2008 Bmw 650i Coupe Navigation Panoroof M6 Wheels Sport Prem Pkg 41k Miles Xenon on 2040-cars

Auto blog

These are KBB's Top Ten Green Cars for 2015

For the second straight year, the Top Ten Green Cars list from KBB (i.e. the acronym for Kelley Blue Book) should have been retitled KBBimmer. That's because the BMW i3 electric vehicle has topped KBB's list of greenest production vehicles for two years running. That means that having the lowest purchase price wasn't that big of a factor in determining the winner. KBB releases its list about this time of year every year in honor of Earth Day and this year not only praised the Bimmer for its performance and single-charge range, but also noted that its factory is powered by wind turbines, which gives the car and the company a few more treehugger points. Meanwhile, KBB didn't exactly surprise a ton of people by including models like the Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in (with a caveat that the next-generation version will be coming out next year), Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S EVs and the Toyota Prius' four hybrid variants. Other somewhat lower-profile advanced-powertrain models to make the cut were the Honda Accord Hybrid, Toyota Camry Hybrid, Volkswagen e-Golf and Ford C-Max Hybrid. Rounding out the list was the Volkswagen Jetta TDI, the only diesel that KBB recommended as a Top Ten pick. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2014 BMW i3: First Drive View 33 Photos News Source: KBBImage Credit: Drew Phillips Green BMW Electric top 10

Are you a BMW M4 GTS track car in disguise?

BMW is always happy to extract a little bit more gumption out of its M cars, just look at the latest 30th anniversary M5 or even the earlier CSL variants of the M3 for proof. Now, It looks like we might be getting the first glimpse of an even hotter M4, and it's wearing very interesting livery.
Our spies recently shot this M4 that could preview a future GTS version. It's all done up in MotoGP decals, but that might just be a ruse. This car sports a camouflaged lower air dam and rear wing, but those parts don't appear to be from an actual series safety car. The chin spoiler seems larger, and the rear wing is completely different. You can also spot an obvious Recaro logo on the driver's seat in one of the photos. Plus, the BMW emblem is removed at the back.
The disguised changes and odd choice of decals make this prototype incredibly weird. A BMW exec said at the beginning of the year that there were "no plans whatsoever to make a lighter, harder version just yet," of the M3 or M4, despite earlier rumors to the contrary. Check out the gallery to see what you think this is.

Car subscription services: A slow, expensive start — but the potential is huge

Americans are used to paying for subscriptions — to magazines and cable television, for instance — but experience shows they'll cancel when the price of admission gets too high, or there are more tempting alternatives. Cord cutters ditched nearly 1.5 million pay-TV subscriptions in 2017, according to a survey by Leichtman Research Group. Cable TV started out cheap with basic offerings, and then got expensive. The auto industry's subscription offerings are new, but they're starting out costly, and not price-competitive with traditional leasing. The upside is that they take the hassle out of car ownership for busy people by letting the service take care of maintenance, insurance, licensing and taxes. And they give consumers choice, often allowing relatively painless switches between different cars in the automakers' lineup. Subscription services also point the way toward an ownership-free auto experience, and offer an easy transition to a potential world where ride- and car-sharing will be dominant. Subscriptions are here to stay, but consumers may take a while to "get" them. Lincoln's subscription service for lightly used 2015 to 2017 models, offered through the Ford-owned Canvas beginning this year, got off to a slow start. Many early subscribers canceled. Last month, Cadillac announced it would " temporarily pause" its $1,800-per-month Book subscription service for "adjustments" as of December 1. According to the Wall Street Journal, "Snags with the back-end technology used to support the service made some customer-service functions tedious and time-consuming, adding costs for the company." The challenge for automakers is to come up with a strategy that offers consumers a compelling, affordable option to regular ownership, and one that can also make a profit. I think they'll find that sweet spot, but they're not there yet. Jack Nerad, former executive editorial director at Kelley Blue Book and author of " The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying or Leasing a Car," points out that "A lot of people expected that subscriptions would be very valuable for people who wanted inexpensive transportation, but the reality is quite the opposite. Subscriptions are offering more choices for the wealthy.