The full reveal of Bentley’s first SUV, the Bentayga, is imminent. While we’ve seen spy shots, concepts, and renderings of what it could possibly look like, we have yet to see any bits of the interior. Now, in a new promotional video released by the luxury automaker, we glimpse of a few interior touches have been revealed.
Titled “We don’t just see technology, we feel it,” the video prominently highlights the touch sensitive drive select mode that the new SUV will feature. In other off-road-capable vehicles, this is an independent knob or selection lever, but Bentley will integrate this with the Bentayga’s engine start button, located in the center console. From here, drivers will simply slide or tap the selector to match the terrain they may be facing, and the Bentayga handles the rest.
Before the Bentayga, the most off-roading a Bentley has ever done has been pitching up on a well-manicured estate lawn for countless Concours D’Elegance events. This is most certainly new territory for them, and we’re most curious to see what Bentley’s approach to off-roading will be. We have a good idea that the underpinnings of the SUV will be shared with other Volkswagen family products, like the Touareg and Audi Q7, but we expect Bentley to refine things in order to stand out from the rest.
Apart from a peek at the center console arrangement, the video also shows a full-color digital information screen nestled in the gauge cluster. The screen will display a navigational map, but will also be the monitor of a night-vision system the Bentayga will apparently be using. This should up the safety factor considerably in low visibility scenarios, like heavy fog. A projected heads-up display can also be seen towards the end of the clip.
These little morsels of information are substantial enough to tease us about something we’re already excited about: something brand new. Bentayga will roll out next year, so we’re sure to see and hear more by the end of the year.
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.