McLaren has had quite the year. In 2015 thus far, the British sports car brand has unveiled four new models— the P1 GTR, the 570S, the 540C, and the 675LT. The year isn’t quite over yet, though, so the company is sneaking in one more debut at the buzzer: the McLaren 675LT Spider.
The 675LT Spider is based off the aforementioned 675LT, and it’s the fastest open-top McLaren ever built (though not among the fastest cars in the world). Like the standard version, the Spider equips a 3.8-liter, twin-turbo V8 that makes 666 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, allowing the sports car to hit 62 mph from a stop in just 2.9 seconds. That happens to be the exact same time as the normal “Longtail,” which is a testament to McLaren’s engineering prowess.
Despite the addition of a retractable folding hardtop — which can be opened at speeds up to 19 mph, by the way — the Spider only weighs 88 pounds more than its closed roof cousin. This is due to the inherent strength of the carbon fiber “MonoCell” chassis, McLaren says, so no further bracing or reinforcing was necessary. 0 to 124 mph now comes in 8.1 seconds — 0.2 seconds slower than the Coupe — but the top down experience is probably worth the penalty. Top speed is pegged at a swift 203 mph.
As far as looks, the 675LT Spider is stunning. The extensive use of carbon fiber is apparent on the vehicle’s diffuser, front and rear bumpers, intakes, rear fenders, and other areas, and the rear third of the car is highlighted by beautiful intake buttresses and a color-coded tonneau cover, which protects the roof when not in use. Perhaps its best angle is from the back though, as the dual titanium exhaust tips and active air brake differentiate the Spider from McLaren’s other vehicles.
The $372,600 675LT Spider will be limited to 500 units globally, with first deliveries scheduled for summer 2016.
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.