Volvo loves a good interior concept, because whether it’s a self-driving car, performance vehicle, or seven-seat SUV, the brand understands that the cabin is one of the most important elements of your transportation experience. At the 2016 Beijing Auto Show, the automaker’s interior decorating skills were on display yet again.
The S90 Excellence interior concept is a one-off display that illustrates how Volvo’s Lounge Console Concept would look in the S90 flagship sedan. It’s a functional design focused on comfort, but for Volvo, it’s more than that.
“We had such positive feedback with our original Lounge Console Concept in the XC90 that we wanted to take it a step closer to reality in an S90 Excellence interior,” said Robin Page, VP of Volvo Interior Design. “With this interior we wanted to create a piece of art, a sculpture. We’ve taken many of the original concepts and made them come to life.”
The Chinese market is saturated with well-off executive clientele, and given the fact that most of them prefer to be driven instead of driving themselves, the concept’s backseat is certifiably luscious. The massaging seats can be heated and cooled, of course, but the temperature can also be adjusted on the cup holders as well as on the foot support that replaces the passenger seat. Dubbed the Lounge Console, the moving “magical box” gives the cockpit an open, flowing atmosphere. It also doubles as a shoe compartment and the mounting point for the multi-media touchscreen, and from there, occupants can use the fold-out table and keyboard to get work done or simply sit back and watch Netflix.
If you prefer the second option, the rear section also offers a refrigeration unit that comes with a pair of hand-cut crystal glasses from Swedish firm Orrefors. It’s like a first-class airline cabin only better, because in the car, there’s nobody kicking the back of your seat.
For a closer look at the interior, check out the video below.
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.