Latest news with #Sielaff
Forbes
26-04-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Zeekr Aims To Be First Chinese Luxury Brand To Challenge Rolls-Royce
Zeekr is starting its journey towards high-end luxury with the 009 Grand and 9X. Chinese cars are improving in quality all the time, and anyone who thinks their level of engineering is behind Western companies really hasn't been paying attention. But one aspect that doesn't come with technical innovation is a heritage of luxury. Zeekr, part of Chinese giant Geely, hopes to change that. I talked to the company's Vice President of Global Design, Stefan Sielaff, about how far he intends to take Zeekr into the luxury space. He's aiming high. 'Our direct competitors will be Rolls-Royce and Maybach in the future,' he says. 'No guts, no glory.' This is no idle dream, either. Sielaff's illustrious automotive design career began at Audi, followed by a shift to Mercedes-Benz, and then a return to the Volkswagen Group culminating in six years as Design Director at Bentley. So he knows a thing or two about luxury cars. But there are clear cultural differences between European and Chinese automakers. 'It was quite a big journey moving from Bentley to Zeekr,' he says. However, he is still designing from a European base. 'The Zeekr design headquarters is in Gothenburg in Sweden.' Sielaff doesn't see such a big divide between European and Chinese designs anymore. 'When you look at Chinese cars, which are now the majority in China, especially in the electric market, they don't look dramatically different. Whether it's a European design director or a Chinese one, the overall perception of design is not so varied.' The Zeekr 7X is only a small step in the new luxury direction the company will be taking in the ... More future. Sielaff sees the rapidity of development as a key benefit for China, saying: 'Beside all the quality and the technology advantages Chinese brands have, it is also the speed, how we work together, how we accelerate in the processes, how strongly we use digital processes in every respect, whether it's in the R and D, in the design, but even in the manufacturing, everything is so heavily digitalized. This enables us to deliver a car from the first sketch to the to the product in two years.' The shift upmarket for Zeekr is part of a restructuring at Geely. 'We are in the process of doing a merger in between Lynk & Co and Zeekr into the Zeekr Group, which helps us to use efficiencies and to accentuate the differentiation between these two brands more clearly,' says Sielaff. 'Zeekr will be moving upwards into the premium luxury level, whereas Lynk & Co will be lower. It's not so different to the Volkswagen Group where Audi and Porsche operate in a very similar market segment but with contrasting customers.' The first car to arrive that will take Zeekr in this direction is the 9X, which was unveiled at the Chinese car show Auto Shanghai last week. This is a flagship SUV with what Zeekr is calling a 'Super Hybrid System' that blends the best of BEVs and PHEVs together. It will deploy CATL's Xiaoyao battery to deliver an all-electric range exceeding 380km (237 miles), which Zeekr claims is the longest among hybrid SUVs globally. This is in the Chinese testing cycle, however, so WLTP is 280km (175 miles) and EPA will be less. The exact size of this battery has not been disclosed. Zeekr is promising blistering performance from the 9X. Zeekr also claims the 9X will accelerate from 0 to 62mph in just 3 seconds, using a two-liter turbo hybrid gasoline engine with 205 kW (275hp), plus undisclosed electric motor power. This will be accompanied by a 900V system promising 1.3MW charging, taking under 10 minutes to go from 20 to 80%. So owners should expect a powerful onslaught when hitting the accelerator or replenishing the battery. Ride quality will be enhanced by industry-leadig dual-chamber air suspension and active stabilizer bars. For those who like their luxury to glitter, the 9X will boast 42,242 laser-engraved, diamond-cut lamp facets, creating a captivating 'starry sky' effect. Inside, the SUV debuts Zeekr's latest G-Pilot H9 autonomous driving