For a time, the Bugatti Veyron was the fastest production vehicle in the world. In 16.4 Super Sport configuration, the vehicle’s 8.0-liter, quad-turbo, 16-cylinder engine put an ungodly 1,200 horsepower to the pavement, allowing it to reach an equally stunning speed of 267.7 mph. A true world-beater, indeed.
The performance car industry is a constant game of one-upmanship, though, so Bugatti’s record did not last. In February 2014, the Hennessey Venom GT became the new fastest car in the world with a top speed of 270.4 mph, but Bugatti is putting the finishing touches on a vehicle that looks to bring that title back to France.
It’s called the Chiron, the brand confirmed today, and it will celebrate its world premiere in March at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. Named after legendary racing driving Louis Chiron, Bugatti says it will be “the world’s most powerful, fastest, most luxurious, and most exclusive production super sports car.” And while the company didn’t divulge any technical specs, what we’ve seen thus far doesn’t give us any reason to doubt that statement.
The Chiron is expected to equip an 8.0-liter, quad-turbo W16 just like the Veyron, but it may equip electric motors as well, bringing total hybrid output to 1,479 horsepower and 1,107 pound-feet of torque. Channeled through a seven-speed DSG transmission, that massive power will push the car to 60 mph in just 2.3 seconds, 0.2 seconds quicker than its predecessor. Styling will reportedly be inspired by the Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo concept car, shown above.
Clearly, this car will not be cheap. MSRPs have not yet been published, but we estimate the Chiron will cost around $2.5 million, which is almost enough for a trio of Porsche 918 Spyders. Buggati says the vehicle is currently undergoing final testing, and more more than 100 orders have already been received.
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.