If it weren’t for vigilant iPhone videographers being in the right place at the right time, we wouldn’t be seeing or hearing much about Tesla’s long delayed Model X crossover.
In a video posted on Youtube, a lightly camouflaged tester of the all electric vehicle was spied driving down the highway near Palo Alto, California. The car is barely disguised, sporting just a cover on the front grille, the logo, and some coverings on the lights.
We already know what it looks like, but this looks like the only video we have of it this close while its on the move. Things like how fast it was going is hard to gauge from this video, but it looks like the Model X tries to accelerate away shortly after being caught on camera.
More than 20,000 people have put money down for their orders of the new all-electric utility vehicle, which has been delayed until some point in 2016, three years after its original target launch date.
The model X will be all wheel drive and sporting a pair of falcon doors in lieu of traditionally hinged sets. It will be powered by two electric motors coupled to a few different battery and “performance” options, which most likely means the 85-kWh battery and dual motor setup found in the model S will be the offered here as well. The performance options probably refers to a configuration similar to the P85D, which cranks up the motor outputs to a combined 691 horsepower.
Hopefully seeing this barely hidden, public highway driving test car indicates that the Model X is nearing the end of its shakedown runs and on its way to full production soon.
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.