With each passing year, cars increasingly blur the line between automobile and computer. Some vehicles feature more lines of code than there are in a commercial jet, and while that makes cars smarter and more capable, there are a few potential issues.
Many of those issues come from over-the-air (OTA) data broadcasts, which allow vehicles to fix bugs and add features without ever leaving the driveway. That sounds great in theory, but a recent update is giving many Lexus owners a massive headache.
“Due to a recent update, many of our owners’ vehicle head units stopped working,” the brand wrote on its Facebook page. “We are fully engaged and investigating this issue as a top priority. We are working around the clock to find a solution for this issue, and we will alert you as soon as we have more information.”
The source of the problem, according to Lexus, was “errant data” broadcast by the automaker’s traffic and weather data service provider, which caused a problem with the head unit in several 2014-2016 model year vehicles, as well as the 2016 Toyota Land Cruiser. The exact number of affected vehicles is unknown at this point, but infotainment systems equipped with the Enform subscription service appear to be unusable, stuck in a cycle of reboots that prevents drivers from using navigation, audio, or climate control functions. Several motorists have posted videos of their cars acting strangely, one of which can be seen below.
To fix the problem, Lexus says a forced reset is necessary to clear the errant data from the system. The vehicles are still drivable, so the company urges owners of affected vehicles to visit their dealer for a complimentary system reboot.
Read more: Your next car will update itself while you sleep, and maybe watch you, too
One of the biggest selling points for Lexus is the luxury brand’s excellent reliability, so this issue is an unsightly black mark on the automaker’s record. If any new problems or developments arise, we’ll be sure to update you here.
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.