system, powered by dual NVIDIA DRIVE Thor chips, 5 LiDAR sensors, and a massing 1,400 TOPS computing power, enabling advanced L3-level driving capabilities. The Zeekr 9X is set for a global launch in Q3 2025. One website has compared the 9X to a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, a car that starts at over $400,000 and then heads close to half a million. The Zeekr 009 Grand includes an option for just two seats and a giant screen in the rear. The 9X is clearly a step up from Zeekr cars currently on sale in Europe, such as the recently released 7X. However, Zeekr already has a vehicle selling well that is proving the potential of a more luxury-focused strategy, at least in China. The Zeekr 009 Grand sells as many as 4,000 units a month in its local market, according to the company. This is a luxury minivan that comes with a version incorporating two luxurious rear massage lounge seats in the rear and a giant video screen that even exceeds the one available as an option with BMW's impressive i7. More sensibly six-seated versions are available, but the one with the giant screen is like travelling around in a mobile home cinema designed for royalty. 'The Zeekr 009 and 9x show, despite the fact this is only the beginning of the story, that Zeekr is really moving more and more into the luxury segment,' says Sielaff. 'Zeekr will operate in this field of new luxury. Customers will get a huge variety of individualistic solutions, including cars in limited editions that they can cocreate. We do this already with the 009. You have the possibility to get the car with a lot of chrome, but you can also choose a very little amount of chrome and get more body color or more tinted materials that changes the character of the car dramatically. This is already making things more luxurious, because you are not forcing customers to go in one direction. You deliver a spectrum, which is a higher level of complexity. But it is a signal of a luxury product that you can individualize it more. Another signal is having artisan interiors with handcrafted elements.' The Lynk & Co 900 is a powerful luxury SUV targeting Range Rover customers. As a taster of things to come, another of Geely's brands Lynk & Co is just launching the 900, which is very clearly aimed at the luxury SUV market currently dominated by Range Rover. This is a plug-in hybrid combining a two-liter turbocharged engine with electric motors that Lynk & Co claims deliver an incredible 872hp, enabling a zero to 62mph spring in just 4.3 seconds. I drove this car in China, and it was decidedly rapid in a straight line. Its air suspension was also one of the smoothest that I've experienced, although Range Rover still holds the comfort crown. It's an impressive vehicle with a superb interior. However, while Zeekr goes up market and Lynk & Co focuses on more youthful lifestyle, Sielaff sees luxury car buyers getting younger. 'In China, luxury customers are 30-40 years old, much younger than for the traditional brands in Europe,' he says. 'These traditional luxury brands have the big advantage of heritage, but they also have the bigger disadvantage of that heritage, because they traditionally deal with rather conservative buyers. Our new customers in China in the luxury segment are more open for new things, which are more focused on authentic materials and good craftsmanship, maybe sometimes also even using Chinese influence. For example, we are experimenting with using materials like jade or porcelain in the future, which will be beautiful.' Could the 9X be the start of a journey where Zeekr challenges Rolls-Royce and Maybach? Sielaff sees no direct competitor coming from within China to Zeekr's luxury intentions, either, not even Changan's Avatr. 'Avatr has fantastic proportions, but you need always to have a vision,' he says. 'Zeekr will be the first true Chinese brand that is delivering authentic new luxury to the customer. We must compensate for the fact that we have no heritage by delivering higher levels of everything else, including technology, quality, and design. You need to have an optimistic vision. And this is what I find in China.'
