2013 Bmw M5 Base Sedan 4-door 4.4l on 2040-cars

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Recharge Wrap-up: Renault ZOE wins Zenn Monte-Carlo Rally, BC revives EV rebates

Renault ZOE EVs took the top four places in the 2015 ZENN Monte-Carlo Rally. Renault's cars finished first in consumption, regularity and overall standings. ZOEs took the top four spots overall and in the regularity tests, and the top five places for consumption. Renault entered four teams - two with professional drivers (finishing first and second), one piloted by journalists (placing third) and another by bloggers (taking seventh place). Another individual team entered the race with their own ZOE and finished fourth overall. The electric vehicle race took place over 130 miles and seven and a half hours. Read more in the press release from Renault below. British Columbia has reinstated its Clean Energy Vehicle Incentive Program. Phase two of the program, which starts April 1, is expected to put another 1,700 plug-in cars on BC roads. It's funded by the province's Innovative Clean Energy Fund, which gets its money from carbon taxes. Customers can receive rebates of up to C$5,000 for EVs, while fuel cell vehicle customers could get back up to C$6,000. Drivers can also get up to $C3,250 for scrapping cars built before 2000. BC is also investing in more charging infrastructure, EV fleets and outreach. See the video above, and read more from British Columbia government website and at Green Car Reports. BMW is noticing increased sales of its i3 EV tied to government incentives for electric cars. "We can see a clear connection between sales figures and political initiatives," says BMW Group CEO Norbert Reithofer. "Wherever governments offer tangible incentives for e-mobility, the registration figures for the BMW i3 soar." Last year, BMW sold about 2,000 i3s in Norway and 3,000 in California. In Germany, where BMW only sold about 2,100 i3s, Riethofer suggests the government needs to do more to support clean cars. "The German carmakers have delivered their part of the bargain. The ball is in now in the court of policymakers," he says. Read more at Automotive News Europe. Renault ZOE takes the top four places in the 6th ZENN Monte-Carlo Rally Following a sparkling victory last year, Renault ZOE has put in yet another remarkable performance at the 2015 ZENN Monte-Carlo Rally with four ZOE models taking the top four spots.

BMW M5 and FCA's 5-year plan | Autoblog Podcast #544

On this week's Autoblog Podcast, Associate Editor Reese Counts is joined by Green Editor John Beltz Snyder and Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski. We talk about driving the Subaru Ascent and BMW M5, and discuss FCA's five-year plan and the Audi Q8. As always, we help spend a listener's cash on a new car in the "Spend My Money" segment. Autoblog Podcast #544 Your browser does not support the audio element. Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we've been driving: 2019 Subaru Ascent and BMW M5 FCA's five-year plan Audi Q8 Spend my money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: Podcasts Audi BMW Chrysler Dodge Subaru Car Buying Used Car Buying FCA subaru ascent

British automakers take costly precautions as Brexit 'no deal' fears grow

LONDON — Carmakers in Britain have triggered some Brexit contingency plans, such as certifying models in the EU, and are working on redrawing production schedules and stockpiling more parts to defend against any loss of unfettered trade after Brexit. The moves are aimed at ensuring plants, which rely on the just-in-time delivery of tens of thousands of components, can keep operating after Brexit on March 29, but will add costs and bureaucracy which could risk their long-term viability. London and Brussels hope to agree a deal by the end of the year to avoid tariffs and trade barriers, but Prime Minister Theresa May's proposals have been criticized by both Brexiteers, who want a cleaner break from the bloc, and the European Union. McLaren Automotive is looking at having its cars certified by both a British and an EU agency to smooth sales. It is also planning to stockpile critical components and change shipments into the EU around Brexit if there is disruption. "I will sell a little more in January and February and plan to pick the volume up in May and give us a leaner period through the change point," Chief Executive Mike Flewitt told Reuters. BMW, which said last week it would move the annual summer-time shutdown of its British Mini plant next year to April, is looking for lorry parking areas and warehousing on both sides of the channel and is seeking to sign contracts to lease certain locations, a spokesman said. It is also investing in IT systems to handle any new red tape as carmakers estimate tens of thousands of new documents could be needed if tariffs and customs are imposed. The German carmaker's Brexit plans are costing millions of pounds, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. But Honda, which builds 10 percent of Britain's 1.67 million cars at its Swindon plant in southern England, is not in the market to buy "huge amounts of warehousing space," its Europe boss Ian Howells told Reuters. "It's been a very precise calculation or estimation of what components need to be brought in," he said, adding the firm could also alter its output to sell more into the EU at the start of next year. Waste of money? Many British carmakers have also asked suppliers to look into how they would handle delays at ports, executives told Reuters, as thousands of parts, engines and finished models move between Britain and the continent every day.