The temperate climate of Switzerland isn’t usually known as a haven for convertibles, but at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz will showcase four new vehicles that encapsulate the thrills of open-air driving.
The 2017 model year SL, SLC, and AMG S65 Cabriolet will celebrate their European premieres at the event, but the German brand will also take the wraps off a car that has never been seen by the public — the 2017 C-Class Cabriolet. The centerpiece of the Mercedes booth, the convertible C-Class will go on sale this fall with a folding soft top, which should please some traditionalists.
Outside of the roof design, the droptop C-Class shouldn’t look too different from its hardtop siblings, and the stuff under the skin is expected to remain relatively unchanged as well. A C300 version will likely be revealed first with a 2.0-liter, 241-horsepower four-cylinder, but Mercedes-AMG C43 and C63 models should follow with a bit more heat under the hood.
We have just the official design sketch to show you for now, but more should soon be available as we inch closer to the show’s initial press day on March 1.
On the opposite end of the Mercedes spectrum lies the brand’s Sprinter Extreme concept, which is currently on display at the 2016 Chicago Auto Show. Based on the Sprinter Cab Chassis, the eye-catching one-off looks like it belongs on the set of Jurassic Park, with its bright green paint, roof rack with spotlights, fake mud splashes all around, and Scattolini ScattoMaax “Tipper Bed,” which can dump cargo from the back or either side.
Mercedes enlisted Florida-based customizer RENNtech to create the Sprinter Extreme, which is more than 20 feet long, nearly 8 ft. high, and can haul up to 6,400 pounds. You can read more about the vehicle here.
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.