Arab News
22-03-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Weekslong lockups of European tourists at US borders spark fears of traveling to America
SAN DIEGO, California: Lennon Tyler and her German fiancé often took road trips to Mexico when he vacationed in the United States since it was only a day's drive from her home in Las Vegas, one of the perks of their long-distance relationship. But things went terribly wrong when they drove back from Tijuana last month. US border agents handcuffed Tyler, a US citizen, and chained her to a bench, while her fiancé, Lucas Sielaff, was accused of violating the rules of his 90-day US tourist permit, the couple said. Authorities later handcuffed and shackled Sielaff and sent him to a crowded US immigration detention center. He spent 16 days locked up before being allowed to fly home to Germany. Since President Donald Trump took office, there have been other incidents of tourists like Sielaff being stopped at US border crossings and held for weeks at US immigration detention facilities before being allowed to fly home at their own expense. They include another German tourist who was stopped at the Tijuana crossing on Jan. 25. Jessica Brösche spent over six weeks locked up, including over a week in solitary confinement, a friend said. On the Canadian border, a backpacker from Wales spent nearly three weeks at a detention center before flying home this week. And a Canadian woman on a work visa detained at the Tijuana border spent 12 days in detention before returning home last weekend. Sielaff, 25, and the others say it was never made clear why they were taken into custody even after they offered to go home voluntarily. Pedro Rios, director of the American Friends Service Committee's US-Mexico border program, a nonprofit that aids migrants, said in the 22 years he has worked on the border he's never seen travelers from Western Europe and Canada, longtime US allies, locked up like this. 'It's definitely unusual with these cases so close together, and the rationale for detaining these people doesn't make sense,' he said. 'It doesn't justify the abhorrent treatment and conditions' they endured. 'The only reason I see is there is a much more fervent anti-immigrant atmosphere,' Rios said. Of course, tourists from countries where the US requires visas — many of them non-Western nations — have long encountered difficulties entering the US US authorities did not respond to a request from The Associated Press for figures on how many tourists have recently been held at detention facilities or explain why they weren't simply denied entry. 'Deemed inadmissible' The incidents are fueling anxiety as the Trump administration prepares for a ban on travelers from some countries. Noting the 'evolving' federal travel policies, the University of California, Los Angeles sent a notice this week urging its foreign-born students and staff to consider the risks of travel for spring break, warning 're-entry requirements may change while you are away, impacting your return.' Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in an email to the AP that Sielaff and Brösche, who was held for 45 days, 'were deemed inadmissible' by Customs and Border Protection. That agency said it cannot discuss specifics but 'if statutes or visa terms are violated, travelers may be subject to detention and removal.' The agencies did not comment on the other cases. Both German tourists were allowed into the United States under a program offered to a select group of countries, mostly in Europe and Asia, whose citizens are allowed to travel to the US for business or leisure for up to 90 days without getting a visa in advance. Applicants register online with the Electronic System for Travel Authorization. But even if they are authorized to travel under that system, US authorities have wide discretion to still deny entry. Following the detentions, Britain and Germany updated their travel advisories to alert people about the strict US border enforcement. The United Kingdom warned 'you may be liable to arrest or detention if you break the rules.' Sielaff arrived in the US on Jan. 27. He and Tyler decided to go to Tijuana for four days in mid-February because Tyler's dog needed surgery and veterinary services are cheaper there. They figured they would enjoy some tacos and make a fun trip out of it. 'Mexico is a wonderful and beautiful country that Lucas and I love to visit,' Tyler said. They returned Feb. 18, just 22 days into Sielaff's 90-day tourist permit. When they pulled up to the crossing, the US border agent asked Sielaff aggressively, 'Where are you going? Where do you live?' Tyler said. 'English is not Lucas' first language and so he said, 'We're going to Las Vegas,' and the agent says, 'Oh, we caught you. You live in Las Vegas. You can't do that,'' Tyler said. Sielaff was taken away for more questioning. Tyler said she asked to go with him or if he could get a translator and was told to be quiet, then taken out of her car and handcuffed and chained to a bench. Her dog, recovering from surgery, was left in the car. After four hours, Tyler was allowed to leave but said she was given no information about her fiancé's whereabouts. During questioning, Sielaff said he told authorities he never lived in the US and had no criminal history. He said he was given a full-body search and ordered to hand over his cellphone and belongings. He was put in a holding cell where he slept on a bench for two days before being transferred to the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego. There, he said, he shared a cell with eight others. 'You are angry, you are sad, you don't know when you can get out,' Sielaff said. 'You just don't get any answers from anybody.' He was finally told to get a direct flight to Germany and submit a confirmation number. In a frantic call from Sielaff, Tyler bought it for $2,744. He flew back March 5. 'A blatant abuse' of US border authorities' power, victims say 'What happened at the border was just blatant abuse of the Border Patrol's power,' Tyler said. Ashley Paschen agrees. She said she learned about Brösche from a TikTok video asking anyone in the San Diego area for help after her family learned she was being held at the Otay Mesa Detention Center. Paschen visited her several times and told her people were working to get her out. Brosche flew home March 11. 'She's happy to be home,' Paschen said. 'She seems very relieved if anything but she's not coming back here anytime soon.' On Feb. 26, a tourist from Wales, Becky Burke, a backpacker traveling across North America, was stopped at the US-Canada border and held for nearly three weeks at a detention facility in Washington state, her father, Paul Burke, posted on Facebook. She returned home Tuesday. On March 3, Canadian Jasmine Mooney, an actress and entrepreneur on a US work visa, was detained at the Tijuana crossing. She was released Saturday, her friend Brittany Kors said. Before Mooney's release, British Columbia Premier David Eby expressed concern, saying: 'It certainly reinforces anxiety that ... many Canadians have about our relationship with the US right now, and the unpredictability of this administration and its actions.' The detentions come amid legal fights over the Trump administration's arrests and deportations of other foreigners with valid visas and green card holders, including a Palestinian activist who helped organize campus protests of the war in Gaza. Tyler plans to sue the US government. Sielaff said he and Tyler are now rethinking plans to hold their wedding in Las Vegas. He suffers nightmares and is considering therapy to cope with the trauma. 'Nobody is safe there anymore to come to America as a tourist,' he said.
