All posts by Francis Mitterrand

News

Turkey imposes an additional 40% tariff on Chinese cars

Chinese cars are not only causing problems in the markets of European Union members, but also in other European countries. One of them is Turkey, which announced the introduction of an additional tariff of 40% on Chinese electric cars. The new tariff comes into effect on July 7.

Chinese manufacturers of electric cars are increasingly attacking world markets with cars that, thanks to government subsidies and low labor costs, bring other manufacturers to their knees. Turkey’s trade ministry claims that this move helps protect the country’s balance of payments, as well as local industry. This means that the minimum tariff per vehicle will be $7,000. Last year, Turkey had a deficit of over 45 billion dollars.

A similar decision was recently made in the US, where the tariff on Chinese electric vehicles will increase from 25 to 100 percent. Also, today the EU announced that it would impose additional tariffs of up to 38 percent on electric cars built in China. Is this the only effective way to fight with cheaper Chinese electric cars?

This comes as no surprise as Turkey recently announced its first electric vehicle, the Togg T10X. Also, it should be noted that Turkey introduced additional tariffs for Chinese fully electric cars in 2023, and now they will be applied to hybrid and ICE cars as well.

Source: Reuters

News

Armored VW Golf GTI

When you saw the photo you thought it was a regular VW Golf GTI, but it’s not. This is a specially modified VW Golf GTI converted into an armored car by SVI Engineering, South Africa.

SVI Engineering produces armored vehicles, but also converts civilian vehicles into armored vehicles. This VW Golf is one of the examples of a civilian car equipped with 3.5 mm thick steel armor (B4+) resistant to fire from pistols and rifles up to 7.62×39 mm caliber, and lightweight ballistic glass that can stop three Kalashnikov hits within 300 mm . The glass on the driver’s side can be opened halfway while the other windows are fixed. High grade steel was used for the doors, pillars, fenders, roof and custom rear bulkhead.

After the modifications, which last three months, the car is 340 kg heavier than the standard Golf, and this is contributed by the additional protection of the engine and battery, resistant to bullets. Of course, this required additional suspension tuning, so this battleship now weighs 1,770 kg. This also affected its performance and fuel consumption.

When it comes to the powertrain, it is not known if there have been any changes. It should be noted that this armor is also compatible with the Golf R, and the protection costs $35,000.

Source: SVI Engineering

Gallery:

Armored VW Golf GTI
EV

2025 Luxeed R7 SUV

After the Luxeed S7 model, the Chinese tech giant Huawei in cooperation with the automobile manufacturer Chery developed a new coupe SUV, the Luxeed R7. It is an elegant and spacious car, and the first photos were published on the social media Weibo.

The exterior of the car is similar to the previous models on which these two Chinese companies collaborated: Aito, Luxeed and Stelato. The CEO of the Consumer BG at Huawei Technologies, Yu Chengdong, said that the R7 represents a revolution and that the new model will surpass rivals that produce premium cars.

It is equipped with LED headlights, ADAS sensors, and LiDAR on the roof, which are connected to Huawei’s Qiankun ADS 3.0 automated driving system. The interior of the SUV is still unknown, but some published photos hint that it could be equipped with a 15.6-inch screen with Huawei’s HarmonyOS system like the one found in the S7 model.

According to Car News China, the BEV and EREV versions of the Luxeed R7 will use an 800V architecture and high-voltage silicon carbide batteries. It will be available with one electric motor (292 hp/218 kW) or with two electric motors with a total output of 496 hp (370 kW) with a maximum range of 855 km.

Source: Car News China, Huawei