Rugged Ridge 13317.10 Cab Cover 07-12 Wrangler (07-13jk) on 2040-parts.com

BMW i3 EV will cost from £30,680 – less than we expected

The new BMW i3 EV (teased above) will costs from £30k The new BMW i3 electric City Car is due to be revealed in production guise on 29th July, ahead of which BMW has revealed it will cost from £30,680 – meaning a showroom sticker price of £25,680 after the EV taxpayer ‘grant’. That price is for the pure EV i3 – not the range-extender – which comes with a rear mounted 168bhp electric motor, a top speed of 93mph and a range (in ideal conditions) of around 80 miles between charges. At a retail price of £25k, the i3 compares favourably with other EVs like the Nissan LEAF, which costs from £21k, and the Chevy Volt at £30k (although that is a range extender).

Mercedes CLA45 AMG first photo

The first photo of the baby swoopy-coupe Mercedes CLA45 AMG has been revealed ahead of a New York Auto Show debut in a PS4 Driveclub release. The car that Mercedes hope will give it the edge over BMW and Mercedes in the hot baby premium market – the A45 AMG – has already been revealed, and it looks very promising. But although we’ve got the A45 AMG and all its specs already, we’re yet to see a photo of its swoopy-coupe sibling – the Mercedes CL45 AMG – even though the new CLA range has been revealed.

Volkswagen to buy 42 percent of Porsche, full merger planned

Volkswagen will buy 42 percent of Porsche's sports-car business en route to a full merger by the end of 2011, the companies announced Thursday. VW will pay $4.7 billion for its initial stake in Porsche. It positions the new company to have 10 brands and global sales of 6.4 million, and Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn is likely to lead the entity.