CBS News
21-03-2025
- CBS News
U.S. immigration authorities are detaining European travelers, weighing on tourism
Some Europeans are becoming leery of visiting the U.S., as reports of U.S. immigration authorities detaining them while traveling, for reasons that are not clear, swirl. A number of tourists from Europe say they have been stopped at U.S. border crossings and held at U.S. immigration detention facilities for weeks, despite holding tourist permits, work visas, or otherwise believing that they are authorized to travel to the U.S. A backpacker from Wales was detained at the Canadian border for close to three weeks, before being permitted to fly home. A Canadian woman with a work visa was detained for 12 days at the Tijuana border, before returning to Canada. And German tourist Lucas Sielaff, who drove to Mexico from Las Vegas, where he was visiting his American fiancé, was locked up while returning from Tijuana. Immigration authorities accused him of violating the rules of his 90-day U.S. tourist permit, the couple said, despite being just 22 days into it. Sielaff was held for 16 days before he was permitted to fly home to Germany on his own dime. Sielaff and others who were detained said it was never made clear why they were taken into custody. "What happened at the border was just blatant abuse of the Border Patrol's power," his fiancé, Lennon Tyler, told the Associated Press. Pedro Rios, director of the American Friends Service Committee, a nonprofit that aids migrants, agreed that "the rationale for detaining these people doesn't make sense." "The only reason I see is there is a much more fervent anti-immigrant atmosphere," Rios told the Associated Press. U.S. authorities did not respond to a request from The Associated Press for figures on the number of tourists that have been held at detention facilities. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told the AP that Sielaff was deemed "inadmissible" by Customs and Border Protection, without providing more specifics. Generally speaking, they said that "if statutes or visa terms are violated, travelers may be subject to detention and removal." Universities have warned international faculty and students to consider refraining from traveling abroad, pointing to the Trump Administration's evolving federal travel policies. "Out of an abundance of caution, we encourage international students, staff, faculty and scholars — including U.S. visa holders and permanent residents (or 'green card holders') — to consider postponing or delaying personal travel outside the United States until more information is available from the U.S. Department of State," Brown University executive vice president for planning and policy Russell Carey, wrote in an email to the Brown community. A recent analysis shows that President Trump's trade war could also dissuade tourists from visiting the U.S. just by alienating key allies and trade partners. Data from Tourism Economics, a branch of investment advisory firm Oxford Economics, is forecasting a 15% drop in the number of visits from Canada in 2025. International travel from all foreign countries to the U.S. is expected to drop by just over 5%, according to the report. Factoring in diminished spending by Americans traveling domestically this year, overall travel spending in the U.S. could drop up to $64 billion in 2025, according to Tourism Economics. "The negative effects of an expanded trade war scenario will reach U.S. hotel room demand in 2025," Tourism Economics said in the report. "Domestic travel will be negatively affected by slower income growth and higher prices while international travel to the U.S. will be hit by a trifecta of slower economies, a stronger dollar and antipathy toward the U.S."
