Honda is hosting a big event next week to reveal the all-new 2016 Civic Sedan, but a keen-eyed photographer in Ann Arbor, Michigan has managed to spot the car in the open ahead of time.
Originally posted on CivicX, the photos show an expectedly toned-down version of the tenth-generation Civic Concept that premiered at the 2015 New York Auto Show, with a sleek, sloping greenhouse and boomerang-style taillights highlighting the silhouette. The photographed four-door appears to be the range-topping Touring variant as well, which means the wheels, chrome trim pieces, and LED headlights are likely unique to this particular version.
Even in unflattering light and a fairly dull color, the new car looks more distinguished, upscale, and unique than those that came before it. In fact, it’s probably the best-looking Civic of the last 15 years, one that will hopefully inject some much-needed sportiness into the model range. This is just the sedan after all, so we expect the coupe — which will be unveiled in winter — as well as the hatchback and performance variants, to look even better.
Underneath the sedan’s fresh face is a new global platform that will underpin every tenth-generation Civic made. In North America, power will be sourced from an all-new 1.5-liter VTEC Turbo engine that will bolt up to either a six-speed manual transmission or a CVT. Specific output for the Civic hasn’t been revealed yet, but the 1.5-liter powerplant in Honda’s Step WGN minivan makes 147 horsepower and 149 pound-feet of torque, so we expect similar numbers here. Other powertrains could be announced during the vehicle’s official reveal on September 16, so stay tuned for more details.
As for whoever left this supposedly well-guarded Civic out on a public street in broad daylight, you might want to try the garage next time.
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.