Buying a brand new Ferrari is (we’re sure) a very easy and exciting experience. But now putting together your Ferrari of choice has been made even easier thanks to an introduction of augmented reality to the showroom.
A new app developed by ZSPACE for Ferrari Australasia blends the showroom with all of the available options for the exotic automaker’s top vehicles. Downloaded onto a tablet, the program uses the device’s camera and recognizes the shape of the physical car of choice in the showroom. It will then render a real-time 3D model on top of it where all the available paint colors and options can be viewed and configured.
Beyond picking brake kits and wheel options, the app allows users to delve deeper into the mechanics of the Ferrari they’re looking at. Certain components like the engine and wheels can be expanded into an exploded view, showing all the hardware packed into the vehicle and how it all works together.
As of now, the app works with the Ferrari California, F12 Berlinetta, and the FF. What makes this great on the customer side of things, apart from the on-the-fly customization, is that it lets them see what they’re getting in the virtual metal without the dealership having to keep a massive inventory on hand to trot out. Keeping things smaller and less expensive means more boutique-like dealerships could pop up easier than before, and who said having more Ferrari’s around was a bad thing?
It also means Ferrari dealerships in spots that couldn’t normally accommodate a big luxurious show room, so maybe Ferrari can open up a showcase in a high-end shopping center to generate buzz in-between Tory Burch shopping binges.
The virtual showroom app will debut first in Australia and New Zealand, with the tech coming to the U.S. later this 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.