Tag Archives: socalled

Elon Musk Escalates His War With Google After Latest AI Accusations

It’s no secret that Elon Musk believes so-called “woke culture” is problematic. He has made innumerable public statements on the topic and has, in no unsure phrases, made it clear that he believes this political mindset to be poisonous. On February 22, following the launch of Gemini, Musk tweeted, “The woke mind virus is killing Western Civilization. Google does the same thing with their search results. Facebook & Instagram too. And Wikipedia.” He implied that he’ll launch his personal Gmail various and there is a persistent rumor about him creating his own search engine.

Musk has added a number of new prices to the checklist over latest days: he has accused Gemini of being racist and sexist and additionally claimed that he spoke on the telephone with a Google government who stated it could take just a few months to repair it. In a tweet recounting the alleged dialog, Musk claims his response was “that I doubted that Google’s woke bureaucratic blob would *allow* him to fix it.” He additionally declared, “Unless those who caused this are exited from Google, nothing will change, except to make the bias less obvious and more pernicious.”

His different posts on the topic have additionally develop into more and more alarmist. He shared a meme with the heading “What’s the difference between a conspiracy theory and the truth? About 6 months,” and he has said that “our whole civilization is at stake.” It would not simply appear to be Google that he is going after, although. He additionally not too long ago complained about Windows requiring customers to make a Microsoft account after they arrange a brand new PC and steered that this may give the corporate’s AI entry to his laptop.

People Are Still Paying Way Over MSRP For Minis And Porsches

New automobile costs are at document highs, however that does not embody so-called “market adjustments” from sellers. Demand is stabilizing as we head into 2024, however there are nonetheless many new automobiles promoting effectively over the producer’s recommended worth. Leading the cost is the combustion-powered Mini Cooper Hardtop, which has a median MSRP of $25,858. A current iSeeCars study reveals the common promoting worth is definitely a whopping $37,473.

That’s 25.5 p.c over the MSRP, having us questioning the sanity of Mini patrons. The figures apply to the outgoing technology, which dates again to 2014. A brand new electric Cooper hit the scene last year, and it will likely be joined by a gas-powered version this year. Nevertheless, Mini followers clearly could not wait, and paid handsomely for it.

2024 Mini Cooper S

The Hardtop is not the one Mini on the listing, both. Moving additional down you will discover the Mini Countryman and Clubman promoting 18.7 p.c above sticker worth. That interprets to $40,757 for the Countryman and $43,238 on the Clubman. The electrical Mini is on there too, fetching $36,434 on common – 17.8 p.c over its MSRP.

Porsche patrons are additionally shelling out huge bucks over MSRP. The Taycan sedan is second to the Mini Hardtop, promoting for 23.1 p.c over its recommended worth. That interprets to an enormous $25,836 past the Taycan’s common sticker of $111,893. And like Mini, it isn’t the one Porsche patrons are determined to personal. The Cayenne, Macan, Taycan Sport Turismo, and the 718 Boxster/Cayman make the minimize, all fetching round 20 p.c over MSRP. In truth, Porsche and Mini automobiles comprise half of this top-20 listing.

2024 Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid Rear 3/4

Here’s a breakdown of the 20 new automobiles which have the very best common promoting worth over MSRP, as of January 2024 per iSeeCars.

Model Average MSRP Average Selling Price Percent Difference
Mini Cooper Hardtop $29,858 $37,473 +25.5%
Porsche Taycan $111,893 $137,729 +23.1%
Porsche Cayenne $86,593 $105,574 +21.9%
Porsche Macan $66,310 $80,421 +21.3%
Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo $121,248 $146,594 +20.9%
Cadillac CT5-V $56,043 $67,254 +20%
Porsche 718 Boxster $83,301 $99,848 +19.9%
Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid $28,248 $33,719 +19.4%
BMW X3 M $75,448 $90,057 +19.4%
Cadillac CT4-V $55,873 $66,633 +19.3%
Porsche 718 Cayman $89,092 $105,910 +18.9%
Genesis GV70 $49,351 $58,646 +18.8%
Mini Countryman $34,337 $40,757 +18.7%
Mini Clubman $36,435 $43,238 +18.7%
Lexus LS 500 $80,072 $94,962 +18.6%
Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class $69,500 $82,399 +18.6%
Ford Maverick $27,996 $33,098 +18.2%
Mini Cooper Electric $30,918 $36,434 +17.8%
Genesis GV80 $59,677 $70,080 +17.4%
Audi RS6 Avant $125,609 $147,482 +17.4%

The excellent news is that, per the examine, general markups are falling. At this time final 12 months, the common was 8.9 p.c. Now, we’re sitting at 7.2 p.c. Electric automobiles have seen the most important decline, with automobiles just like the Hyundai Kona Electric and Volkswagen ID.4 promoting barely beneath MSRP on common.

“Supply is gradually catching up with demand, which means even as new car MSRP rises the ability for dealers to charge over MSRP falls,” stated Karl Brauer, iSeeCars Executive Analyst. “At some point we’ll get back to pre-Covid new car pricing. But we’re not there yet, and at this rate it’s still at least a few years out.”