Swift 1 842, Ferrari 8: SA's best-selling cars in May and other fascinating figures
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The Drive
13 hours ago
- The Drive
Even Volkswagen Is Doing Horsepower Subscriptions Now
The latest car news, reviews, and features. Subscriptions are coming for us all, in every aspect of life, and all we can do is avoid them. That just became a little tougher for owners of Volkswagen's smallest EV, the ID.3, in the U.K. See, we're used to hearing about subscriptions for improved performance and creature comforts on luxury cars, but VW's trialing BMW and Mercedes-Benz's greatest hits of consumer-hostile policies and gating an additional 27 horsepower behind a $22.30 monthly payment on the ID.3. Alternatively, owners can shell out $878 to unlock that power permanently, for the life of the vehicle. This news comes courtesy of AutoExpress , and it's alarming for several reasons. First, again, the ID.3 isn't exactly a bargain, starting at the equivalent of $41,770, but it's also no Mercedes EQE. Second, as the article points out, the car is registered at 228 hp stock, which affects insurance rates, even though owners only get 201 hp before subscribing. So, you're paying a penalty on your insurance premium based on power that you can only access if you give Volkswagen yet more money every month. This monthly fee also lifts torque from the standard 195 lb-ft to 228 lb-ft, and VW says that the increase in output doesn't impact range—so at least there's that. The optional software upgrade applies to all trims of the ID.3 except for the speedy GTX variant, which has around 320 horsepower and costs $21,600 more. All told, that's roughly $63K—for VW's smallest EV! And you thought the Golf R was pricey. The more I learn about this thing, the less sad I am that it's not offered in the States. Side note: This is a $63,000 car. Hendryk Meyer/Volkswagen The best outcome we can hope for in these cases is that the outcry against it becomes so loud that VW relents. That's worked to some degree on this side of the pond, with BMW's heated-seat policies. But the retractions don't last forever, and automakers are pretty much set on biding their time until software-locking everything is normalized, and they can get away with all of it. Got tips? Send 'em to tips@
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
I Asked ChatGPT About Tariffs — And Here's Who It Said Is Impacted Most
You can't scroll through your phone without seeing the word tariffs. It appears in every other headline. Everyone from TV pundits to social media stars are duking it out over whether they're good for the country and for consumers' wallets. At this point, you're sort of embarrassed to admit that you don't know what a tariff is, how it works or who it's going to really hit. Find Out: Read Next: Instead of asking your one know-it-all friend, who will give you an unnecessarily complex explanation, there's another route you can take: ChatGPT. While you don't want to use ChatGPT as the end-all, be-all of your investigation, it can provide a baseline of information that will help guide you in deeper research. To get a foundation into tariffs, your friendly neighborhood GOBankingRates writer (that would be me) asked ChatGPT to explain tariffs to me in very rudimentary terms — along with who should expect to be impacted the most. A Definition in a Nutshell ChatGPT's basic definition of a tariff is very simple, which is exactly what I wanted: 'A tariff is a kind of tax a government puts on products that come from other countries. It makes those foreign products more expensive so that people might buy stuff from their own country instead.' Just to double-check this information before moving on, I visited the Tax Foundation website. Its definition aligns with what ChatGPT gave me: 'Tariffs are taxes imposed by one country on goods imported from another country.' The Tax Foundation website concurred with ChatGPT's definition but offered greater specifics about the function of tariffs in trade: 'Tariffs are trade barriers that raise prices, reduce available quantities of goods and services for US businesses and consumers, and create an economic burden on foreign exporters.' Learn More: Tariffs in Action To give me an idea of how tariffs work in practice, ChatGPT gave me a real-world example — one that feels like it could come to a news broadcast near you sooner than you'd think. So, the U.S. imports steel from China, let's say for $100 per ton. Without tariffs, U.S. businesses buy Chinese steel at that set price. Pretty easy, right? Now, here's a wrinkle in that situation (or should we say, a dent in the steel): The U.S. government puts a 25% tariff on that Chinese steel. At $100 plus a $25 tariff, that same steel now costs $125 per ton. If the same American businesses balk at the new expense, they might go to U.S.-made steel that costs $110 — because it's now cheaper than imported steel. Why Are Tariffs Imposed? Ostensibly, tariffs are imposed to protect local businesses. As ChatGPT put it, 'tariffs make imported goods more expensive, so local products seem cheaper in comparison.' It gives me another real-world scenario: 'If cheap clothes from another country flood the market, local clothing companies might go out of business. A tariff helps them compete.' Needless to say, if tariffs can help local businesses keep their doors open, that's good news for employees. And when I asked ChatGPT why tariffs are imposed, it did mention that, when local companies are protected, they might be more likely to keep or hire more workers. ChatGPT offered another scenario, which is that tariffs can be implemented as a means to influence, or even outright punish, other governments. It returned to the theme of tensions between the U.S. and China to offer another example. 