Being one of the world’s richest and most influential figures definitely has its perks. Those private jets and space-bound adventures aren’t going to pay for themselves, after all. But it also puts a target on your back. Elon Musk is, undoubtedly, one such person, no matter what you might think of him, and he is no exception to the rule.

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One actor who is alleged to have tried to gain access to Musk is one of America’s oldest enemies: Russia. Or at least that’s what ex-FBI agent-turned-whistleblower Jonathan Buma alleges. Although the 48-year-old didn’t divulge details on why Musk was targeted by Russian operatives, he firmly believes that it was a real threat.

A Clear And Present Danger

He did say that the way in which Russians tried to get access to Musk was by placing certain individuals, who at the time got influence with him, within his inner circle. “Those efforts were intense and they were ongoing”, he told German broadcaster ZDF and UK news outlet The Guardian. “I can’t go into too much more detail,” he conceded, but did note that Musk himself wasn’t under investigation by the FBI.

Apparently, it was reported that Buma wasn’t the only one concerned about Musk falling under Russian influence. In July 2022, the Wall Street Journal reported that his wealth manager, Jared Birchall, had “cornered” his employer about a new adviser named Igor Kurganov. He was a Russian-born ex-professional gambler who, according to Birchall, “suddenly had immense influence on what to do with Musk’s money” after having spent some time with him during the pandemic.

The FBI reportedly took interest into Elon’s new friend, with an agent making inquiries as part of his duty to “watch out for foreign interference in US companies”. Nevertheless, he had no known connections to Russia, apart from being born there, and was never named a foreign agent. Still, according to the report from the Wall Street Journal, Birchall asked Musk to remove Kurganov from his post at the latter’s private foundation in May 2022, which he did.

Musk’s Contacts

How Elon chose to spend his money was of no real interest to the US intelligence gathering community. On the other hand, whom the head honcho of not just Tesla but, more importantly, SpaceX did talk to about personal issues, business and geopolitical topics, likely was.

According to the same WSJ report from 2024, Musk had allegedly been “in regular contact” with Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, since late 2022. Musk, however, denied this, stating as recently as last week during an interview with Bloomberg that, aside from a video call five years ago, he hasn’t spoken to the Russian president.

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Now, China may be the new superpower that replaced the USSR as the true US antagonist in the world scene, but underestimating Putin’s Russia would be a grave mistake. The ongoing war in Ukraine is as stark as reminder as anyone would need, if there was ever any doubt about that. While not as technologically advanced as America or the People’s Republic, it still has a huge amount of geopolitical clout so it can sit on the table with the other two and demand to have a say in how the world is run.

Tesla Needs To Solve Its Issues, Not Worry About Its CEO

All this could place Musk and Tesla between a rock and a hard place, especially if he’s being targeted by enemy #1 while his company builds cars in enemy #2’s soil. Even if that’s the case, it doesn’t prove Elon is compromised in any way – he could just be another businessman trying to maximize his companies’ profits.

Nevertheless, with Musk getting very political and becoming a close ally to US President Donald Trump, things have become much more complicated. True, they always are when money, politics and, ultimately, power come together. Tesla has, so far, faced more than its fair share of backlash against Musk’s politics. Ultimately, though, falling stock prices and plunging sales may just be the tip of the iceberg – and, ironically, Elon himself could be held accountable for many of his company’s problems.

The drama at Xiaomi’s automotive division doesn’t seem to be winding down anytime soon. Just days after the company was forced to apologize to owners of the SU7 who spent $6,000 on an aero hood only to find out the vents were little more than cosmetic, and not long after a software update nearly reduced the Ultra’s 1,526hp to a mere 888hp, Xiaomi now claims it’s uncovered what it calls a smear campaign against the brand.

The news comes just days before Xiaomi is set to reveal the YU7 electric SUV and the Xring 01, its first in-house developed smartphone chipset. In a posting on their social media page, Xiaomi’s legal team posted an update saying they had uncovered a coordinated effort to defame the company across nearly 10,000 social media accounts. Several suspects are now under investigation by Chinese authorities.

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As reported by several local media including Car News China, the criminal gang was allegedly active since December 2024. The company claims that the bad actors used automatic copywriting software to fabricate false information about Xiaomi, and manipulated nearly 10,000 social media accounts to maliciously spread rumors and false statements. The group reportedly engaged in tactics such as stirring up online opposition and pitting rival brands against each other, all in an effort to damage Xiaomi’s reputation.

In a statement, Xiaomi described the situation as a new form of online “water army” crime, where a criminal gang uses automated software to generate fake content on a massive scale. “The distribution chain is complex, and the scale of the operation is enormous,” the company said. “This has had a severely negative impact on both the online environment and our corporate reputation.”

Who’s Behind It?

Even though no names were named, any number of rivals could be at play here. Cars are nowadays more tech-defined than ever and are bound to become even more so in the near future, as the chipset and automotive industries become more intertwined. Thus, when a disruptor comes along and threatens to change the status quo, apparently all gloves are off since there are billions of dollars at stake.

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In the epic Iliad, Helen of Troy’s beauty sparked a war that would go down in history. Now, nearly three millennia later, Xiaomi has found itself in the strange position of being the brand that launched 10,000 social media accounts, each working to smear it in the months leading up to its first electric crossover. If anything, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and if rival companies are going to such lengths to bring down Xiaomi, it’s clear they fear what’s coming next.

It’s no secret that China’s automakers have been eyeing a bigger piece of the European market. Now, one of them may be about to gain a foothold right in the heart of Germany’s automotive landscape.

Back in January, reports surfaced that several Chinese carmakers were interested in buying or leasing two Volkswagen plants, one in Dresden, the other in Osnabruck, both of which are set to shut down as part of VW’s ongoing cost-cutting efforts.

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Now it appears that Chery, China’s fourth-largest carmaker, which sold 2,603,916 vehicles in 2024 through its nine brands and joint ventures including with Jaguar Land Rover, is close to finalizing a deal to take over the two plants as it prepares to expand into European markets.

Chery Eyes Germany for Local Production

The company confirmed that it’s in advanced talks to start building cars in Germany, but didn’t reveal if it is VW it is negotiating with. Vice president of Chery International, Charlie Zhang, told Autonews Europe that the final decision will be made after all possible issues are solved. “We need to study the feasibility plan, because in Germany, the situation is very, very complicated,” Zhang said, adding that the company wants detailed info on regulatory requirements, labor unions, supply chains and costs.

If it comes to an agreement to purchase the two German plants, it intends to manufacture models for its brand-new Lepas brand that was launched only a few weeks ago, on April 2, and sells modified versions of Chery‘s Tiggo range that will be available in global markets. European-made models will include two compact and one midsize SUVs with combustion, plug-in hybrid or all-electric powertrains.

In any case, Chery is no stranger to building cars in Europe in an effort to avoid the hefty taxes imposed on Chinese EVs by the EU as, since 2024, it has been assembling cars at a former Nissan factory in Barcelona, Spain in partnership with local firm Ebro.

Zhang revealed that Chery is gearing up to upgrade that facility in order to increase production of the Tiggo PHEV SUV and add EV versions of the Omoda and Jaecoo brands that will be sold in the Old Continent.

By spreading its production across multiple European sites, Chery appears to be positioning itself not only to avoid trade barriers but also to tailor its offerings more directly to local market demands.