When Rezvani Motors teased its Beast supercar in 2014, the brand was met with rampant skepticism. Boutique manufacturers don’t typically have the longest of shelf lives, and the company’s CEO, Ferris Rezvani, previously failed to get the now-defunct Bulleta Motors out of the red. To put it bluntly, Rezvani was largely written off as automotive vaporware.
Two years later, Rezvani has defied expectations, at least in part. The brand is building approximately one Beast per month, and the vehicle was recently showcased on Jay Leno’s Garage. According to a new report by Autoblog, the company is just getting started.
Rezvani plans to introduce two new models by the end of 2016 — a coupe version of the Beast as well as an “ultra-rugged SUV.” Little is known about either vehicle at the moment, but the coupe version will add a bit of practicality to the doorless, roofless supercar, while still retaining the insane performance provided by its Ariel Atom underpinnings and its 500-horsepower supercharged engine.
As for the SUV, many have speculated that it will be based on the Ariel Nomad off-roader, but Rezvani isn’t quite ready to spill the details.
“I can’t release more information until we’re closer to release mid-to-late 2016,” the executive said. “The SUV will be based on another fully certified platform.”
While Rezvani is still a one-model company at the time of this writing, the aforementioned Beast is offered in two configurations. There’s the standard setup that manages 0 to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds, but if you really need to get somewhere quick, there’s the Beast X.
The X uses the same Honda-sourced 2.4-liter engine as the “standard” Beast, but instead of the instant response afforded by the vehicle’s Rotrex supercharger, it enlists twin Borg Warner turbochargers for a 700-hp top-end kick. If you can shift the six-speed fast enough, the 1,850-pound monster will smash through 60 mph in 2.5 seconds.
Clearly, this is a brand that doesn’t mess around when it comes to performance, and that makes us positively giddy for the group’s next offering. For more on Rezvani’s expanding lineup, keep it locked to DT Cars.
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?