All posts tagged: buyers

Tesla found new buyers for its Cybertruck: Kazakh emergency services

Tesla found new buyers for its Cybertruck: Kazakh emergency services

Published by skeptic

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations has confirmed it will purchase additional Tesla Cybertrucks after the electric pickup proved effective in rescue operations in Almaty, the country’s largest city. The Central Asian country has become the latest small international market to adopt the Cybertruck, as Tesla continues to struggle with collapsing domestic demand for the electric pickup. Cybertruck in rescue operations Vice Minister for Emergency Situations Yerbolat Sadyrbayev confirmed the expansion plans during a government meeting, saying the first Cybertruck deployed in Almaty has already proven its value in real-world rescue operations — including in the mountainous terrain surrounding the city. “Our ministry deals with emergencies where every minute counts,” Sadyrbayev said. “The Cybertruck has shown high efficiency in responding to various emergency situations. We are talking about saving people’s lives.” Advertisement – scroll for more content Officials highlighted several operational advantages: high mobility across difficult terrain, electric power output capable of running communications and rescue equipment, quiet operation for discreet deployment, and extended power delivery for prolonged rescue operations. Tesla’s official ‘Cybertruck’ X account shared …

Young first-time buyers face toughest time since financial crisis, says UK housebuilder | First-time buyers

Young first-time buyers face toughest time since financial crisis, says UK housebuilder | First-time buyers

Published by Sam Flores

The boss of Britain’s largest housebuilder has said it is the most challenging time to be a first-time buyer since the financial crisis, as the dream of home ownership moves increasingly out of reach for many young people. A combination of rising interest rates, higher levels of student debt and the squeeze on wages is making it “challenging, very, very difficult” for young people to get on the housing ladder, according to David Thomas, the departing chief executive of Barratt Redrow. “Certainly, it’s going to be close to where we were post the great financial crisis,” Thomas said in an interview with the BBC. “That was probably more to do with lending coming out of 2008-2009, but I think it’s very, very comparable for first-time buyers, particularly when you look at areas like London and the south-east.” Thomas said higher levels of student loan repayments were making it harder for younger people to get a mortgage. “Once people are earning a certain level of salary they have a requirement to repay student debt, and therefore …

The bargain EV battle is getting serious – and that’s great news for buyers

The bargain EV battle is getting serious – and that’s great news for buyers

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get our weekly Drive Smart newsletter for motoring news, reviews and advice from EV editor Steve Fowler Get motoring news, reviews and advice from EV editor Steve Fowler Get our EV editor’s weekly Drive Smart newsletter The article below is an excerpt from Steve Fowler’s DriveSmart newsletter. To get the email delivered straight to your inbox every Monday, simply enter your email address in the box above. For years, the electric car market has had one rather awkward problem: too many of the most appealing cars have also been too expensive. Yes, we’ve had brilliant high-end EVs, fast EVs, luxury EVs, seven-seat EVs and more than enough electric SUVs that cost more than some people paid for their first flat. But the small, affordable electric car – the sort of car that could genuinely tempt buyers out of a Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Polo, Vauxhall Corsa or Renault Clio – has taken rather longer to arrive. That is starting to change. And the next 12 months could be when the electric car market gets properly interesting …

Ferrari Hybrid Values Sink As Buyers Chase V8s And V12s

Ferrari Hybrid Values Sink As Buyers Chase V8s And V12s

Published by Jenni Sidey

Goldman’s Ferrari Residual Value Index shows that used Ferrari listing prices remained under pressure in April, down 3.4% year over year. However, analysts noted signs of “stabilization and partial improvements” after a weak second half of 2025. One notable takeaway from analyst Christian Frenes: Ferrari hybrids are depreciating far faster than their petrol-powered counterparts, suggesting buyers still prefer V-8s and V-12s combustion-engine models. In other words, the used market is sending a very clear signal to Ferrari that its wealthy customer base is not sold on the hybrid era. The chart below shows a clear divide in the Ferrari market: older, combustion models are holding their value much better than newer hybrid models. The biggest winners versus the original retail price are: 812 GTS: up about 29.8% F8 Spider: up about 25.5% 488 Spider: up about 15.7% Ferrari Roma Spider: up about 14.3% SF90 Spider: up about 2.8% The laggards are mostly newer hybrid or less-favored models: 296 GTS: down about 1.4% 296 GTB: down about 7.0% Ferrari Roma: down about 9.8% Ferrari Portofino: down …

