Back in March, BMW unveiled the Vision Next 100 concept to celebrate its 100th birthday, and announced that the futuristic vehicle would be just the first in a series of four concepts. Now, BMW possession is getting its own Vision Next 100 concept, and it looks like something from the world of Minority Report.
Also called the 103EX in keeping with Rolls’ naming scheme for prototypes, the Vision Next 100 is the automaker’s first concept car that doesn’t directly foreshadow a new production model. It’s a futuristic flight of fancy from one of the industry’s most traditional marques.
The Vision Next 100 is about the same size as today’s Phantom Extended Wheelbase, but it looks completely different. Bucking decades of car-design precedent, the wheels are separated from the body, and encased in aerodynamic cowlings. The body itself is shaped like a boat’s hull, and features a much sleeker roofline than anything you’ll see on a production Rolls. While it looks futuristic, the styling also recalls prewar car designs, where fenders and headlights were also distinct from the body.
Rolls looked even further back in time for the Vision Next 100’s party piece. Feeling that having to stoop even slightly is an indignity customers shouldn’t have to endure, designers tried to recreate the egress experience of a high-roofed horse-drawn carriage. The roof is hinged on the passenger’s side to create a canopy, which opens in concert with the single rear-hinged “coach” door and a step housed in the side sill to create a wider aperture. The car even projects a red light, creating a virtual red carpet.
Clearly, the Vision Next 100 is peerless when it comes to helping its passengers show off, but how it actually gets them from place to place is another matter. Rolls was short on specifications, only saying that the Vision Next 100 has a zero-emission powertrain, and that it is fully autonomous.
Read more: Rolls sends off two-door Phantom with Zenith Collection specials
Instead of a human chauffeur, passengers interact with “Eleanor,” a virtual assistant that uses artificial intelligence to do things like check schedules, plan routes, and actually drive the car. The interior features the same high-quality materials as current Rolls-Royces, including Macassar wood paneling and a silk-upholstered bench seat, but with a minimalist design. The one bench seat faces a massive OLED screen that handles infotainment functions. Is that what wealthy consumers of the future will want? Or will the future be somewhat different from Rolls’ vision? Only time will tell.
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.