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Chinese-made electric Mini threatened with highest EV tariff from EU

BERLIN — The new all-electric Mini Cooper made in China is set to be hit by the highest EV tariff of 38.1% under the EU's provisional plans, a Reuters source familiar with the matter said on Friday, a potential terminal blow for the car's sales prospects. Mass production of the roughly 35,000-euro ($37,345) vehicle, produced by a joint venture of BMW and China's Great Wall Motor Co Ltd, began late last year - shortly after the EU launched its probe. With production still in early days, the joint venture was unable to fulfil the European Commission's survey to the level of detail required to be classed as a company cooperating with the investigation, the source said, declining to be named because discussions are private. Companies seen as cooperating with the EU were subject to lower tariffs of 17.4%-21%, according to a European Commission document seen by Reuters. That includes BMW Brilliance Automotive, another BMW joint venture that has produced the electric iX3 for export to Europe from China since 2021. BMW declined to comment. BMW CEO Oliver Zipse said earlier this week the tariffs were the "wrong way to go", echoing concerns from other German carmakers fearful of a trade war which could end in counter-tariffs on cars exported from Germany to China. The European Commission said that joint ventures producing cars in China would be subject to duties, without specifying whether more recently formed ventures might benefit from the lower 21% rate for companies that cooperated with the investigation. A 38.1% price hike on the Mini, which was to be exported from China to Europe, could dent sales at a time when the carmaker is counting on every projected all-electric sale to help meet tightening carbon emissions targets. The deadline for imposing provisional measures is July 4, after which the investigation will continue to late October. That leaves time for Beijing and Brussels to make a deal to soften the blow. Companies can also submit comments and request hearings after the provisional duties are applied.   Green Government/Legal Rumormill BMW MINI China

BMW offers M Performance Power Kit for 2012 335i sedan

BMW has let loose a new M Performance Power Kit for its F30-generation 335i and 335i xDrive sedans. Starting at $1,100 for the kit - installation is extra - your car will be fitted with a new ECU and air intake on the functional side and an M Performance engine cover and rocker panel stickers on the decorative side. The Power Kit raises the 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder's horsepower rating from 300 to 320, and on automatic models, torque gets a boost from 300 pound-feet to 332 lb-ft - manual transmission models get a smaller bump to 317 lb-ft.
According to the Bavarian automaker, you'll be able to hear the change in the overrun exhaust note, and 0-60 mile-per-hour times drop by 0.2 seconds. The package is available now at all BMW Centers in the US, and if you get it installed when you purchase the car new, it will get the same four-year, 50,000-mile warranty as the vehicle. Have it done after the fact and the kit will be warranted for two years and unlimited miles. There's a press release below with some more details.

Driving a 1988 BMW M5 and the 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge | Autoblog Podcast #722

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. Some cars old and new here, with reviews of the 1988 BMW M5, 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge and 2021 Hyundai Palisade. In the news, Maserati revealed the 2023 Grecale SUV with a 523-hp twin-turbo V6. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #722 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving 1988 BMW M5 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge Long-term 2021 Hyundai Palisade 2023 Maserati Grecale revealed Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video: Volvo introduces 2022 C40 Recharge crossover