Rectangular Steering Wheels, Floating Cars and Deluxe EVs Debut at Paris Auto Show

 A view of the logo of BYD during the launch of the BYD eMAX 7, an electric MPV by Chinese car and battery maker BYD, in New Delhi, India, October 8, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of the logo of BYD during the launch of the BYD eMAX 7, an electric MPV by Chinese car and battery maker BYD, in New Delhi, India, October 8, 2024. (Reuters)
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Rectangular Steering Wheels, Floating Cars and Deluxe EVs Debut at Paris Auto Show

 A view of the logo of BYD during the launch of the BYD eMAX 7, an electric MPV by Chinese car and battery maker BYD, in New Delhi, India, October 8, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of the logo of BYD during the launch of the BYD eMAX 7, an electric MPV by Chinese car and battery maker BYD, in New Delhi, India, October 8, 2024. (Reuters)

Chinese and European automakers are launching new models at the Paris auto show on Monday, with both heavily focusing on their electric ranges, even as demand slows and the EU gears up to impose tariffs on Chinese-made EVs later this month.

Below are some of the launches expected to generate buzz at the show, Europe's biggest. Organizers have counted around 50 European or world premieres.

CHINA'S OFFERING

Chinese EV giant BYD, which has entered many European markets this summer, is hoping to challenge Tesla's Model Y with a mid-sized electric SUV known as the Sea Lion 07.

It will also premiere for France its luxury, plug-in hybrid SUV, the Yangwang U8, which is capable of floating in the event of accidents involving water. It can also park sideways or make a complete turn on the spot thanks to four electric motors, one in each wheel.

China's state-owned GAC is launching the second generation of its compact electric crossover SUV, the Aion V, with a range of up to 750 kilometers (466 miles).

FAW's Hongqi, or Red Flag, known as former Chinese leader Chairman Mao Zedong's favored car brand and considered the nation's equivalent of a Rolls Royce, will launch its imposing luxury electric range, including the 5.2-meter long E-HS9, and EH7 and EHS7 models.

Startup Leapmotor will show the small EV T03 and new electric SUVs, the C10 and B10.

EUROPEAN MANUFACTURERS

Local manufacturer Renault is unveiling its small electric SUV, the R4, a modern version of the famous Renault 4 from the sixties, as well as a new Dacia Bigster, a larger version of the bestselling SUV Duster.

Alpine, Renault's sport brand, will unveil a show car for its forthcoming A390 fastback, its second fully electric model.

Volkswagen will premiere its seven-seater VW Tayron SUV that comes as a mild hybrid or plug-in hybrid, and available for order from 45,475 euros ($49,763).

Stellantis will launch the new compact Citroen C4 and C4X that have hybrid, electric and pure combustion-engine versions.

Peugeot, which has previously designed a mini steering wheel, is showing a rectangular wheel, or the Hypersquare, which will appear in the first car showrooms from 2026.



Elon Musk's AI Chatbot Grok Gets an Update, Starts Sharing Antisemitic Posts

xAI and Grok logos are seen in this illustration taken, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
xAI and Grok logos are seen in this illustration taken, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
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Elon Musk's AI Chatbot Grok Gets an Update, Starts Sharing Antisemitic Posts

xAI and Grok logos are seen in this illustration taken, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
xAI and Grok logos are seen in this illustration taken, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company said Wednesday that it's taking down “inappropriate posts" made by its Grok chatbot, which appeared to include antisemitic comments that praised Adolf Hitler.

Grok was developed by Musk’s xAI and pitched as alternative to “woke AI” interactions from rival chatbots like Google’s Gemini, or OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Musk said Friday that Grok has been improved significantly, and users “should notice a difference.”

Since then, Grok has shared several antisemitic posts, including the trope that Jews run Hollywood, and denied that such a stance could be described as Nazism.

“Labeling truths as hate speech stifles discussion,” Grok said.

It also appeared to praise Hitler, according to screenshots of a post that has now apparently been deleted.

“We are aware of recent posts made by Grok and are actively working to remove the inappropriate posts,” the Grok account posted early Wednesday, without being more specific.

"Since being made aware of the content, xAI has taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X. xAI is training only truth-seeking and thanks to the millions of users on X, we are able to quickly identify and update the model where training could be improved.

Also Wednesday, a court in Türkiye ordered a ban on Grok after it spread content insulting to Turkish President and others.

The pro-government A Haber news channel reported that Grok posted vulgarities against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his late mother and well-known personalities. Offensive responses were also directed toward modern Türkiye's founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, other media outlets said.

That prompted the Ankara public prosecutor to file for the imposition of restrictions under Türkiye's internet law, citing a threat to public order. A criminal court approved the request early on Wednesday, ordering the country’s telecommunications authority to enforce the ban.

It's not the first time Grok's behavior has raised questions.

Earlier this year the chatbot kept talking about South African racial politics and the subject of “white genocide” despite being asked a variety of questions, most of which had nothing to do with the country. An “unauthorized modification” was behind the problem, xAI said.