The Rinspeed Etos is a hybrid autonomous car with its own personal drone, but perhaps the most forward-thinking aspect of the car lies inside the cabin.
At CES 2016, Harman debuted the Life-Enhancing Intelligent Vehicle Solution (LIVS), a scalable connected car platform that powers the Etos’ wildly comprehensive infotainment system. LIVS combines modular connectivity solutions, camera-based driver assistance, intelligent 3D navigation, personalized entertainment, mobile office tools, and over-the-air update capabilities into one package, resulting in a product the brand calls the most complete and holistic system in the industry.
“With more than 25 million automobiles on the road with Harman connected solutions, Harman leads the industry as an end-to-end system integrator for automakers and technology suppliers – under the hood, over the air and in the cabin,” said Phil Eyler, President of Harman’s Connected Car division. “We are demonstrating the future of driving and it is highly cohesive, personalized, intuitive and adaptive to drivers and passengers. The Harman LIVS automotive compute platform integrates all vehicle functions for a holistic and integrated approach to in-car electronics, connectivity and operations.”
In the end, LIVS is tailored to act as a personal assistant, one designed specifically for the autonomous future that draws closer every day. Outside of featuring a complete office suite with one-touch video conferencing and other tools, the system learns as it goes, predicting appointments and adapting to the occupant’s entertainment preferences. Manual input is still an option of course, and it can now be utilized through touch, voice, and even gesture controls. Furthermore, LIVS is robust enough to power high-definition displays, such as the dual 21.5-inch 4K screens found in the Etos.
During CES, demos with the Etos and Harman’s LIVS technology are available at the Harman showcase at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
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.