There’s a reason Ford’s instant smile device came along and become a shining star in the subcompact market here in the U.S, and that’s because it’s a car they’ve been building in Europe for years, where the segment thrives. We’re pretty sure, though, that if the newly revealed Opel Corsa OPC came stateside, it would be a downer to the Fiesta’s party.
The new Corsa is the fifth version to come from the German automaker, which is a member of the GM family. OPC stands for Opel Performance Center and is its sport division where it juices up vehicles with a little extra spirit.
Under the hood lies a turbocharged 1.6-lter four-cylinder that gives the Corsa 207 horsepower and 206 pound-feet of torque thanks to some overboost functionality. For a quick comparison, thats more than the Fiesta ST’s 180 hp and 177 pound-feet of torque. Power goes to the front wheels by way of a six-speed manual, and claims a 0 to 62 speed of 6.8 seconds. Top speed? A sizable 143 mph.
For a car designed, essentially, to be a Nürburgring plaything, it’s got to be nimble, and the Corsa OPC attains this, first by dropping 10 millimeters lower than the standard model and by employing Frequency Selective Damping or FSD. This adapts the stiffness on the fly depending on how the car is being tossed around. A “competition mode” gives the car a longer leash when it comes to traction control, greatly reducing stability control and traction control interference.
Related: Opel unveils ‘turbocharged pocket rocket’ Adam S ahead of Paris debut
Would it be a “Fiesta-Killer” if it were to come stateside? Probably not, but a little competition in this segment would only result in better and more fun cars. Sadly, there’s no GM analog to be found on our side of the pond, but as the automotive industry continues to unify global products, much like Ford and FCA have been, it’s not a leap to suggest that maybe a version of the Corsa OPC will find itself on U.S. highways.
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.