When it comes to car names, it doesn’t get much more straightforward than this. Unveiled in Monterey, California, the Acura Performance EV Concept is a design study that was built as a preview of an upcoming high-performance Acura model powered by an electric drivetrain.
Look beyond some of the more futuristic styling cues, such as doors without exterior handles, and the Performance EV Concept isn’t all that far from production. It features a pointed front end, a long wheelbase, and a fastback-like roofline reminiscent of the original ZDX released for 2010. You’re on to something if you find the front end boat-like: Acura claims its designers were inspired by hydrofoil superyachts.
Acura hasn’t released technical specifications, so there’s no word yet on what’s under the body. All we know at this stage is that the concept is entirely electric — it doesn’t sound like a hybrid or a plug-in hybrid system will be available — and that it’s built on a new platform that the brand is currently developing in-house. That’s a big change because the new ZDX, Acura’s first EV, rides on a platform provided by General Motors.
More details about Acura’s Performance EV Concept will emerge in the coming months as the crossover makes the transition from a concept to a production car. The final model is scheduled to make its debut by the end of 2025, and it will be built by parent company Honda in Ohio. That’s not as unusual as it might seem: Honda is based in Japan, but it began building Acura models in the U.S. nearly 30 years ago.
Looking ahead, some of the styling cues that characterize the Performance EV Concept will trickle down to other electric models that Acura has in the pipeline. “As with our previous Acura concept vehicles, the Performance EV Concept introduces a number of design themes that will be seen on future Acura vehicles,” promised Dave Marek, the company’s design executive, in a statement. In other words: Wait and see.
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.