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Recharge Wrap-up: Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Finishes AXCR, Nissan Leafs drive 528 million collective miles

The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has successfully completed the Asia Cross Country Rally 2014. The plug-in Mitsu finished first in the EV class, and 14th overall, clocking in at 19 hours, 17 minutes and 12 seconds. For its second year in the competition, the Outlander PHEV used a new suspension with more ground clearance to help it tackle the race's treacherous terrain. Besides the glory of taking on the challenging competition, the rally helped Mitsubishi gather valuable data for EV development. The race took place over 1,367 miles of varied terrain from Thailand to Cambodia. Read more at Hybrid Cars, or visit Mitsubishi UK's Facebook page. Nissan Leaf drivers have driven more than 528 million miles worldwide. That accounts for a reduction of 150,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions since the EV's 2010 launch. Nissan projects that Leaf drivers will surpass a collective 1 billion electric kilometers (621 million miles) by January 2015, or perhaps even sooner if sales keep increasing. The mileage data was collected through the car's CarWings telemetry. Read more at Green Car Congress. 40 percent of luxury cars will be powered by some form of electrification by 2030, according to Audi. Whether it's battery-electric, hybrid, or plug-in hybrid, electrons will be doing their share to get the well-heeled from place to place. According to an article at The Sydney Morning Herald, PHEVs are "the most promising option." The BMW i8 is a fine example, as is the Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid, and Audi and Mercedes-Benz have plug-in plans of their own. Lexus, not so much. Read more at The Sydney Morning Herald. PGA golfer Hunter Mahan has taken delivery of a BMW i3 he won by scoring a hole-in-one. BMW offered a free, all-electric i3 to the first player to score a hole-in-one in the 2013 BMW Championship at Conway Farms Golf Club, which Mahan did on the 17th hole. The BMW Championship raised money for Evans Scholars Foundation. BMW Hole-in-One Scholar Melyzjah Smith, who was awarded a full four-year college tuition and housing scholarship in honor of Mahan's slick shot, was on hand to meet the golfer as he received his i3. Read more in the press release below. Uber has hired President Obama's 2008 campaign manager as its senior vice president of policy and strategy. David Plouffe will help the ride-hailing app navigate government policy and relations. The Taxicab, Limousine and Paratransit Association didn't think the move was a good one.

BMW i8 official images leak ahead of Frankfurt [w/video]

The new BMW i8 plug-in electric supercar isn't set to make its official debut until September 10, when it will glide onto the Frankfurt Motor Show stage amidst a sea of flash photography. Of course, that isn't so true in today's world, where debuts are always preceded (often carefully) by "leaks."
Take this trio of images of the BMW i8 - there's just enough of the exterior on display in the profile shot to draw attention, without showing important styling points that might be present on the front or back of the car. The same goes for the video attached below. The cabin shot is cool, but isn't particularly earth-shattering when it comes to BMW interiors. As for the skeletal shot, we can see the 1.5-liter, turbocharged engine positioned between the rear axles, the battery pack found in what would be the transmission tunnel and the front-mounted electric motors.
We'll have a full set of live images when the BMW i8 makes its debut in Frankfurt next week. Until then, have a look in the gallery and at the video below, and let us know what you think of BMW's next big thing.

BMW 2 Series, X5 get their M Performance parts on

BMW models come in a number of flavors, from their standard guises to M Sport variants and M Performance models to full-on M muscle machines. But if you want to pick and choose the degree to which you want your Bimmer upgraded along the path to M, BMW automaker offers its M Performance Parts line. The Bavarian automaker already offers these performance and stylistic add-ons for a number of models, and has now released new kits for both the 2 Series Coupe and the latest X5 crossover.
The catalog for the 2 Series includes an available lowered suspension kit, upgraded brakes, new alloys, carbon aero kit and interior trim enhancements. There's also a power kit available for the 220d model that squeezes out an extra 16 horsepower for a total of 200, and a limited-slip differential and exhaust silencer for the M235i.
Upgrades to the X5 crossover, meanwhile, also include a carbon aero kit and interior trim package. The X5 xDrive35i model also gets a power kit boosting output by 20 ponies to 326 hp and an exhaust silencer. Scope out the details in the pair of press releases below and the pair of high-resolution image galleries top and bottom.