Volvo S40 Mk2 Saloon 4dr 05-12 Sun Visor Pair 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).

2013 Toyota RAV4: Price from £22,595

Toyota has announced that the new Toyota RAV4 will cost from £22,595 for the RAV4 Active 2WD 2.0 Diesel to £29,295 for the Invincible AWD 2.2 Diesel. The new RAV4 is better looking, bigger, promises better driving dynamics and more equipment than the current RAV4, but Toyota has still conspired to bring in the RAV4 entry point at a lower price than currently, albeit with a new, smaller engine. Trim levels on the new RAV4 are now Active, Icon and Invincible with 4WD available on all trim levels except Active.

BMW X4 Leaks

We have the first official photos of the BMW X4 SUV – the ‘Lifestyle’ version of the X3 – which we expect to debut at the Shanghai Motor Show this month. We have the first leaked images of the X4 that show a BMW X3 with the same sort of treatment as the X5 got to turn it in to the X6, and create what BMW like to call an SAC – a Sports Activity Coupe. Apart from the changes to the body – and less room in the back – you can expect the X4 to offer much the same under the skin as the X3 – albeit at a premium price – which will mean – for the UK at least – will mean everything from an X4 xDrive 18d SE through to an X4 xDrive 35d M Sport.