'The U.S. imposed tariffs on Chinese goods during trade tensions to pressure China on trade practices,' it wrote. What's the Controversy? Even if you haven't fully understood what tariffs are, you're still likely aware that they can be controversial. Some pundits tout their ability to make American businesses more competitive, while others say that they're only passing higher costs of popular goods onto consumers. ChatGPT shared that tariffs also have the potential to limit the choice that everyday shoppers enjoy. 'If tariffs make foreign products too expensive, stores might stop selling them,' it wrote. 'So you have fewer brands or types of products to choose from.' Another concern involves trade wars. According to ChatGPT, sometimes countries respond to tariffs with retaliatory tariffs of their own, which can make a wider range of products more expensive for all consumers while putting the hurt to businesses that rely on overseas sales. Who Gets Impacted the Most? Tariffs impact a broad swath of people and organizations, some more positively than others. Of course, domestic producers face less competition from cheaper imports, while consumers find their options limited and more expensive. Importers and retailers also take it on the chin, according to ChatGPT, since they have to pay more for goods or even switch suppliers. There's also the possibility that they can lose out on business if customers don't want to pay higher prices. With their products becoming more expensive, exporters could potentially lose sales because their products become too expensive — however, other countries have the option to retaliate with their own tariffs. To explain, ChatGPT offered the following example: 'After U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, China imposed tariffs on U.S. soybeans — hurting U.S. farmers.' There isn't really one type of person who will be hit hardest by tariffs — and some of the impact depends on what other countries do. More From GOBankingRates 5 Ways Trump Signing the GENIUS Act Could Impact Retirees4 Affordable Car Brands You Won't Regret Buying in 2025 This article originally appeared on I Asked ChatGPT About Tariffs — And Here's Who It Said Is Impacted Most Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
AI experts warn that China is miles ahead of the US in electricity generation — lack of supply and infrastructure threatens the US's long-term AI plans
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A U.S. analyst of Chinese technology said that the country has already solved its energy problem — at least in terms of power for its AI infrastructure. Rui Ma, founder of Tech Buzz China, posted on X that the country's massive investments in advanced hydropower and nuclear technologies meant that its 'electricity supply is secure and inexpensive.' This is in contrast to the U.S., where many AI data centers are disrupting its electricity grid and supply, resulting in a lack of supply and price increases for every user. Both Washington and Beijing are currently in an AI race, with the two powers vying for the lead in this technology. Because of this, the two rivals are diving into a massive build-out of AI data centers that require massive amounts of electricity to run. In the U.S., it has come to the point that tech giants are building their own power plants — with Elon Musk importing one to power his data centers and companies, like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Oracle, Nvidia, and more investing in the research and development of nuclear reactors. However, it seems that this is not a problem for China. According to Fortune, the East Asian country has an 80% to 100% power reserve, allowing it to absorb the massive demand brought about by the hundreds of data centers it built in recent years. More than that, it's also continually expanding its output, with one expert telling the publication that it 'adds more electricity demand than the entire annual consumption of Germany, every single year.' Some argue that the power is delivered by heavily polluting coal plants, but China is also investing massively in renewable energy projects. Nevertheless, if the power demand outstrips supply, it can easily reactivate coal plants to cover the shortfall. In fact, the new data centers are welcomed, as they help stimulate demand in a market that has an excess of power production. Nevertheless, electricity oversupply doesn't seem to be an immediate concern, as most of China's power plants are state-owned. Beijing also plans its energy production well in advance, allowing it to prepare for prospective demand, like the AI data center boom. This still does not address the elephant in the room, though: the fact that many Chinese data centers sit idle or underutilized. Beijing is developing a network to create a marketplace that will sell surplus capacity, but it is still facing challenges, especially with latency and different ecosystems. On the other hand, the U.S. faces major hurdles with its electricity supply. Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg said that power constraints will limit AI growth, and that new power plants aren't being built fast enough to satisfy AI's insatiable demand. If the U.S. does not address this issue sooner, it risks lagging behind China even if it has more powerful and efficient hardware. That's because the latter can just throw tons of power to gain the upper hand in the AI race through sheer brute force, similar to how Huawei's CloudMatrix cluster beats the performance of Nvidia's GB200. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. Solve the daily Crossword
