Jaguar’s prototype C-X75 never entered production and the Land Rover Defender’s days are numbered, but both will “die another day” as they’re slated to appear in the 24th James Bond film titled Spectre.
Jaguar Land Rover confirmed rumors that the non-produced hybrid hyper car will appear in the upcoming feature, most likely as the vehicle for the film’s villain. Only five versions of the prototype were produced, each housing a hybrid system that produced around 850 horsepower and propelled the car to a top speed of 220 mph. It should be more than enough to give Bond’s one-off Aston Martin DB10 a run for its money. Both are planned to meet during a chase sequence that takes place in the streets of Rome.
Apart form the sexy and fast road cars, modified versions of the Land Rover Defenders were provided for sequences filmed in Austria. These “Big Foot” Defenders were constructer by LJR’s special operations division, outfitted with 37-inch diameter off-road tires for serious terrain traversal. They were also enhanced with more body protection and a custom suspension system. Land Rover is setting the sun on the Defender’s amazing 68-year run with three special editions, and we wouldn’t mind if this hardcore off-roader was made available as an unofficial fourth.
Lastly, the Range Rover Sport SVR will also make an appearance in the film. this Range Rover is the fastest and most powerful one ever built, packing a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 that grinds out 542 horsepower, launching it from 0 to 60 in 4.5 seconds, which it then tops out at 162 mph. For the record, that faster than the 155 mph most BMW’s are limited to.
Both the promise of action-packed off-and-on road action has us sufficiently excited for the film, particularly to see the unicorn-like C-X75 in action. Spectre his theaters this November, which gives us plenty of time to do our Connery-to-Craig Bond movie marathon.
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.