Mercedes and Cigarette Racing Team have the loveliest of partnerships. The companies look quite different on the surface — one specializes in luxury cars while the other makes high-performance racing boats — but both manufacturers share a lust for power. That’s why when the brands collaborate, the results are a can’t-miss.
Mercedes-AMG and Cigarette Racing have teamed up to present the 41’ SD GT3 at the 2016 Miami Boat Show. The most powerful “open performance” watercraft built by Cigarette Racing, the vessel takes inspiration from the Mercedes-AMG GT3 racecar, its road-going equivalent.
There are obvious styling cues shared between both vehicles. Both feature prominent AMG logos as well as gray and yellow color schemes, but the real similarities lie in their penchant for all out speed. The AMG GT3 features a roaring 6.3-liter V8 that can shred tires on demand, and the SD GT3 equips two massive Mercury racing engines measuring in at 1,100 horsepower. Each. Flat out, the 20,000-pound beam boat will reach speeds of 100 mph over water.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Mercedes-Benz performance brand again this year to design our fastest open performance center console powerboat yet,” said Skip Braver, president and CEO of Cigarette Racing Team. “The 41’ SD GT3 embodies our brand’s commitment to innovation and craftsmanship and once again shows the strength of our collaboration with Mercedes-AMG.”
Inside, the SD GT3 features a handcrafted cabin fitted with a teak wood floor and extreme marine grade leather upholstery. There are three high-def 17-inch displays onboard as well, which feature audio and navigation controls from Cigarette Racing and Garmin.
At this point, you may be wondering how much the SD GT3 costs, but pricing information is on a strict need-to-know basis. Want to see the beast for yourself? The Miami Boat show is open to the public February 11-15.
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.