The former Top Gear crew seem to be embracing the internet in a whole new way. Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond have announced that their new social network, DriveTribe, will be launching this autumn.
Details are scarce, but each of the founders shared a quote of what they would like to see from this new venture. For Hammond, “Gamers have got Twitch, Travelers have got Trip Advisor and Fashion fans have got, oh, something or other too. But people who are into cars have got nowhere. There’s no grand-scale online motoring community where people can meet and share video, comments, information and opinion. DriveTribe will change that. And then some.”
May had similar aspirations, writing that, “This is pure digital inclusivity. Some of the world’s most endangered tribes — Volvo enthusiasts, for example — will now have a voice as loud as everyone else’s.” While Hammond and May shared ambitious comments for their new online automotive Mecca, Clarkson had a simpler outlook: “I didn’t understand DriveTribe until Richard Hammond said it was like YouPorn, only with cars.”
It seems that leaving the show hasn’t changed each member’s personality, or sense of humor.
While Hammond feels there aren’t any social networks out there for car enthusiasts, that’s not entirely true. There’s the out-of-date meme-filled Car Throttle, an enthusiast social network that syncs with Facebook.
Reports from earlier this year mentioned that this venture is being headed by entrepreneur Ernesto Schmitt and former Top Gear producer Andy Wilman.
Now that the site is live, the three hosts are looking for people who can head various communities in their new social network. If you were that Volvo fan May was referring to, all you would have to do would be to explain why you would be a great Tribe Leader and submit some samples of your work, whether it be written or video.
It will be interesting to see if or how DriveTribe syncs with the trio’s new online show, The Grand Tour, which is set to premiere on Amazon this fall.
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.