Paris-based Renault is celebrating its return to Formula 1 as a team by unleashing a concept that previews a more extreme version of the Clio R.S.
Called Clio R.S. 16, the concept was developed jointly by RenaultSport — the carmaker’s go-fast division — and Renault’s official racing arm in just five months. The end result is the most powerful Clio to date, a hot hatch that stands out thanks to a new front end characterized by a specific bumper and a blacked-out Renault emblem, sizable fender flares that accommodate wider alloy wheels, side skirts, and a large wing out back.
As expected, the Clio ditches its turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine and adopts a 2.0-liter turbo four borrowed from the bigger Megane. The mill makes 275 horsepower at 5,500 rpm, a generous increase of 55 horses over the stock Clio R.S., and 272 pound-feet of torque at 3,000 rpm. Power is sent to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission, a unit that’s not available on the standard RS.
While performance specifications aren’t available yet, we know that the RS 16 — which is about the same size as a Ford Fiesta hatchback — will hit 60 mph from a stop in less than 6.5 seconds. RenaultSport has improved handling by adding bigger brakes on both axles, a more direct steering rack, and a revised suspension system built using components borrowed from other Renault models like the Kangoo, the Espace, and the aforementioned Megane.
Read more: Renault is eager to expand its lineup of performance cars
RenaultSport stresses that the Clio RS 16 is merely a concept at this point, and it hasn’t been given the green light for production. However, the French carmaker admits it’s going to continue fine-tuning the hatchback both on the road and on the track, and we wouldn’t be exceptionally surprised to see it arrive as a limited-edition model at this fall’s Paris Auto Show.
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.