The Jeep Wrangler is a vehicle sort of encumbered by its success, in that everyone wants it to remain exactly the same, but improve at the same time. This is the conundrum Jeep chief, the aptly named Mike Manley, is forced to contend with as it prepares to update the vehicle for 2017. In an interview with Auto Express, Manley discusses the possibilities that lay ahead for the off-roader, including the introduction of hybrid power.
“You have the potential for hybrid powertrains in the future,” he admitted. “For those people who use the Wrangler, the most important thing is the initial torque and the crawl ratio,” said Manley. “With an electric motor you have the most torque available and with the right combination of transmission and gear ratios you can create incredible crawl ratios.”
It makes enough sense to make it almost a no-brainer, simultaneously supporting his claim that fuel efficiency is one of the three priorities he has focused on for the upgrade, along with preserving the vehicles look and improving the driving dynamics.
Hybrid tech finding its way in the Jeep has some downsides, particularly when it comes to off-road range. The battery would leave drivers high and dry as Manley said it would be difficult to calibrate a system for such use. Other solutions to improve its less than stellar 17/21 city/highway mpg is to implement lighter materials to its construction, such as aluminum or even carbon fiber.
As merely a speculative conversation, nothing mentioned is happening for sure, apart from the fact that a 2017 update is coming. Whatever changes are pending may end up on a concept vehicle before then.
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.