Yamaha Big Bear 250 Gas Tank on 2040-parts.com

BMW works hard to avoid gas-guzzler tax

BMW AG hopes to get out from under the gas-guzzler taxes that are tacked on to the sticker prices of some of its high-performance models in the United States. Jim O'Donnell, president of BMW of North America, says the company is studying fuel-efficiency improvements that could eliminate the gas-guzzler taxes on its vehicles as early as the launch of their redesigns in the next few years. The 2010 550i GT incurs a $1,000 gas-guzzler fee, for example.

Range Rover Long Wheelbase Autobiography Black: Los Angeles Auto Show (video)

The Range Rover Long Wheelbase Autobiography Black (pictured) revealed at Los Angeles Auto Show For many, a Range Rover is the perfect luxury car. It can go anywhere, look right for any occasion and is all the car you could ever want. So it makes sense that the Range Rover manages to compete with luxury transport like Bentley, Mercedes and Rolls Royce, but what it’s never been able to do is compete in outright luxury – and space – with LWB versions of the world’s luxury cars.

Peter Schreyer introduces Kia's new Sportage

It's a sign of just how significant the new Sportage is for Kia that rather than flying UK journalists to an international launch location the company instead rented a boutique hotel in London's Notting Hill, created a sketch gallery in the basement and flew in key members of the car's development team to meet the press — who were then lent some the first new Sportage's in the UK to test for a month. One executive present at the event was Kia's Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer. Car Design News was invited to meet with Peter to talk about his role at Kia and for him to talk us through a vehicle Kia is billing as the first to be designed entirely under his tenure.