Latest news with #BMWi5
Daily Record
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Record
Householders who don't have driveways set to benefit from Government's new car plans
Householders who do not have a driveway outside their properties are set to benefit from a huge new car plan. Under the Labour Party's new £63 million plan to promote EVs, motorists and road users could reportedly save up to £1,500 a year on running costs. The Government shake-up will help problems families without a driveway currently face, including making charging easier and cheaper. The plane will also give householders the opportunity to charge their vehicles from home, meaning they can benefit from cheaper electricity rates. Labour Party Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: 'We are making it easier and cheaper to own an electric vehicle. We know access to charging is a barrier for people thinking of making the switch, so we are tackling that head on so that everyone - whether or not they have a driveway - can access the benefits of going electric. 'This is what our Plan for Change mission to kickstart Britain's economy looks like in practice. "We're not just boosting charging infrastructure, we're building a fairer, cleaner future where every family can benefit from cheaper, greener transport, whilst creating thousands of good jobs across the country.' However, Scott Gallacher, Director at financial firm Rowley Turton, warned: 'On the face of it, it's a great idea. EVs are undoubtedly the future. "I'm on my second electric car, first a Tesla and now a BMW i5, and while I have access to charging both at home and work, I know lack of charging options is a major barrier for many people. So this initiative is very welcome. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. 'EVs are cheaper to run and improve local air quality, which is good for both the environment and household budgets. However, my big questions are: will this scheme be enough, how many households will it realistically help, and should the Government be subsidising those who can already afford a new car, especially when the public finances have a huge black hole?' Matas Buzelis, car expert at vehicle history platform carVertical, described the plan as a 'win for consumers and the environment'. He said: 'The EV is without a doubt the future so this move by the Government makes sense and should be applauded. "Many people living in urban environments, especially in big cities, don't have driveways and their dream of buying an EV often ends right there. "If this initiative overcomes the practical hurdles of EV ownership and boosts the charging infrastructure, it's a win for consumers and a win for the environment.' Certain vehicles are set to be banned in Britain by 2030. Earlier this year, Labour confirmed solely combustion petrol and diesel cars will no longer be on the market by the end of the decade. Car makers will no longer to allowed to sell any type of petrol and diesel car in a bid to encourage the use of hybrid and electric vehicles. According to Which?, 'new pure fossil fuel cars' and 'new fossil fuel mild hybrids' are the only vehicles which will be outright axed from 2030.
Hindustan Times
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Diogo Jota dies: Late footballer loved turbo-charged cars; lived for the thrill of speed on and off the pitch
It's a sad day for football as one of its stars, Diogo Jorda, died after a car accident in Spain. The world knew Jota as Liverpool's dynamic second striker – sharp in the final third, lethal when running in behind opposition lines, and gifted with deft dribbling and natural flair. But away from the pitch, Jota's passion for speed extended well beyond football. He harboured a quiet but striking love for powerful machines and high-end cars, often seen pulling into Anfield or the AXA Training Centre in some of the most coveted automobiles on the market. Diogo Jota was quite the personality on and off the pitch(AFP) Jota's garage reflected his personality: sleek, stylish, and turbocharged. His most notable rides included a Porsche 911 Turbo S and a customised Range Rover Sport, both symbolic of his high-octane lifestyle. In May 2025, fans spotted him arriving at Anfield in a Tesla Model X, highlighting his interest in cutting-edge electric performance as well. Over the years, Jota had also been associated with a handful of other top-tier cars, including a BMW i5 (owned briefly in 2022), a Ferrari 488 Italia, a Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG, a Lamborghini, and an Audi Q7. His diverse collection demonstrated a taste for both luxury and thrill, from roaring engines to futuristic EVs. He was even seen behind the wheel of a Cadillac, further underscoring his eclectic preferences. Beyond the road and the pitch, Jota was equally competitive in the virtual world. A self-confessed gamer, he rose to global prominence in the gaming community in 2021 by becoming the world's number one FIFA 21 player, famously defeating teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold in the final of a professional e-sports tournament. Whether dazzling defenders on matchday or enjoying the open road in a V8, Jota lived life at full speed. His story, both as a footballer and a motor enthusiast, is a reminder of a young man who chased passion in every form – always with power, precision, and heart.
