Since its reveal a week ago, We’ve been unhealthily preoccupied with the new Ford Focus RS. With this generation of the hot hatch being sold globally, it’s a different beast than the ones that came before it, so we’re eager to scrupulously go over every detail. Fortunately, we’re not alone, and the guys at Evo were lucky enough to get a walk-around tour of the vehicle, giving us all insight on what to expect.
Yeah, a video of the car in action would be ideal, but we get lots of information in lieu of exciting footage as presenter Henry Catchpole asks many of the same questions we’ve been wondering ourselves. Led around the car by Exterior Design supervisor Ernesto Rupar, we get to find out the thought process that went behind some of the decisions in the car’s body shape.
For instance, while inspired by the RS’s that have come before, the team decided against going for a wider stance, focusing rather to put the resources into engineering the performance of a wide-body car without having to stretch out the looks. While the track of the rear wheels does get a 5 millimeter extension, but its kept relatively tight for the sake of global appeal.
Distinguishing the look of the car from the ST was important, but more critical was that every exterior choice had a function that preceded form. For instance, when it came to the front facia, the aggressive face is derivative of the Fiesta rally car currently racing in WRC, incorporating a fine mesh to protect the large intercooler.
The final treat of the video is when the car is started up to be moved from the studio, which is something the handlers allegedly weren’t supposed to do. Yes, we’ve heard the car in the Ken Block video that accompanied the car’s reveal, but this was a more realistic, non-Ford produced moment where we get a little hint at what the production version has in store for us.
We’ve still got a way to go until we get our hands on the third-gen Focus RS, but when we do, we’ll be excited to try all this controlled drifting Ford is so happy to mention repeatedly.
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.