Don’t let the homemade look fool you. Ultima, the British sports car manufacturer based in Hinckley, has revealed its latest creation, and it is one potent home brew.
Dubbed the Ultima Evolution, the latest car replaces the GT-R and Can Am models it has manufactured since 1992. After 15 years, the well-received kit cars have been discontinued with Evolution taking their places in a few different forms.
The most impressive, however it the top of the line option that pairs the track toy with a 6.8-liter Chevrolet LS supercharged V8 engine that produces a staggering 1,020 horsepower and 920 pound-feet of torque. That’s already a mind blowing amount of power without mentioning that its all just carbon fiber and roll cage, weighing just a little over 2,000 pounds. To put it into perspective, its like giving the Lotus Exige the power output of the Bugatti Grand Sport.
What the results is a car with a 0 to 60 time of 2.3 seconds and can shoot up to 100 mph in just under 5 seconds. It’s capable of topping out at over 240 miles per hour, but that’s reserved for drivers who are prepared to vacate this mortal coil.
With a price at roughly $150,000 dollars, it’s a steal for the return in power shoppers are getting. If that’s a little high up for some track fun, there are around 15 different configurations available. Also keep in mind that anyone shopping from the states better have some IKEA allen keys handy: lots of assembly will be required. Those based elsewhere may be able to have a turnkey Ultima Evolution dropped off at their doorstep, ready for use.
There’s a coupe and convertible version available for the Evolution, as well as a few options to make the kit car somewhat livable, like satellite navigation. To anyone saying they don’t make “pure” performance cars anymore: you now stand corrected.
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.