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BMW increases i3 price by $1,075 for 2015

The BMW i3 did well in its first year on the market, selling 6,02 units in the US and 16,052 units worldwide. For 2015, it gets total price increase of $1,075, partially reflecting new standard equipment that was formerly an option and a bump in its destination cost. The 2014 starting price of $41,350 becomes $42,400 for 2015, an extra $1,050, and the destination increase of $25 to $950 makes the out-the-door price $43,350. The range-extended model goes up by the same amount, from $45,200 last year to $46,250 this year. After destination, it's $47,200 out the door. For 2015, DC Fast Charging is included, no longer a $700 option, thanks to the expansion of the fast-charging network through a collaboration between BMW, Volkswagen and Chargepoint. Beyond that, satellite radio and heated seats migrate to the standard features list. We have a feeling none of this will hurt the plug-in car's sales momentum this year. Featured Gallery 2014 BMW i3: First Drive View 33 Photos News Source: Green Car ReportsImage Credit: Copyright 2015 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Green BMW Car Buying Hatchback Electric Hybrid

Mercedes G63 vs. BMW i8: Our silly drag race between the past and future

You see, we were just trying to conserve resources. We had Milan Dragway rented for a test of the AMS Alpha 10 Audi R8, and there was some extra track time, so we brought these two along. That's called saving money. Or something. Aside from being German, the G63 and i8 couldn't really be much more different – one is a prehistoric military vehicle with a nutty twin-turbo V8, the other a vision of the near future of efficient sports cars. So what did we do? We lined them up against each other, editor-in-chief Michael Austin in the i8 and me in the G-Wagen. Though we had a good idea of the likely winner – note which car the boss is driving – the results were still surprising. Watch for yourself above. Green Humor BMW Mercedes-Benz Coupe SUV Hybrid Luxury Performance Videos Original Video drag race milan dragway

Comparison test: 2019 Acura RDX vs. compact luxury SUV competitors

Truth be told, if we were to compare the all-new 2019 Acura RDX with those compact luxury crossover SUVs it would most likely be cross-shopped against, you'd be looking at a different list. Even Acura admits that Lexus and Infiniti are the most likely bogies, but with the 2019 RDX, Honda's luxury brand is attempting to attract those customers who think as much with their hearts as with their heads. And for the most part, those folks have been buying from German brands: the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class. So, to show how the new RDX compares to them, Acura actually provided examples of each during the recent press drive along with a Volvo XC60. All were determined to have greater emotional appeal than the last RDX, and we would certainly agree. For, as much as the previous-generation RDX made sense on paper, it was really hard to get excited about it. And when you're paying extra for a luxury vehicle, shouldn't you get a little excited? Well, as luck would have it, Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and I were on hand in Whistler, British Columbia, for the press launch. We didn't have an abundance of time in each RDX competitor, but in conjunction with our usual comparison chart, our impressions should provide a good first taste of how the new RDX compares. Performance and fuel economy Contributing Editor James Riswick: On paper at least, the RDX is gutsier than its comparably powered European rivals. It also weighs the same or less, which logically should mean it'll be the quickest in a straight line. During my brief drives, though, I'm not sure it really stood taller than the three Germans. It at least matches them for smoothness, which is something that can't be said about the Volvo. Fuel economy is lower than them all when you consider all but the Mercedes come standard with all-wheel drive. It's also worth noting that all the competitors are available with engine upgrades, and unless Acura's forthcoming resurrection of Type S models includes the RDX, it should stay that way. Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski: Line 'em all up in a drag race, and I have a feeling the Acura would squirt away to victory. A good bit of that, though, would be due to its 10-speed automatic transmission, which offers a huge spread of ratios and fires off extremely quick shifts. In the real world, I'd guess fuel economy will be similar across the board, so I'm willing to call that category a draw.