Yomiuri Shimbun
07-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yomiuri Shimbun
For Sale (Maybe): Trump's Red Tesla — Low Miles, Almost New
Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post A Tesla automobile owned by President Donald Trump (he does not drive it, but some staffers do) is parked in a lot next to the White House fence Thursday. Searching for a hardly sat-in luxury EV in cherry red? The president might be willing to cut you a deal. A day after his public spat with Elon Musk, the White House signaled Friday that President Donald Trump might be joining the ranks of buyers with Tesla remorse and surrender the keys to his nearly new Model S. Trump bought the sedan in March, calling it 'a great product, as good as it gets' to show his support for the Tesla CEO. The gesture was meant to counter some of the public backlash to Musk's involvement with the U.S. DOGE Service, some of which was funneled toward Tesla dealerships, charging stations and even some car owners in the form of vandalism and protests. Trump's unorthodox car show on the South Lawn of the White House in March marked the apex of his cozy relationship with the billionaire, who spent at least $288 million to help return him to the Oval Office. Because U.S. presidents and vice presidents are prohibited from driving on public roads, Trump's purchase of the Tesla was more symbolic than functional. But fissures in their relationship emerged soon after Musk exited DOGE, blowing up in spectacular fashion Thursday as the two exchanged a barrage of threats, digs and accusations on social media. Now that the alliance is apparently over, a senior White House official said Friday that Trump is thinking of selling the luxury EV that Car and Driver says retails from $80,000 to more than $100,000. If he did, he'd be among the wave of Tesla owners unloading their cars. Trade-ins surged in March as Musk and DOGE moved to dramatically cut the federal workforce. The buyers who once proudly touted their Teslas had soured on the cars, dampening the company's performance. Given the provenance of Trump's Model S, it may sell for a collector's bounty. But if it were subject to the traditional used-car market, it might go for far less than its MSRP. The TrueCar online marketplace on Friday listed one 2024 Model S for sale within 500 miles of Washington, with just 4,760 miles on the odometer, and an asking price of $54,980 – 28 percent below the 2024 MSRP listed in Car and Driver. By comparison, prices for 2024 electric BMW i5 vehicles with 4,000 to 5,000 miles were about 13 percent below their MSRP. Tesla stock has hit some bumps; its shares fell nearly 14.7 percent this week and are now down more than 26.8 percent year-to-date, according to MarketWatch. In the first quarter, the company recorded its largest drop in deliveries in history, coming in 50,000 units below last year. This week, Goldman Sachs lowered its second-quarter vehicle delivery estimates for Tesla, pointing to 'demand/brand issues' turning off consumers in U.S. and European markets. Dan Ives, managing director at Wedbush Securities and a longtime Tesla bull, said the 'major beef' between Musk and Trump has been 'a shock to the market' that puts 'major fear' into the hearts of Tesla investors as they consider how far the feud might go. 'This must start to be calmed down on the Musk and Trump fronts,' Ives said in commentary Thursday. 'It's not good for either side.'
Edmunds
29-05-2025
- Automotive
- Edmunds
BMW i5 M60 vs. Dodge Charger Daytona: Big EVs Battle in Edmunds U-Drags
The BMW i5 is one of our favorite electric sedans on the market. So much so that it won an Edmunds Top Rated award in 2024, and we added the hi-po M60 model to our One-Year Road Test fleet. Guess what? We've loved our time with this electric sedan. Its mix of power and performance means it truly represents the best of both worlds when it comes to luxury EVs. There probably isn't another EV sedan on the market we'd rather live with — even at our i5 M60's lofty $95,745 price tag. The Bimmer isn't a natural rival for the Charger Daytona EV, Dodge's first crack at an electric muscle car. The Charger EV makes more peak horsepower (670 hp compared to the BMW's 593 hp), costs about $10,000 less and is a two-door coupe. That said, the BMW still weighs less than the Dodge (5,233 pounds vs. 5,974 pounds) and has a slightly better power-to-weight ratio. When you weigh that up, this is the BMW's race to lose. Who comes out on top? Watch our video below to find out.
