1997 Bmw Z3 Roadster Convertible 2-door 1.9l on 2040-cars

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Recharge Wrap-up: BMW X5 PHEV debuting in Shanghai, Proterra sets up shop in CA

South Carolina-based Proterra has received funding to build electric buses in California. The California Energy Commission has awarded the company, which is headed by former Tesla executive Ryan Popple, a $3-million grant. Proterra will use the funds for a facility in the LA suburb the City of Industry, where its largest customer, Foothill Transit, also operates. Proterra has also opened an office in San Bruno, just south of San Francisco. Read more at SFGate or at ValueWalk. Despite its "urban mobility" design, the BMW i3 has become popular outside of large cities. Rather than singular urban centers, "The strongholds in this country are parts of California, Texas and southern Florida," said BMW North America CEO Ludwig Willisch. He also says the electric car hasn't been particularly successful in the Northeast, with cities like New York perhaps not being as mindful of sustainability as California. BMW is also nearing i3 sales of 12,000 a year, which Willisch calls "a sustainable rate." Read more at Automotive News. BMW will debut its X5 xDrive40e plug-in hybrid at the Shanghai Motor Show this month. It is the first PHEV from BMW's core brand (not from its i sub-brand). It uses a turbocharged four-cylinder engine and electric motor for a total of 313 horsepower, and a combined fuel economy of about 70 miles per gallon (according to the ECE test cycle). Press days for the Shanghai Motor Show are April 20-21. Read more in the press release below. BMW at Auto Shanghai 2015. At a glance •BMW at the 16th International Automobile & Manufacturing Technology Exhibition (Auto Shanghai) from 22 – 29 April 2015 (Press Days from 20 – 21 April). •BMW presents a world premiere, four Asian premieres and two Chinese premieres in Shanghai. •World premiere: the BMW X5 xDrive40e Sports Activity Vehicle is the first plug-in hybrid series-production model from the BMW core brand. •Asian premiere: the new BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer is the first premium model in its segment to offer maximum variability and room for up to seven people. •Asian premiere: the new edition of the BMW 1 Series is even more expressive, sporting and efficient than before. •Chinese premiere for the three athletes in the luxury class: the new BMW 6 Series Convertible, the new BMW 6 Series Coupe and the new BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe. •Chinese premiere with top-notch driving dynamics, efficiency and exclusivity: the new BMW M6 Coupe and the new BMW M6 Gran Coupe.

BMW shuffles chairs in its design department

BMW Group has made some changes to its design team since August 1, and has shuffled top personnel to different positions at BMW Design, Mini Design and Rolls-Royce.
The BMW Design team led by Karim Habib (middle, right) gains a new head of Exterior Design in Domagoj Dukec (right), who has worked for the exterior design team since 2010 and shaped the Concept Active Tourer.
Oliver Heilmer (left), who has worked for BMW's interior design unit since 2000 and designed the 5 Series interior, replaces Marc Girard as head of Interior Design BMW Automobiles. Marc Girard goes to manage BMW's subsidiary design group, BMW DesignworksUSA.

Autoblog Podcast #407

Episode #407 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Steven Ewing, and Sebastian Blanco talk about the Michelin Challenge Bibendum, the Toyota Mirai, and the BMW 3 Series falling off the Car and Driver 10Best list. We start with what's in the Autoblog Garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along down below with our Q&A. Thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #407: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Topics: Challenge Bibendum Toyota Mirai fuel cell 3 Series falls off Car and Driver 10Best list In The Autoblog Garage: 2015 Acura TLX 2015 Dodge Charger 392 Audi Prologue Concept Hosts: Dan Roth, Steven Ewing, Sebastian Blanco Runtime: 01:07:55 Rundown: Intro and Garage - 00:00 Challenge Bibendum - 18:32 Toyota Mirai - 28:20 C/D 10Best - 44:52 Q&A - 53:52 Get the podcast: [UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10 PM Eastern at UStream [iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes [RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Feedback: Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes Podcasts Acura Audi BMW Dodge Toyota toyota mirai challenge bibendum