Any manual warnsbefore even starting to explain how the camera works, not directly notice with a laser to the sensor. “When you make Tomas backwards, keep the sun sufficiently far from the viewing angle. Always maintain intense light sources, such as sun, laser or artificial light sources, outside and far from the image area. The concentrated strong light could produce smoke or damage the image sensor or other internal components.” At the moment, Volvo is one of the few companies that, together with Luminar (the company behind its Lidar technology) has detailed the emission of laser pulses in this type of radars. It is expected, however, with the democratization of the Lidar (especially in future cars that will come from China), we have to get used to these power figures. Image | Volvo In Xataka | In the war cameras vs lidar, Tesla has a lot to learn from an unexpected product: the Chinese aspiring robot

Volvo EX30 Cross Country: ready for off-road

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Volvo sets the trend again with the arrival of EX30 Cross Countrya more adventurous version of its all-electric compact SUV. Read also: Hyundai Venue: the cheapest in the United States from Hyundai Designed for those looking to explore beyond paved roads, this model promises to revolutionize the electric off-road segment without losing sight of the brand’s characteristic luxury and technology. You can read: Toyota Highlander Hybrid: test of this three-row SUV Since its launch, The Volvo EX30 has captured the attention of drivers around the world thanks to its elegant designits impressive performance and its commitment to sustainability. Now, with the arrival of the Cross Country version, Volvo seeks to broaden its appeal by offering a compact SUV capable of tackling more challenging terrain. Robust and exclusive design The EX30 Cross Country stands out for its robust appearance and unique details that differentiate it from the base model. Incorporating un black front panel, reinforced bumpers and the iconic Cross Country emblemthis SUV projects a more resistant and adventure-ready image. Volvo has recovered the “Cross Country” designationpreviously used in models such as the V60 and V90, to be applied for the first time to a fully electric vehicle. This decision underlines the brand’s transition towards a sustainable future without compromising its values ​​of performance and style. Built on a reliable platform The EX30 Cross Country is built on Volvo’s SEA2 platform, which also supports the standard version of the EX30. Although it maintains the same body structure, this variant incorporates specific elements to optimize its off-road performance, such as a raised suspension and larger tires. Furthermore, custom alloy wheels not only improve aestheticsbut also contribute to more stable driving on uneven surfaces. More about the Volvo EX30 Cross Country. Credit: Volvo.Credit: Courtesy Although Volvo has not yet revealed the exact details of the engine, The EX30 Cross Country is expected to equip a dual-motor system similar to that of the EX30 Twin Motor variant. With a combined power of 315 kW (428 HP) and all-wheel drive, this SUV promises outstanding performance both on and off-road. Off-road modifications, such as tuned suspension and chassis reinforcements, could slightly impact acceleration. While the standard version reaches 100 km/h in 3.6 secondsit is likely that this variant will do so in a slightly longer time. However, the priority here is not only speed, but also stability and control in challenging conditions. The EX30 Cross Country will equip the same useful 64 kWh battery as its standard counterpart. Although the range could be reduced from 450 km WLTP to around 400 km due to off-road modificationsthe fast charging capacity of up to 160 kW will continue to be one of its strengths. In just 25 minutes, this SUV can reach 80% charge, ideal for those planning longer getaways. Volvo has announced that production of the EX30 Cross Country will begin soon, with its market launch scheduled for summer. This version will initially be available in select markets, with final pricing and specifications expected to be revealed closer to its debut. The Volvo EX30 Cross Country not only represents a breakthrough in electric SUV technology, but also a commitment to sustainability and innovation. Designed to meet the needs of modern drivers looking for versatility and respect for the environmentthis model could redefine the concept of off-road adventures. Volvo, faithful to its “zero compromises” philosophyhas managed to combine luxury, technology and off-road capabilities in an electrified package that promises to capture the attention of SUV enthusiasts. With the EX30 Cross Country, the Swedish brand reinforces its position as a leader in the electric vehicle market. The arrival of the Volvo EX30 Cross Country marks an important milestone in the evolution of electric SUVs. By combining robust design with impressive performance, this model will not only expand the options available to consumers, but will also demonstrate that sustainable mobility can be as exciting as it is responsible.

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