2012 Bmw 6 Series 650i Convertible, Navi, Sat, Backup Cam, Ventlated, Soft Top on 2040-cars

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Germany says nein to EU ban on new fossil-fuel cars from 2035

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's government will not agree to European Union plans to effectively ban the sale of new cars with combustion engines from 2035, Finance Minister Christian Lindner said on Tuesday. In its bid to cut planet-warming emissions by 55% by 2030 from 1990 levels, the European Commission has proposed a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions from new cars by 2035. That means it would be impossible to sell combustion engine cars from then. European Parliament lawmakers backed the proposals this month, before negotiations with EU countries on the final law take place. Speaking at an event hosted by Germany's BDI industry association, Lindner said there would continue to be niches for combustion engines so a ban was wrong and said the government would not agree to this European legislation. Lindner, a member of the pro-business Free Democrats, which shares power with the Social Democrats and Greens, said Germany would still be a leading market for electric vehicles. (Reporting by Christian Kraemer; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Miranda Murray and Edmund Blair) Green Government/Legal Green Audi BMW Mercedes-Benz Volkswagen Opel SEAT Skoda

2015 BMW Alpina B6 xDrive Gran Coupe priced from $118,225* [w/poll]

If you're in the market for a high-performance BMW and you live in Europe, you've typically had two range of options at your disposal: you could go for one of BMW's own M models, or turn to Alpina. Though technically independent of BMW, Alpina is about as close to the manufacturer as a tuner can get, and many of its models are offered through BMW's own dealer network.
That's overseas, but in the North American market, BMW has typically taken a different approach, offering just one Alpina model - the B7 - to fill in for a lack of M7 performance sedan. That all changes, however, with the debut of the BMW Alpina B6 xDrive Gran Coupe.
Slotting in alongside the M6 Gran Coupe, the Alpina B6 xDrive Gran Coupe is marginally more expensive and slightly less powerful, but makes up for those relative (and negligible) shortcomings in spades. Both are based on the 6 Series Gran Coupe and both pack a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8, but with key differences. Where the M6 produces 560 horsepower, the Alpina offers 'only' 540. But where the M6 channels 500 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, the Alpina drives 540 lb-ft to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic.

2014 BMW 4 Series Coupe images leak out

Because embargoes were apparently made to be broken, images of the 2014 BMW 4 Series coupe have leaked onto the Internet ahead of the car's official debut thanks to Car Design News' Facebook page. As you'll recall, the 4 Series is the replacement for the outgoing 3 Series coupe, its nomenclature falling in line with the rest of BMW's lineup, where coupes and convertibles will be set apart from their sedan counterparts by one number.
As we can see in the photos, the 4 Series takes a lot of its design cues from the 3 Series on which it is based, but there's a lot more in the way of attractive body sculpting, and this production model stays true to the original 4 Series Coupe Concept that we saw at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year.
We don't have official details to divulge just yet, but we can discern from the photos that the range-topping coupe will be the 435i model, likely powered by BMW's turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six from the 335i. There will no doubt be a 428i model with a 2.0-liter turbo-four underhood, and we expect BMW to offer its xDrive all-wheel-drive system on both models. Much like the 3 Series, a variety of trim levels will be on offer, including a top-spec M Sport trim that you can see painted in Estoril Blue here.