Top Gear
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Battle of the electric estates: BMW i5 Touring vs Audi A6 e-tron Avant
Electric See, it's not all SUVs in the electric era. Audi's new A6 Avant e-tron goes toe to toe with BMW's i5 Touring, but which is better? Skip 1 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Close run battle, this. And that's not a surprise, is it? For all recorded time, comparing big German bizniz barges has been like agonising over shades of off-white in the paint aisle. The BMW 530d M Sport Almond Ivory... or the Audi A6 S line Elephant's Breath? Sorry love, better grab a tester pot to be sure we don't prefer Mercedes E-Class AMG Line Waiting Room Beige. But it is incredible how equal the latest evolutions of A6 and 5 Series are, because here we have the two polar opposite views the car industry is currently arguing over – how to build an EV. Advertisement - Page continues below Option one: BMW's one size fits all masterplan. Build a car to accept every powertrain choice going. Into this immense, awkwardly angular bodyshell, BMW stuffs petrol and diesel engines, hybrids, or this totally electric solution, the i5. Photography: Jonny Fleetwood You might like That's why you sit a little bit higher than you're used to in a 5 Series – because about 300kg of cells need room to lie down. It's why this car is punctured by grilles – in case this body contained an engine. It also explains the XXL overhangs and traditionally long bonnet (with no front boot stowage beneath it, meaning the charging cables get in the way of shopping and knot the dog's legs). And the 'classic' plutobarge look means the aero is none too clever. So there are compromises, and not just for the i5. All 5 Series' (including the infamously porky M5) are now stupidly heavy, because the basic structure has been armour plated in case it needs to carry monumental e-flab. Advertisement - Page continues below But the upshot is BMW only has to build one car called a 5 Series. The factory is happy, the badging department is pleased, and you don't need a treasure map to negotiate BMW's website. Option two: Audi will soon build two entirely unrelated A6s. One is this car: the electric only A6 e-tron. The other is the new, um, A6, a combustion or hybrid powered car on an entirely different chassis. The two cars will both be called A6 but won't share a single body panel. Still, the advantages to dreaming up a fresh platform are obvious. The A6 e-tron Avant isn't just slipperier than the BMW. It's one of the world's most aerodynamically efficient production cars, because it's not full of holes, the underbody is flatter than morale at Old Trafford, and it lacks door mirrors. We'll come back to those. Besides leaving the air neat and tidy, the A6's bespoke foundations unlock other useful advantages. Yes, it's actually 5kg heavier than the 5er, but it carries 17 per cent more battery capacity in a car that's usefully smaller overall. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox. No surprise then that there's a heap more range. BMW quotes 327 miles from the industry lab test, but we're more forensic. This car has been our TG Garage long termer for eight months and 10,000 miles. It averaged 310 miles to a charge last summer. Even the least efficient A6 e-tron – this Launch Edition on 21in wheels – claims over 400 miles. The Sport model reckons it'll outrun the i5 by a good 100 miles. So far, so 'we told you so' by Audi then. An electric car is best when it's built to be electric from the wheels up. And the virtuous circle keeps on spinning, running four rings around the bloated i5. It's not just your eyes, either. The A6 is indeed noticeably shorter (if marginally wider) – easier to park and place – yet passengers in the second row enjoy more space to lounge in. Opening the back doors of a 5 Series is like going to a flat viewing after studying the cheeky fisheye lens photos posted by the estate agent. Hang about, it looked ginormous on the outside. Where's all the space gone? But the weather (as motorsport commentators gleefully point out) is a great leveller. It's bitingly cold when A6 meets i5. And you know what? Both offer up 250 miles. A colleague spends longer with the Audi and coaxes it to 2.8 miles per kWh over 270 miles, but the BMW avenges its smaller battery by being more efficient overall, effortlessly managing three miles per kWh. And though the i5 loses the space wars for 'people', it wins it back on 'stuff'. It has the marginally bigger boot and even a slightly faster electric tailgate. Skip 8 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Just as things are looking up for the i5, let's roll price into the equation. An i5 Touring squeaks in at under £70k, but Brits will almost always tick the M Sport box as seen here, taking the price north of £76k, or £1,100 a month on the BMW finance calculator. A6 e-tron Avants are a few grand cheaper to begin with, while the equivalently thrusting S line trim is £68,605. This particular car is a spec laden Launch Edition unhelpfully no longer listed on Audi's website, but here to give you a good idea what an A6 looks like with every option optioned. Even at an eye watering £87k, it's £6k less than BMW charges for this bell and whistle