CBC
21-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
European visitors to U.S. surprised by denial of entry, dayslong detentions
Social Sharing Since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, there have been several high-profile incidents of tourists and visa holders being stopped at U.S. border crossings, or being held for weeks at American immigration detention facilities. In recent weeks, Britain has revised its advice for citizens traveling to the U.S., to include a warning that anyone found breaking its entry rules could face arrest or detention. Germany this week updated its travel advisory for the U.S. to emphasize that a visa or entry waiver does not guarantee entry for its citizens after several Germans were detained at the border recently, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said. An American woman and her German fiancé spoke to The Associated Press about their travel ordeal after driving back from Mexico in February. U.S. border agents handcuffed Lennon Tyler, a U.S. citizen, and chained her to a bench, while her fiancé, Lucas Sielaff, was accused of violating the rules of his 90-day U.S. tourist permit, the couple said. They had returned Feb. 18, just 22 days into Sielaff's 90-day tourist permit, and Tyler said her partner was questioned aggressively and struggled to answer in his second language. Authorities later handcuffed and shackled Sielaff and sent him to a crowded U.S. immigration detention centre. Sielaff said he was given a full-body search and ordered to hand over his cellphone and belongings. He was put in a holding cell, where he slept on a bench for two days, before being transferred to the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego. Two weeks later, he was finally told to get a direct flight to Germany and submit a confirmation number. Following a frantic call from Sielaff, Tyler bought a ticket for $2,744. Her fiancé flew back March 5. "What happened at the border was just blatant abuse of the Border Patrol's power," said Tyler, who plans to sue the U.S. government. Nonprofit official surprised by detentions U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in an email to the AP that Sielaff and Jessica Brösche — another German, who was held for 45 days in a separate incident — "were deemed inadmissible" by Customs and Border Protection. That agency said it cannot discuss specifics, but "if statutes or visa terms are violated, travellers may be subject to detention and removal." The agencies did not comment on other cases. Both German tourists were allowed into the United States under a waiver program offered to a select group of countries, mostly in Europe and Asia, whose citizens are allowed to travel to the U.S. for business or leisure for up to 90 days without getting a visa in advance. Even if they are authorized to travel under that system, they can still be barred from entering the country. WATCH l Trump administration leans into 18th-century law to deport Venezuelans: How can Trump use a wartime law to deport people when there's no war? | About That 3 days ago Duration 11:56 The Trump administration deported more than 200 immigrants by invoking the Alien Enemies Act — a wartime measure — alleging they were members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang. Andrew Chang explains how Trump is interpreting the language of the 1798 law in order to avoid the standard immigration court system, and why experts say it's a slippery slope. But Pedro Rios, director of the American Friends Service Committee, a non-profit that aids migrants, told The Associated Press in the 22 years he has worked on the border, he has never seen travellers from Western Europe and Canada, longtime U.S. allies, be locked up, as has happened in a number of incidents reported to the media. "The only reason I see is there is a much more fervent anti-immigrant atmosphere," Rios said. French scientist denial disputed A French scientist was also recently denied entry into the United States for a conference, under disputed circumstances. "I learned with concern that a French researcher on assignment for the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) who was travelling to a conference near Houston was denied entry to the United States before being expelled," Minister for Higher Education and Research Philippe Baptiste said in a statement to Agence France-Presse. The measure was apparently taken because the scientist had expressed a personal opinion on the Trump administration's research policy, he added, but did not elaborate. A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said privacy restrictions barred the agency from discussing specific cases, but a spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security vehemently denied the allegation. Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said on social media that "the French researcher in question was in possession of confidential information on his electronic device from Los Alamos National Laboratory — in violation of a non-disclosure agreement — something he admitted to taking without permission and attempted to conceal." The French government has yet to respond to McLaughlin's statement. Aggressive tactics, legal challenges Trump so far in his second term is overseeing an even more aggressive approach to immigration issues than in his first presidency. There have been controversial incidents thus far involving the detention of a college campus protester, and the denial of entry to a Lebanese doctor who had been studying and working in the U.S. for several years, among others. In another case, a former New York-based Columbia University student, Ranjani Srinivasan, is temporarily in Canada after her visa was revoked and she says she was sought by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. WATCH l Ranjani Srinivasan tells her story to CBC News: Columbia student flees to Canada after ICE showed up at her door 2 days ago Duration 7:15 Columbia University PhD student Ranjani Srinivasan calls accusations that she's a 'terrorist sympathizer' absurd, telling CBC's David Common that she feared for her safety after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials showed up at her door. Days after Trump's 2017 inauguration, some U.S. airports saw scenes of chaos, as travellers from several Muslim-majority countries were barred entry following an executive move that even some government agencies and high-profile officials received no advance warning of. The travel ban did not originally stand up to legal scrutiny of the courts and was later amended by his administration. Trump also moved in his first term to rescind protections for young immigrants, sometimes called Dreamers, brought into the United States illegally as children, and acted against states and cities that protect illegal immigrants. Early in this term, he moved to end birthright citizenship, which was immediately challenged in the courts. While Trump has emphasized curbing illegal immigration, often using degrading and dehumanizing language, the record of his first administration was marked by a drop in legal immigration even before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March 2020.
