Aston Martin’s design language is getting a bit long in the tooth, but the automaker’s products are still some of the most beautiful people-carriers on Earth. The Aston Martin look is handsome, refined, and quintessentially British, but to give it some extra spice, the brand turned to Italy.
Aston Martin has officially debuted the Vanquish Zagato Concept, a one-off showstopper combining the company’s bullish good looks with the legendary artistry of Italian design house Zagato. Starting on May 21, the car will be showcased at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, a classic car exhibition held on the banks of Italy’s Lake Como.
The stunning Vanquish is the latest offspring in a long-standing relationship between Aston Martin and Zagato — one that has spawned several standouts, including the DB4 GT Zagato and the Virage Shooting Brake. For the latest example, craftsmen from all over Europe shaped an entirely new body from carbon-fiber, one that includes an enlarged grill, a cascading “double bubble” roof, and classic side strakes above the front wheels. The Italian influence is especially evident out back as there are four exhaust outlets instead of two, and the rear fascia features rounded tail lamps in true Zagato style. Look a little closer and you’ll see “bladed” LEDs akin to the Vulcan supercar.
“Over the years, we have developed and refined our own design language and we have always gone that little bit further with our special series cars like CC-100, One-77, and Aston Martin Vulcan,” said Aston’s executive VP, Marek Reichman. “The Vanquish Zagato Concept shows how our two companies can come together and push the definition of Aston Martin design.”
Read more: We left the skis at home and shredded some powder in an Aston Martin instead
Inside, the spiffy grand tourer boasts a quilted Z pattern across the upholstery, and there are accents of anodized bronze, aniline leather, and carbon-fiber just about everywhere you look. It’d be a shame if such talented artisans did all this without touching the engine, but don’t worry — the 6.0-liter V12 under the hood has been upgraded to 592 horsepower.
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.