festooned i5. At this point we ought to cover depreciation, but the BBC doesn't allow depictions of cruelty and torture in its publications. So we'll drive them instead, just as soon as the BMW's 87-point turned its way out of the multistorey. And nicked a wheel on the down ramp kerb in the process. My fault. Or was it? For all its screens, cameras, sensors, bongs, alerts and assists, the sheer bulk of the i5 simply isn't compatible with quite a lot of Britain. Over 5m long, 2m wide over the mirrors. Rear steer and 360° cameras help, but the Audi is wieldier and less stressful at each end of your journey. Partly that's because you sit up in the roof rafters rather than (relatively) down on the cat's eyes. What Audi's done here is dress up a crossover driving position in an estate car suit. That black fillet breaking up the thickset doors and 21in rims does a convincing job of hiding the fact an A6 driver is no longer eye to eye with other pilots of German business expresses. They're riding high and mighty with the Evoques and Qashqais. Easier to judge your surroundings from up there. Life in the BMW is calm and cultured. It's a very expensive car, but it has the feel of one too Or it would be, if Audi hadn't wilfully sabotaged itself with yet more virtual mirrors. OK, we've been here before with the old e-tron SUV and in various Hyundais and Lexuses, so the problems with this tech are fairly well established. The displays aren't clear enough in dark or wet conditions (gawd help you if it's both), there's no depth perception so telling at a glance how quickly that car in the next lane is closing is nigh on impossible, and because the camera is fixed, you can't change your perspective by bobbing or weaving your head. You need to swipe at the screen to muddle where the lens is pointing. It's a faff. And despite shifting the screens away from the corners of the pillars and up onto the doors, it's tricky to unlearn the instinct of looking out the window to check the mirror. Ah, whoops, that's a camera. Refocus to inside the door to check screen. Oopsie, there's a 10-tonne truck in my blind spot. Why all this inconvenience and this hefty cost (the digital mirrors are usually a £1,495 option)? According to Audi's wind tunnel boffins, the drag saving is worth four miles of range over a full charge. I think I'd sooner park in the next village and walk. There are other quibbles. The entire Top Gear road test team drove the A6 during its stay with us and not one thought the ride was acceptable. Yes, it's wearing 21in rims and our roads are rougher than Hardest Geezer's foot calluses, but there's a tension and restlessness to the A6's ride which gets on your nerves. You'll have read how the car is much more at home on the highways of continental Europe which are cared for like putting greens, but that's cold comfort when the A6 is jouncing down the A6003 and everyone's having their heads tossed around like they're on a moody seaside donkey. Life in the BMW is calm and cultured. It's a very expensive car, but it has the feel of one too, straddling the line between where an executive 5 Series ends and a luxury 7 Series limo begins. It squashes bumps the Audi fidgets over, absorbs imperfections the Audi hosts a conference call about, and generally oozes about like a shooting brake Rolls-Royce Spectre. Once you're on a road it can comfortably fit down. When you tug its bombproof door closed behind you, it seals you off from the outside world so effectively you half expect your ears to pop, as if it's a pressurised cabin in a business jet. Skip 9 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Perhaps this is a personal preference thing, but across all the i-kind and e-trons I've driven, BMW's intelligent regen braking is more logical than Audi's paddle adjusted settings. Click the i5 into B mode in town for maximum recuperation and it's a very relaxing one pedal car. In the very old days, an Audi/BMW faceoff would traditionally alight on the fact the BMW also had steely eyed rear drive chops and was obviously the choice of serious drivers, while the Audi was about as memorable as a Dulux paint chart. The gap is a lot closer these days. For one thing, the Audi's rear wheel drive too. More efficient that way. Back to back, the lower set, slightly more agile BMW was the keener drive, but come on. Two-tonne e-wagons with augmented warp soundtracks hardly scream Sunday morning thrap, right? Be in no doubt, the Audi's a fine car. Our team preferred its interior screen logic (cameras excepted) and found it easier to manoeuvre. It's spacious, futuristic and has the potential to be a genuine range monster. Probably comfier, less annoying and better value with a more modest spec, too. But the i5 earns the narrowest of moral victories here, because despite not even being built to be an EV first and foremost, it's the better car to drive, to ride in, to carry things and isn't remotely compromised enough to justify building a whole other car as an electric offshoot. So there you have it, carmakers of the world. BMW's been the canary in the coal mine and done you a big favour. Keep building cars you can sell with or without engines. Y'know, just in case electric doesn't end up being the only fuel of the near future.
