China's tech sector is racing to gain ground on developing artificial intelligence technology, but Google DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman predicts the US will still be in the lead 10 years from now.
22.10.2023 - 09:25 / tech.hindustantimes.com
After nearly twenty years of designing Porsche 911s and Cayennes, Michael Mauer says new competitors led by EV brands from China are making managers and designers in Germany more receptive to risky vehicle concepts.
“These startups, with no heritage, they can do things completely different,” Porsche AG and Volkswagen AG's head of design said in an interview. “I consider it a positive thing actually, as a designer, because that makes the decision-makers — i.e., the management board — more open minded.”
We are now on WhatsApp. Click to join.
Volkswagen and Porsche will offer an update on their success in the coming week, when both companies report third-quarter results.
Germany has long been at the forefront of car design with enduring classics like the Volkswagen Beetle, Porsche 911 and instantly recognizable BMW and Mercedes-Benz sedans. But incumbent carmakers have watched Tesla overtake them in the EV transition, and the new era of battery powertrains calls for a fresh take on a car's look and functionality, which remain a top priority for customers choosing their next vehicle.
New standards for the industry are evolving fast — from ultra-modern designs like Tesla Inc.'s Cybertruck and Xpeng Inc.'s P7 to onboard features like Li Auto's 3-D dashboard and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group's Zeekr's massaging seats.
VW Chief Executive Officer Oliver Blume last month added design to a list of priorities in his bid to entice more EV buyers and stem a slide in market share in China. The move strengthened the hand of designers to come up with distinct looks across the company's brands, which include VW, Audi and Skoda. The goal is to give past favorites like the VW Golf an edgy new twist and to bolster lynchpin EV projects.
“I always have this image in my head of this stone that you throw into the future,” Mauer said, who has led Porsche's design team since 2004. “The question is, how far do I throw it? Hitting that sweet spot exactly, going far enough into the future, but not too far, is a real challenge.”
VW has pinned some of its slide in China on losing sight of the aesthetics and in-car features that were luring Chinese customers.
“The success that Volkswagen brand had in the volume segment was, in my opinion, due to the fact that there was a strong focus on design and design quality,” Mauer said. “Design is certainly not the biggest issue in the company, but it's an area where I can still achieve a lot with relatively modest resources.”
Mauer, 61, recalled BMW AG's design revamp more than a decade ago, when the company's then-chief designer, Chris Bangle, redefined the look of the 5-Series and 7-Series. While purists initially snubbed the changes, Mauer said it ultimately helped BMW position itself as a more
China's tech sector is racing to gain ground on developing artificial intelligence technology, but Google DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman predicts the US will still be in the lead 10 years from now.
After being challenged over the company shipping $1,599 MacBooks in 2023 with just 8GB of RAM, an Apple VP has responded with the claim that it's «probably analogous to 16GB on other systems.» With those «other systems» being PCs. Aaaaand, fight!
Through various experiments, scientists have known that while asteroids have the potential to cause catastrophic damage if they impact Earth, these objects can also become a resource hub. Scientists study asteroids to learn more about the early solar system and the conditions that existed when the planets were forming. However, an entirely new experiment could mean that asteroids may also protect Earth from the Sun's intense rays, mitigating climate change! This move, ideated by astronomer Istvan Szapudi, from the University of Hawai'i Institute for Astronomy, proposes a space-based solar radiation management (SRM) shield or shade that is tethered to an asteroid as a counterweight.
Nvidia Corp.'s dominance in artificial intelligence is causing “growing inequalities” between countries and is stifling fair competition, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire warned.
In recent years, Apple has been making more and more efforts to strengthen its foothold in the Indian smartphone market. It has also tapped into the ‘Make in India' initiative by establishing manufacturing of not only older iPhones but newer models such as iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 in the country. And now, the Cupertino-based tech giant is reportedly taking another giant step towards increasing its production capacity in India by kicking the new product introduction (NPI) of the iPhone 17 in the second half of 2025. Let us take a closer look.
Gaming giant NetEase has announced that it has recruited Greg Street, an influential designer on both World of Warcraft at Blizzard and League of Legendsat Riot Games, to lead a new studio building an original fantasy massively multiplayer game.
Chinese Mini PC manufacturers are shaking things up in the Asian market with new AMD Ryzen 7040 "Phoenix" options with fancy designs.
Heavy hangs the crown of expectation. Vampire: the Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is a sequel to the 2004 cult classic RPG by the now-buried Troika Games, and it has a lot to live up to. It needs to fight off the first game's powerful air of nostalgia, while also stepping into the daylight during an outstanding year for RPGs.
The Chinese Room has unveiled the protagonist for upcoming RPG Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. Named Phyre, players will be thrust into the shoes of an Elder Kindred for their journey across the World of Darkness version of Seattle.
Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 (which I'll be calling 'Bloodlines 2' from here on) has had a troubled history. Its initial developer, Hardsuit Labs, fired both the game's lead writer Brian Mitsoda and creative director Ka’ai Cluney in 2020. A senior narrative designer, Cara Ellison, left later that year. Then Hardsuit Labs got booted from the project entirely in 2021.
This is not investment advice. The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Wccftech.com has a disclosure and ethics policy.
Honkai Star Rail is a Chinese game built with a global audience in mind, which can force developer Hoyoverse to get creative about translating cultural and pop culture references, which sometimes involves pinning it all on Guns N' Roses.