Honda’s 10th-generation Civic is a big deal for the brand. Not only does the Civic account for nearly 25 percent of all Honda vehicle sales, it competes within one of the most competitive segments in the industry.
This reality has pushed Honda to completely overhaul the 2016 Civic, starting with the sedan, which goes on sale in November, and eventually moving to coupe, hatchback, Si, and Type R variants.
Pricing and fuel economy information has just been released by the Japanese automaker, and fans of the new Civic’s fastback styling and bold design cues will be pleased to learn it costs just $150 more than the 2015 model.
The entry level 2016 Honda Civic sedan starts at $18,640 and comes with a new 2.0-liter four cylinder that produces 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque. This entry LX trim is the only one (presently) to offer a standard six-speed manual in addition to the optional CVT (which costs an extra $800). Fuel economy estimates for the manual-equipped 2.0-liter four-cylinder stand at 27 city/40 highway/31 combined mpg. Add the CVT and you’re bumped up to 31 city/41 highway/35 combined mpg.
From there, Honda is offering its “Honda Sensing” suite of safety features for an additional $1,000 at every trim level. These tech. goodies include Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low-speed follow, Lane Keeping Assist, Road Departure Mitigation, CMBS (collision mitigation braking assist), Forward Collision Warning, and Lane Departure Warning all work seamlessly. Notably, ACC with low-speed follow will work from highway speeds all the way down to stop-and-go traffic.
The EX trim starts at $21,040 with the same 2.0-liter engine and adds Smart Entry, walk-away door locks, push-button ignition, a Display Audio touchscreen, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay.
If you can afford the EX-T version, things really get good. Honda has developed a new 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that manages 174 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque. This powertrain, like the 2.0-equipped Civics uses a CVT transmission, but it has been retuned for the turbocharged power delivery. Impressively, the turbo engine achieves 31 city/42 highway/35 combined mpg.
If you’re looking for a more luxurious cabin, Honda’s EX-L ($23,700) trim adds leather seating surfaces, dual-zone automatic climate control, an eight-way power driver’s seat, and a leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift knob. For an extra $1,000 Honda offers a Garmin navigation system with 3D-view and real-time traffic.
Finally, Honda’s new range-topping Touring trim turns an economy compact vehicle into an entry-level luxury car, adding LED headlights, rain-sensing wipers, a four-way power passenger seat, heated rear seats, and Honda Sensing safety features as standard.
All of the above prices exclude an $835 destination fee. A coupe version of the new Civic will go on sale sometime this winter.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.