Among the numerous unveilings and surprises at the 2016 Paris Motor Show was Toyota’s announcement that it will be partnering with Microsoft for the 2017 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) series. The tech giant will be a “technology partner” for the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC team.
The world’s largest automaker sees motorsports as a means to “convey the excitement of driving,” thus drawing in new fans and enthusiasts to the brand. With its Gazoo Racing team, Toyota’s developers and products are improved, which leads to “ever-better cars.” The team is headed by rally legend Tommi Mäkinen, and a rally vehicle is being prepared for next year’s season. Mäkinen, who won and defended the World Rally Championship four times on the trot between 1996 and 1999, drove the Yaris WRC Test Car onstage at the Paris Motor Show.
Toyota is utilizing Microsoft technology to increase its competitiveness in the WRC, while also helping that knowledge to find its way into production vehicles.
Microsoft will support the Gazoo racing team in three areas. The first is the development of an analysis platform to gather and analyze data, which will then be implemented in competition. Secondly, an information-sharing system will allow members of the team to share various media in a cloud service. Finally, an improvement of communication through the cloud and Microsoft’s devices will give fans a more personal track experience.
Toyota and Microsoft have collaborated before, more recently on Toyota Connected, a company that uses collected data to improve safety and the driving experience for Toyota’s customers.
Toyota President Akio Toyoda said: “I believe that, like Toyota, Microsoft aims to enrich society in meaningful ways. Based on the on-going partnership, we aim to further develop our people and enhance our cars through the use of IT in motorsports to promote ‘ever-better cars.'”
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.