Carmakers love to lean on their history, and Porsche has plenty of it. The 911 has been in production for over 50 years, and still maintains the styling cues of those original 1960s models.
That heritage is apparent in the 911 Targa 4S Exclusive Design Edition, which debuts this weekend at the AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. Created by Porsche Exclusive, the carmaker’s personalization division, the special edition is a collection of design elements from classic Porsches.
The 911 Targa was a good place to start for a nostalgic model because, with its metal roof bar and glass fastback, it already references the original 911 Targa from the 1970s. Porsche created the semi-convertible Targa in anticipation of a U.S. ban on convertibles that never came. Previous models had a lift-out roof panel, but the current Targa has an elaborate automated folding mechanism.
Read more: Porsche restores a classic, Le Mans-winning 911
Each of the special editions is taken off the assembly line and hand finished by Porsche Exclusive. The only available color is Etna Blue, a shade that first appeared on the 1960 and 1961 Porsche 356B. The light blue is even used for the “Targa” logo on the roof bar. Along with the Porsche graphics on the car’s flanks, it makes for a decidedly retro look. The Exclusive Design Edition also gets black-tinted LED headlights, 20-inch RS Spyder wheels, and quad tailpipes.
The interior is finished in Graphite Blue leather, which actually looks more gray than blue, with Provence Blue contrast stitching. The only notable upgrade is a pair of sport seats. As with most limited editions, there are plenty of callouts to the car’s special nature, including a 911 Targa silhouette on the center console, “Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur” lettering on the dashboard, and anodized stainless steel sill covers lettered “Exclusive Design Edition.”
There are no mechanical changes, meaning the Exclusive Design Edition sticks with the standard Targa 4S’ 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged boxer-six, which produces 420 horsepower. Porsche won’t discuss pricing, but expect a significant premium over the $123,650 (including destination) base price of a standard Targa 4S.
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.