11 X5 50i Nav Technology Premium 3rd Row Seat Cold Ipod Camera Bluetooth Rare on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Audi tops BMW and Mercedes in luxury sales

April was a good month for Audi, as the four-ring automaker beat out both Mercedes-Benz and BMW in sales. Bloomberg reports that it was America's appetite for CUVs like the Q5 and ancient Q7 that helped Audi move nearly 153,000 units around the globe. It's not all good news, though. Audi's worldwide sales only jumped by 2.5 percent, compared to BMW and Mercedes, whose sales increased 5.6 and 11 percent, respectively. On top of that, BMW is still the best-selling brand (of the three, anyway) so far in 2015, outselling Audi by roughly 9,000 units and Mercedes by about 23,000 vehicles. Considering the faster growth of its rivals, it's unclear if Audi will be able to hang onto the monthly sales crown beyond April, or if BMW will continue its reign as the world's biggest luxury automaker.

These BMW M6 GTLM racing liveries are great

This weekend we'll see a whole new crop of racing machinery line up for the start of the 24 Hours of Daytona, including the new BMW M6 GTLM. So far we've only seen it in flat black, but now the Bavarian automaker has revealed two special liveries for the two cars it will be fielding in the race this weekend. The number 25 car features a throwback livery that reinterprets BMW's classic racing stripes of red, dark blue, and light blue over white bodywork. It's designed to be reminiscent of – and even features images of – legendary racing machinery from the Roundel marque's history. Those include the 3.0 CSL that wore the same number when it took the company's first win in the US at Sebring in 1975, the M1 sports car from the early 1980s, the V12 LMR that scored BMW's only Le Mans victory to date in 1999, and the M3 GT that dominated the American Le Mans Series in 2011. The second car features a more futuristic livery, wearing the number 100 to mark the automaker's centenary and a multicolor lattice design applied with a luminescent 3D-effect reflective vinyl on a white body. They'll both be fielded by BMW Team RLL, a partnership between the manufacturer and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (of Indy fame), which took a class win at Laguna Seca last year. The new M6 GTLM replaces the previous Z4 GTLM and will proliferate across racing grids in motorsport series around the world following its race debut this weekend. But it won't be the only new piece of racing kit turning a wheel in anger for the first time at Daytona; the new Ford GT and Ferrari 488 GTE will be competing in the GT Le Mans class alongside proven competition machinery. BMW Team RLL reveals 100th anniversary livery for the BMW M6 GTLM race cars in Daytona. Daytona (US), 27th January 2016. BMW Team RLL today revealed two commemorative 100th anniversary liveries for the new BMW M6 GTLM race cars, with which Bobby Rahal's (US) team will compete in the 24 Hours of Daytona (US). The race forms the first round of the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC). The number 25 car sports a look reminiscent of the iconic BMW 3.0 CSL, which contested its first season of racing in North America back in 1975 and claimed the first victory in Daytona 40 years ago. The second BMW M6 GTLM will race with the number 100. To mark BMW's 100th anniversary this year, its livery looks to the future.

Recharge Wrap-up: video touts Volvo electric buses, Nissan and BMW build EV chargers in S. Africa

Volvo is touting the advantages of electric buses in a new video. The short film, called Route 55, promotes the ElectriCity Project for public transport, and, more specifically, the new electric bus route in Gothenburg, Sweden. The new route debuts June 15 using Volvo electric and hybrid buses. In the video, two teenagers are seen waiting for the bus. As one boards, the other asks her out from the sidewalk, but she can't hear him over the noise of the diesel bus, which then closes its doors and drives away. The film asks, "What if this bus had been silent?" See the video above, and read more in the press release below. BMW and Nissan will build an EV charging network across South Africa. Through 2017, the two automakers will build fast-charging and AC stations around the country in order to encourage the adoption of EVs. Nissan has been selling the Leaf in South Africa since 2013, and BMW introduced the i3 and i8 in March. "In order for the introduction and expansion of electric vehicles as well as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to be successful in this market, we need to work together," says BMW South Africa Managing Director Tim Abbott. Read more at Automotive News Europe. The Renault-Nissan Alliance will provide the United Nations with 200 electric vehicles for the COP21 climate conference in Paris. The fleet of vehicles includes the Nissan Leaf and e-NV200, as well as the Renault ZOE, Kangoo ZE and Fluence ZE. The entire passenger car shuttle fleet will use all-electric vehicles as some 20,000 UN attendees descend upon Paris from November 30 to December 11. "Thanks to the Alliance's fleet of 100-percent electric vehicles, it will contribute to our goal of achieving a carbon neutral event," says French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development and COP21 President Laurent Fabius. "The technology of electric vehicles helps reduce greenhouse gases in the transportation sector efficiently." Read more from Renault. Visa will be the official title sponsor of the Formula E London ePrix. Officially called the "2015 FIA Formula E Visa London ePrix," the races on June 27 and 28 will be the last of the electric racing series's inaugural season. Visa Europe will award the Visa Fastest Lap trophy after the each round, and will have interactive activities at the race's eVillage.