Good news, smartphone addicts: The 2017 Hyundai Elantra will offer both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, so your messages, music, and contacts don’t ever have to leave your side. Both systems will be available through Hyundai’s 7-inch Display Audio touchscreen, as well as the larger, feature-packed 8-inch navigation unit.
“By launching our best-selling model, Elantra, with CarPlay and Android Auto support, we are building on our promise to offer more convenience features for today’s modern driver at an affordable price point,” said Mike O’Brien, vice president of product and corporate planning at Hyundai. “Also, the new smartphone integrations will help to keep drivers’ eyes on the road and hands on the wheel, helping to reduce driver distraction.”
The all-new Elantra launches later this month with a fresh face, a stiffer, more aerodynamic body, a revamped interior, and new powertrain choices. Despite all the changes, Hyundai has revealed that the car will start at $17,150, $100 less than the model it replaces.
For that amount of coin, buyers will get the base SE Elantra with a 2.0-liter, 147-horsepower engine and a six-speed manual gearbox. For a six-speed auto, tack on an extra $1,000. Range-topping Limited models start at $22,350 and are only available with the automatic. As for the Eco version — which equips a 1.4-liter, 128-horsepower turbo that returns 35 mpg combined — pricing will be announced closer to its spring launch date.
Despite the Elantra’s economical price point, the sedan offers an abundance of optional features like Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Smart Cruise Control, Blind Spot Detection with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, leather, Dynamic Bending Lights, and a hands-free trunk. For a full price breakdown of the various packages and trims, click here.
Digital Trends will be testing the 2017 Elantra at the vehicle’s first drive event later this month, so keep your eyes peeled for driving impressions, videos, and more.
Volkswagen’s newest EVs in China are making its American and European models look unusually conservative.
With Xpeng’s help, VW has introduced 800-volt charging and advanced urban driving assistance. The new VEGA technology package brings its locally developed vehicle platforms and CEA electronic architecture under one umbrella. Bloomberg reports that Volkswagen intends to update VEGA every three months. Western buyers can find pieces of that package, but not the whole thing in a Volkswagen.
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?