2003 Bmw 540i Base Sedan 4-door 4.4l on 2040-cars

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2015 BMW M3 and M4 configurator launched, no lunch hour safe

BMW has just made your lunch break a little more interesting by launching the configurators for the M3 and M4. Pricing and options for the new sports coupe and sedan was revealed just a few days ago, but it's always more fun to see the visual effect your personalizations have on the bottom line.
The M3 and M4 start at $62,000 and $64,200, respectively, without a $925 destination charge. However, as soon as the configurator is opened, both models default with metallic paint ($550) and the M Double-clutch Transmission ($2900), plus extended leather on the M3 ($950) and full leather on the M4 ($3,500). This is basically the way they were shown when displayed at auto shows. Of course, there's nothing preventing users from setting up these performance machines however they like.
So sit down at your desk with a cup of coffee or a sandwich and create your perfect German sport sedan or coupe. It's always fun to see how much money can be spent on a dream car.

Audi investing $30.3 billion through 2018 for product expansion

How does Audi plan to reach two million units in annual sales and pay for the 11 new models it's adding to its lineup - an expansion that may include models named SQ2, Q9 and F-Tron? By increasing its investment to 22 billion euros ($30.3 billion US) between now and 2018. That figure represents an increase of about 500 million euros over the previously planned outlay, according to a report by Automotive News, and that could be due to Audi wishing to goad the momentum that pushed it to 1.5 million annual sales two years ahead of schedule.
It's also about staving off the challenges from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Now that BMW has been able to turn some of its attention away from its "i" series of Megacity cars, it will reportedly spend more than planned in 2014 as it continues the rollout of ten all-new vehicles and 15 new-generation vehicles through the end of next year. Mercedes, having been dropped to third in the sales race, is preparing to add 13 new cars over the next six years.
Audi's money is going into technology, into product like the next-generation TT and the Q1 and production expansions and upgrades all over the world. The expenditure represents just under a fourth of Volkswagen's 84.2 billion-euro ($115.7 US) outlay devoted to taking the number-one global automaker title away from General Motors and Toyota by 2018.

BMW expands Takata airbag recall nationwide, 140k 3 Series affected

Following the urging of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, BMW has expanded its recall of vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators to cover the entirety of the United States, rather than just high-humidity areas. That means there are about 140,000 owners of 2004 to 2006 model year BMW 3 Series coupes, convertibles, sedans and wagons (that means owners of both E46 and E90 3ers should take note). It's unclear if this recall includes the high-performance M3 Coupe and Convertible. With the expansion of its airbag recall, BMW joins Honda, Mazda, Ford and Fiat Chrysler in moving from a regional to a nationwide recall of vehicles equipped with Takata airbags. According to Reuters, BMW claims none of its vehicles have been subject to the potentially harmful airbag deployments.