Beautiful 2008 M3 Coupe. V8 - Dct (double Clutch Transmission), 414hp on 2040-cars

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Audi investing $30.3 billion through 2018 for product expansion

How does Audi plan to reach two million units in annual sales and pay for the 11 new models it's adding to its lineup - an expansion that may include models named SQ2, Q9 and F-Tron? By increasing its investment to 22 billion euros ($30.3 billion US) between now and 2018. That figure represents an increase of about 500 million euros over the previously planned outlay, according to a report by Automotive News, and that could be due to Audi wishing to goad the momentum that pushed it to 1.5 million annual sales two years ahead of schedule.
It's also about staving off the challenges from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Now that BMW has been able to turn some of its attention away from its "i" series of Megacity cars, it will reportedly spend more than planned in 2014 as it continues the rollout of ten all-new vehicles and 15 new-generation vehicles through the end of next year. Mercedes, having been dropped to third in the sales race, is preparing to add 13 new cars over the next six years.
Audi's money is going into technology, into product like the next-generation TT and the Q1 and production expansions and upgrades all over the world. The expenditure represents just under a fourth of Volkswagen's 84.2 billion-euro ($115.7 US) outlay devoted to taking the number-one global automaker title away from General Motors and Toyota by 2018.

Jonas wreaks havoc on auto industry

Many folks along the East Coast are still stuck at home from Winter Storm Jonas' brutal snowfall over the weekend, but the blizzard had some nasty temporary effects on the auto industry, too. Winter weather emergencies kept people from leaving the house, and that spelled trouble for factories and dealers. The terrible conditions in Washington, DC, even prevented the the Washington Auto Show from opening. General Motors, Toyota, and BMW had to close factories due to the weather. BMW cited concerns for its workers driving to the plant for canceling some Friday and Saturday shifts in Spartanburg, SC, according to Automotive News. Toyota closed its Georgetown, KY, factory on Friday, and GM shut down the second shift at its Bowling Green, KY, site for that day, too. Showrooms in the blizzard's path saw a massive drop in sales over the weekend because the customers weren't coming. Some affected dealers are now trying to make the best of a bad situation by offering potential buyers even deeper discounts to get them through the door, according to Automotive News. The piles of snow also mean hours of work for employees to clean off all the cars on the lot. The good news is that none of these issues should pose longterm problems. Weather reports don't show much snow for the East Coast in the coming days, which should allow the industry quickly to return to normal.

BMW i3 REx can be hacked to offer more miles, AM radio

If you're a BMW i3 REx owner who's willing to risk voiding your warranty, there's a low-level hack that offers up an interesting question. Which is worth more, an extra 20 miles or so of range from the gas-powered range extender or the ability to listen to local sports, like, for example, the iconic Vin Scully on Los Angeles Dodger broadcasts? The choice might be easy for Dodger fans, but it could be a bit more challenging anyone ready to make a road trip. The i3 REx is considered a zero-emissions vehicle under the odd rules from the California Air Resources Board (an important category for automakers) because the miles provided by the gas-powered range extender are about equal to the single-charge range of the vehicle's battery, Green Car Reports says. Some enterprising folks have figured out how to modify the software to tweak the car's capabilities. That means that instead of being able to put in only 1.9 gallons of fuel at a time into the tank, you can put in 2.4 gallons, allowing for that extra 20 miles of driving range. Additionally, the i3 REx's software suppresses AM radio because of potential electromagnetic interference from the electric drivetrain. But, again, that can be reversed with a few tweaks to the software. We need to give out a warning, though: messing with these sorts of software settings is a good way to void your warranty. So, if you're in LA and thinking about enjoying that Dodger (or, dare we say, Giant) broadcast and a few extra driving miles, make sure to figure in all of the factors. Related Video: Featured Gallery BMW i3 Coupe Concept: LA 2012 View 18 Photos News Source: Green Car Reports Green BMW Electric California warranty range extender software