2008 Bmw 528xi All Wheel Drive Sedan 4-door 3.0l on 2040-cars

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2016 BMW 7 Series First Drive [w/video]

Flagships demonstrate strength. "This is what we can do," these cars say with emphasis. Since 1977, the 7 Series has been a rolling showcase of BMW's capability. Sure, BMW makes racecars, but the mighty 7 is a proud reminder that the Roundel also stands for luxury. Except the 7 Series has been eclipsed by the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, a technological tour de force that Mercedes haughtily calls the industry's flagship. BMW makes a pretty nice car, but no one would dare call it that. Bimmer should probably just lower the flag, right? Not yet. Most of history's famous flagships have been fighting machines. They exude confidence, but also pack a punch. And with the 2016 7 Series, BMW is unleashing a broadside on Mercedes and the rest of the industry. Rather than raw power, the sixth generation of the iconic 7 Series is loaded with sophisticated technology that makes the new sedan more luxurious and comfortable. While it looks familiar from the outside, most of the improvements are in the cabin or under the skin. Things like the carbon fiber used for the passenger cell that help the 7 Series shed 190 pounds compared to its predecessor. Or the touchless gesture control that allows you to accept or decline phone calls with simple hand motions. Even the infotainment system is better, with a pinch-to-zoom feature that makes iDrive less confusing and more like the user-friendly iPad. BMW is unleashing a broadside on Mercedes and the rest of the industry. It's a lot of high tech stuff, but the driving experience is still the top priority for BMW. To test its mettle, we traveled to the Monticello Motor Club in rural New York. After several hot laps on the road course (more on that later) we slip behind the wheel of an Arctic Gray Metallic 750i xDrive for some public road driving. The big sedan immediately masks its size on the twisting rural state routes. With 445 twin-turbo V8 horsepower urging us forward, we barrel ahead as the countryside blurs by. Once we settle into a relaxed, legal pace and get our bearings inside the car, we check out some of the new tech. The gesture control is easy to activate while driving, and with a twirl of a finger we turn up the silky-sounding Bowers & Wilkins system. Gestures actually work as advertised. No one calls us, but during an earlier demonstration we were able to decline a call with a dismissive backhand. It felt good.

Recharge Wrap-up: New Mitsubishi Evo PHEV, Amsterdam buses go all electric by 2025

Mitsubishi hopes to launch a new vehicle badged as the Evo based on the Concept XR-PHEV II. Mitsubishi President and COO Tetsuro Aikawa tells Autocar the new vehicle will share characteristics with the outgoing Lancer Evolution loved by enthusiasts, but will feature a plug-in hybrid powertrain in the body of a compact crossover. "In Japanese, when you pronounce 'Oh,' it means 'king,'" says Aikawa. "So we would like to launch this type of car, featuring EV and PHEV technology, which is the ultimate of its kind. 'EV' for electric vehicle, 'O' for king - Evo." The Mitsu boss also envisions the four-wheel-drive Evo to be "light and fast - something performance-oriented." Read more at Autocar, or at Hybrid Cars. Amsterdam aims to have all its buses running on electric power by 2025. Within two years, the city will have 40 electric buses in operation, and will phase out the rest of the diesel fleet in the following years. "This project means we are saying goodbye to symbolic behavior and pilot projects," says transport alderman Abdeluheb Choho. "We have decided to just do it, not to experiment with five buses." Read more at Clean Technica. BMW and General Motors are both listed in the top five US organizations generating and using green energy onsite. In an EPA list, BMW's Spartanburg, South Carolina manufacturing facility is number four, with credit going to its use of landfill gas. In 2013, 69,383,477 kWh - or 37 percent of its total usage - came from green energy. GM's Fort Wayne Assembly was number five, with 43 percent of its power coming from methane from a nearby landfill. Volkwsagen also made the Top 30 list, at number 15, for its Chattanooga assembly plant's use of solar power. See the EPA's full list, and read more at Green Car Congress. Volkswagen will release its 2014 sustainability report on Twitter on Monday, May 4. It will be the first step in using the social medium to distribute information on economic, environmental and social sustainability to a larger audience. The report will include a section called "Electrifying China with a tailor-made efficiency strategy," which focuses on reducing CO2 emissions through the use of electric vehicles. Volkswagen has already begun releasing highlights from its report on its Twitter account with the hashtag #VWCSR. Read more in the press release below and, of course, on Twitter next week.

BMW releases complete pricing info on M3 and M4

When BMW unveiled the M3 and M4 at the Detroit Auto Show back in January, we told you that the new sportsters were starting at $62,000 and $64,200, respectively. That leaked info, though, only told a small part of the story for the new M cars. Now, we have the complete pricing sheet on the new coupe and sedan, direct from BMW.
The pricing intel that we had at the time was correct - prices start at $62,000 for four doors and $64,200 for two. Those prices don't include the $925 destination charge. Potential customers should also plan on spending an extra $550, as seven of the eight paint options are of the metallic variety. BMW's trademark Alpine White is the only no-cost paint option.
As for the cabin, customers will, interestingly, have the choice of a cloth/leather combination as standard. That's in addition to the standard suite of leather options. There are also extended leather and full leather options, for $950 and $3,500, respectively. There are three option packages available, covering all the extra goodies for the M3 and M4.