Lyft and Uber are the most prominent ride-sharing services in the United States, but for years, Uber has had a significant leg up on its biggest competitor — a luxury service.
The Uber Black service allows riders to select high-end vehicles such as the BMW 7 Series, Jaguar XF, and Mercedes-Benz S-Class for their trips across town, complete with a driver who “dresses to impress.” Lyft has chosen not to provide an equivalent service in the past, but today that all changed with the launch of Lyft Premier.
Much like Uber Black and Uber Select, Lyft Premier ferries its customers about in lavish machines like the BMW 5 Series, Audi A6, and Cadillac Escalade. The service is rolling out in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City, and will generally cost twice as much as a typical Lyft journey. That means anywhere from $2.39 to $3.77 per mile depending on the city, plus the standard base charge, which varies by location.
Read more: After tackling food delivery, Uber is stepping into travel advisory and concierge services
For those who like to ride in style, the news couldn’t have come at a better time. Wait times for Uber Black vehicles have been increasing as the program has become more popular. According to Lyft, about 60 percent of its customers have expressed interest in a more lavish transportation option.
The announcement should work out nicely for those behind the wheel as well, as Lyft Premier drivers can still respond to standard requests if nothing else is available. This is very similar to Uber’s arrangement, as Uber Black drivers can pick up Uber X riders if they so choose.
For those new to Lyft, the brand is currently offering a 20-percent discount for the first 10 Premier rides. Simply enter the code LYFTPREMIER20 to activate.
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.