Gemballa, the Stuttgart-based tuning house that specialized in Porsches has been tinkering at its own version of the Panamera, a full-sized four door already faster than it looks like it should be. Recently, Gemballa has taken the work its done with its GTP and produced the GTP 720, the worlds fastest Panamera ever.
The GTP 720 is, as the name implies, a 720 horsepower iteration of Porsche’s successful sedan. The extra power comes from upgrades done to the twin-turbo 4.8-liter V8 that is normally capable of producing 570 hp in the Panamera Turbo S. The end result is a 0 to 62 time of 3.2 seconds.
This is a full second faster than the vanilla Panamera is capable of. If that’s not impressive enough, then keep in mind that it can do from 0 to 300km/h (186 mph) in 26.4 seconds, which outpaces the normal Panamera by 33.4 seconds.
Further driving the point home is that the GTP 720 recorded a 1:37.08 lap time around the Sachsenring, a 2.28 mile track in Saxony. This gives it a quicker time on this track than the McLaren Mercedes SLR and even edges out the Nissan GT-R’s record for this track.
Yes, we’re sure the extra 150 hp over the Turbo S’s output helps, but according to the Gemballa chief executive, Andreas Schwarz, this isn’t the key element: “This exceptional performance is not only due to the car’s horsepower but also to its torque, raised by 255 Nm and available over a wide range of revs.”
No price has been stated on this retooled Porsche, but we suspect it’s in line with what the “more money than I know what to do with” class of shopper is used to.
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.