M4 vs. M5 MacBook Air Buyer’s Guide

M4 vs. M5 MacBook Air Buyer’s Guide

Published by skeptic

Apple last month announced a new MacBook Air, introducing the M5 chip, faster wireless connectivity, double the base storage, and a more capable charger, while simultaneously discontinuing the M4 model. So how does the new machine compare? The M5 MacBook Air starts at $1,099 for the 13-inch model and $1,299 for the 15-inch, a $100 increase over the equivalent M4 models. In exchange, base storage doubles from 256GB to 512GB, and Apple says the new SSD delivers twice the read and write speeds of the previous generation. Education pricing is also available directly from Apple and typically shaves at least $100 off the price. The main upgrade between the two models is the chip. Compared to the M4, the M5 delivers: Up to 15% faster multithreaded CPU performance Up to 30% faster overall graphics performance Up to 45% faster ray tracing performance 27.5% higher unified memory bandwidth In addition to these general performance claims, Apple published a set of specific real-world workload results showing measurable gains in AI-driven applications: 4×+ peak GPU compute performance for …

MacBook Neo vs Used MacBook Air: Why Buyers Pick the New Entry Mac

MacBook Neo vs Used MacBook Air: Why Buyers Pick the New Entry Mac

Published by skeptic

Apple’s latest entry-level laptop, the MacBook Neo, has quickly become one of the most sought-after devices on the market. Just a month after its release, the MacBook Neo is facing severe stock shortages, driven by a combination of overwhelming demand and ongoing supply chain challenges. At the heart of the issue lies the limited availability of the A18 Pro chip, a critical component powering the device. If you’re considering purchasing the MacBook Neo, you may need to act swiftly or prepare for extended delays. The video below from Matt Talks Tech gives us more details. Why the MacBook Neo Is Hard to Find The MacBook Neo’s popularity has exceeded expectations, creating a significant supply problem. Apple’s official website currently lists a 2-3 week wait time for online orders, while many retail stores have already sold out of their available stock. As demand continues to surge, the remaining inventory is disappearing rapidly, leaving potential buyers with limited options. This scarcity highlights Apple’s ongoing struggle to balance production capacity with the high demand for a product that …

How Automotive AI Is Turning Website Traffic Into Qualified Car Buyers

How Automotive AI Is Turning Website Traffic Into Qualified Car Buyers

Published by skeptic

Dealership websites can attract thousands of visits each month and still leave sales teams wondering where the real buyers went. A shopper lands on a vehicle detail page, compares trims, checks payment options, then disappears before anyone starts a meaningful conversation. Research into dealership lead handling, auto retail productivity, and buyer behavior shows that this gap is where smarter digital engagement is starting to matter most. The shift is not about replacing sales teams. It is about helping dealerships spot intent sooner, respond faster, and move online browsing closer to an actual purchase path. That is where automotive AI is changing the game. Instead of waiting for a form fill and hoping a rep follows up quickly, dealers can now use AI to answer questions in real time, qualify interest, and keep the conversation moving while the shopper is still engaged. How is AI in the automotive industry changing dealership lead conversion? For many dealers, the core problem is not traffic. It is timing. A shopper may be ready to act, but the dealership does …

Stellar 3Y Auction: 2nd Most Foreign Buyers On Record, Highest Stop Through Since Feb 2025

Stellar 3Y Auction: 2nd Most Foreign Buyers On Record, Highest Stop Through Since Feb 2025

Published by Jenni Sidey

After several weeks of decidedly ugly auction which saw a notable drop in foreign demand amid what we reported a week ago was rampant selling of US debt by foreign central banks, moments ago the Treasury sold 3Y notes in what may have been the best auction since the start of the war. Just after 1pm, the US treasury sold $58BN in 3Y notes at a high yield of 3.897%, up sharply from 3.579% a month ago and the highest since last June’s 3.972%. More importantly, the auction stopped through the When Issued 3.909% by 1.2bps, the biggest stop through since Feb 2025 and the 7th stop through in the past 8 auctions. The bid to cover bounced nicely from last month’s 2.546 to 2.682, the highest since November.  The internals were even stronger: indirects, or foreign central banks, came back in droves after aggressively selling US paper in recent week, and were allotted 74.8% of the auction – the highest since Sept 2024, and the second highest on record. And with Directs awarded just …

Iraq Tells Buyers To Collect Crude Which Can Now Cross Hormuz, While US Boosts Ship Reinsurance Guarantees To BN

Iraq Tells Buyers To Collect Crude Which Can Now Cross Hormuz, While US Boosts Ship Reinsurance Guarantees To $40BN

Published by Jenni Sidey

Over the long weekend, we reported that with traffic across the Hormuz strait continuing to rise, and reaching the highest since the war began, one particularly favorable development was Iran’s permission for Iraqi ships to use the Strait. We also noted that this declaration had the potential to unleash as much as 3 million barrels a day of Iraqi oil cargoes. That said, there was the caveat that it was not immediately clear if the exemption will apply to all Iraqi oil or just the nation’s tankers, or indeed how it will be enforced. Furthermore, an Iraqi official cautioned that the usefulness of the exemption will depend on whether shipping companies are willing to risk entering the strait to collect cargoes. Today Iraq underscored this last point when the Gulf state told traders and refiners they can collect crude cargoes as vessels carrying the country’s oil are now able to transit the Strait of Hormuz thanks to an Iranian exemption, testing buyers’ confidence in the security guarantee. In a notice sent on Sunday, the country’s State …