Earlier this year, California-based startup Atieva made waves by showcasing a vehicle named Edna. Edna was a relatively normal-looking white cargo van, only it was packing some serious electric firepower beneath its utilitarian skin. As we showed you previously, Edna blew the doors off a Tesla Model S P90D, a Ferrari California T, a BMW i8, and a Dodge Viper in a straight drag race, using two electric motors and more than 900 horsepower to get the job done.
Edna was primarily a powertrain test for Atieva though, and now under the name Lucid Motors, the brand is prepping to release its very first production car. Officially unnamed at this point, the vehicle is designed to compete head-to-head with the Tesla Model S, something made all the more interesting when you realize Lucid Motors’ CTO is former Model S Chief Engineer Peter Rawlinson.
How will the Model S and Lucid Motors stack up? It’s too early tell at this point, however Rawlinson has previously said the car will produce around 900 hp, be powered by an 87kWh battery pack, and feature around 300 miles of driving range. That’s smack dab in the middle of the Model S lineup, which offers batteries from 60kWh to 100kWh and ranges from 218 miles to 315 miles.
In addition to a high level of electric performance, Lucid Motors’ debut car is expected to pack a variety of semi-autonomous safety and convenience technologies.
“Our vehicles will feature automated driving systems, natural voice interactions, and intuitive user interfaces,” the company said on its website. “Whether sitting in the front or back, the onboard intelligence will deliver a uniquely personal experience unlike any other currently on the road.”
Read more: Watch Atieva’s 900-hp electric van smoke a BMW i8 and Dodge Viper
There’s not a lot go on visually, however the teaser images we’ve seen thus far point to a true luxury-grade experience. As our friends over at The Drive pointed out, though, the front end looks an awful lot like the fifth-generation Chevy Camaro.
We’ll be watching Lucid Motors closely, so when the full specs and photos are released, check back with DT Cars for the full scoop.
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.