CBS News
21-03-2025
- CBS News
U.S. immigration authorities are detaining European tourists, spooking others from visiting
Some Europeans are becoming leery of visiting the U.S., as reports of U.S. immigration authorities detaining them while traveling, for reasons that are not clear, swirl. A number of tourists from Europe say they have been stopped at U.S. border crossings and held at U.S. immigration detention facilities for weeks, despite holding tourist permits, work visas, or otherwise believing that they are authorized to travel to the U.S. A backpacker from Wales was detained at the Canadian border for close to three weeks, before being permitted to fly home. A Canadian woman with a work visa was detained for 12 days at the Tijuana border, before returning to Canada. And German tourist Lucas Sielaff, who drove to Mexico from Las Vegas, where he was visiting his American fiancé, was locked up while returning from Tijuana. Immigration authorities accused him of violating the rules of his 90-day U.S. tourist permit, the couple said, despite being just 22 days into it. Sielaff was held for 16 days before he was permitted to fly home to Germany on his own dime. Sielaff and others who were detained said it was never made clear why they were taken into custody. "What happened at the border was just blatant abuse of the Border Patrol's power," his fiancé, Lennon Tyler, told the Associated Press. Pedro Rios, director of the American Friends Service Committee, a nonprofit that aids migrants, agreed that "the rationale for detaining these people doesn't make sense." "The only reason I see is there is a much more fervent anti-immigrant atmosphere," Rios told the Associated Press. U.S. authorities did not respond to a request from The Associated Press for figures on the number of tourists that have been held at detention facilities. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told the AP that Sielaff was deemed "inadmissible" by Customs and Border Protection, without providing more specifics. Generally speaking, they said that "if statutes or visa terms are violated, travelers may be subject to detention and removal." Universities have warned international faculty and students to consider refraining from traveling abroad, pointing to the Trump Administration's evolving federal travel policies. "Out of an abundance of caution, we encourage international students, staff, faculty and scholars — including U.S. visa holders and permanent residents (or 'green card holders') — to consider postponing or delaying personal travel outside the United States until more information is available from the U.S. Department of State," Brown University executive vice president for planning and policy Russell Carey, wrote in an email to the Brown community. A recent analysis shows that President Trump's trade war could also dissuade tourists from visiting the U.S. just by alienating key allies and trade partners. Data from Tourism Economics, a branch of investment advisory firm Oxford Economics, is forecasting a 15% drop in the number of visits from Canada in 2025. International travel from all foreign countries to the U.S. is expected to drop by just over 5%, according to the report. Factoring in diminished spending by Americans traveling domestically this year, overall travel spending in the U.S. could drop up to $64 billion in 2025, according to Tourism Economics. "The negative effects of an expanded trade war scenario will reach U.S. hotel room demand in 2025," Tourism Economics said in the report. "Domestic travel will be negatively affected by slower income growth and higher prices while international travel to the U.S. will be hit by a trifecta of slower economies, a stronger dollar and antipathy toward the U.S."
