2010 Mercedes-benz Glk350 4matic Automatic 4-door Suv on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2015 Austrian F1 Grand Prix switches to alternating current

It's called the Red Bull Ring, guests are welcomed by a statue of a leaping bull, and dominating its layout demands powerful cars that can run it hard. Perhaps all that aggression is what led both Mercedes-AMG Petronas cars to run off the track in the final qualifying session on their final hot laps, a little too aggressive on the charge. Lewis Hamilton was first into the gravel at Turn 1 when he lost his car under braking, but he was still fast enough to get pole ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg, who spun at Turn 8. Rosberg started second. Or perhaps it wasn't the red bull but the scarlet horse that caused The Silver Arrows to muck it up: Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel had Mercedes' attention all weekend, and he'd line up in third just 0.355 off Hamilton's time. Williams truly rediscovered its power, Felipe Massa going fourth fastest, teammate Valtteri Bottas in sixth. Between them was newly-minted Le Mans winner Nico Hulkenberg, yet again – can we say that enough? – pulling the still-not-updated Force India to fifth place on the grid. Max Verstappen led the Renault-powered top-ten duo in his Toro Rosso in seventh, Infiniti Red Bull Racing driver Daniil Kvyat behind him in eighth. Kvyat, however, would start down the order because of a ten-place grid penalty for needing a fifth Renault engine. After that it's back to Mercedes Ferrari power, Felipe Nasr in the Sauber in ninth, Romain Grosjean in with Mercedes power in the Lotus in tenth – but fellow Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado actually started in tenth because of Kvyat's demotion. Before we get to the race, can we take a moment to talk about the shenanigans and gaudy penalties? Kimi Raikkonen waved the Ferrari flag in Canada after a season that's been full of "We didn't get it right this time," and we thought he was back. But no. In Austria the refrain returned, the Finn kicked out of Q1 after another miscommunication with the team – he qualified 18th. If the scenario plays to form, we'll now wait for team boss Mauricio Arrivabene to issue a clarification that suggests Raikkonen missed a step. Daniel Ricciardo parachutes ten spots back for the same reason as his teammate Kvyat, needing a fifth Renault power unit, dropping him to 18th on the grid and forcing him into a five-second time penalty when he comes in to pit.

Recharge Wrap-up: Cool new Euro VI railroader Unimog, Car2go hearts charity

Mercedes-Benz's mega-cool road-railer Unimog now boasts Euro VI compliance. Used for railroad track maintenance and train shunting work, this diesel-powered Unimog offers about a 90-percent improvement in particulate emissions over the Euro V. The new engine also offers improved efficiency. It provides 231 horsepower, and with eight forward and eight reverse gears, it can travel up to 31 miles per hour in either direction. It also has new in-cabin features that make it easier to use for the driver. Read more about the new road-railer Unimog in the press release below. Carsharing group Car2go has launched a donation feature within its mobile app, called "ride2provide." The feature lets users find "heart cars," which, when used, include a $1 donation to Whole Planet Foundation. The money raised by the ride2provide program goes towards the Whole Planet Foundation's mission of providing microcredit to the poor for creating or expanding home-based businesses. Car2go's ride2provide program started August 4, and runs for 90 days. Learn more in the press release below. China continues to pave the way for more EVs, but some people are still skeptical they'll catch on. Charging station operators will be forgiven some of their electricity fees until 2020, said the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). China has already extended tax exemptions on EVs through 2017. The NDRC is also urging local governments to offer subsidies and free charging. Still, the costs involved with installing chargers are keeping many from doing it, and many consumers are hesitant to become early adopters of EVs. Read more at ECNS. car2go Launches "ride2provide" To Help car2go Communities To Work Together To Give Back "ride2provide" To Be Integrated via car2go Mobile App Beginning August 4th car2go To Donate To Whole Planet Foundation® As Program's First Exclusive Charity car2go North America LLC, the fastest-growing global carsharing company, announced that it has launched "ride2provide," a donation feature to be integrated into the car2go mobile app for iPhone and android iOS beginning today, August 4th. The new initiative seeks to help car2go communities across its 15 locations and over 400,000 members in North America to work together in donating to a charitable cause, and will first kick off with a 90-day partnership with Whole Planet Foundation as the program's first exclusive charity.

BMW expects China to pass US as its top market in 2013

When you combine two billion citizens, 100 cities with more than a million inhabitants and an economy that's as unrestrained as Jim Cramer on an Adderall binge, China's explosive auto industry growth shouldn't be a huge surprise. Audi already lists the communist country as its largest market, while Mercedes-Benz is expecting it to be there in the next few years. Now, according to a report from Automotive News, BMW is expecting the People's Republic to overtake the United States in sales by the end of 2013.
We already discovered the extent that BMW is going to in establishing a dedicated Chinese stronghold, when we explored BMW's Shanghai-based DesignWorks studio ahead of April's Shanghai Motor Show. And while we argued that DesignWorks Shanghai hasn't really borne fruit, it isn't due to a lack of sales.
BMW China has seen a 16-percent jump in year-over-year sales, lead by a 28-percent gain in 5 Series sales. Part of BMW's growth strategy comes from an ever-expanding dealership network. Remember those 100 cities we mentioned with over one million people? According to Karsten Engel, CEO of BMW's Chinese operations, those 100-million-plus city dwellers don't have access to a premium dealership.