Over a year after unveiling its new GT supercar at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, Ford is finally ready to open the order books. However, the process involves a bit more than just signing a deposit check.
As with some of the more exclusive Ferrari models, potential Ford GT owners will have to apply for the opportunity to buy one. Ford says this is just a response to the fact that there will likely be many more GT buyers than cars (production is limited to 250 units per year), but it’s also widely believed to be a hedge against speculators buying cars purely to sell them at inflated prices, or squirrel them away as investments.
Interested parties can apply at FordGT.com, and will be contacted by a GT “concierge service” if their applications are approved. Ford is reportedly looking for customers that will actually drive their cars, and generally promote the brand. They’ll also need deep pockets, as Ford says the base price of the GT will be in the “mid-$400,000s.”
Everyone else can at least play around with the GT online configurator, not that there are many options to configure. Ford is offering the GT in eight colors, with an option for seven colors of racing stripes. Beyond that, the only choices are between forged aluminum and carbon-fiber wheels in multiple finishes, and four interior trim options.
But who needs a long list of options when you’ve got a 3.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 making around 600 horsepower? Ford is also racing the GT in both the U.S. and Europe, and while results have been mixed so far, Ford is hoping for an impressive showing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. This year marks of the 50th anniversary of Ford’s first Le Mans victory over Ferrari with the GT40, the car that inspired the GT.
Ford will accept applications for the first round of GT orders through May 12. This covers the first two years of production, or 500 cars.
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.