If you’re in the market for a new-to-you car, it’s always a good idea to give it a thorough background check. Just like an employer hiring someone new, you’ll likely rely on your acquisition greatly over the coming months, which makes its reliability and safety all the more important.
There are many services on the market today that can provide this information — Carfax is the most notable of the lot — but there’s a new option by CarMD that takes the investigatory process even further. Called Heath and History reports, the online and app-based resource takes a closer look at a vehicle’s past, present, and even the future by using a tool called predictive vehicle insight.
“There are some great tools available to help used car and truck shoppers check vehicle history and see fair market value, but this is the first app to offer vehicle history along with CarMD’s proprietary maintenance and Predictive diagnostic information,” said leon C. Chen, CEO of CarMD. “For years CarMD has been the go-to source to empower drivers to solve check engine problems. With these new mobile tools, we are bringing our expertise to used car shoppers to help them make smart buying decisions and avoid purchasing a potential lemon.”
To obtain a report, users enter their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) into the CarMD app or Health and History website, which will then display the car’s background related to accidents, thefts, fires, floods, odometer resets, sales, and market value. The program will also detail the vehicle’s average fuel economy and upcoming maintenance items, including a list of high-risk components with probability to fail within the next year. In addition, CarMD predicts the estimated repair cost of those parts. A bundle of five reports costs $25.
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?