For Volkswagen, An Opportunity To Move Upward

General Motors' position as the number two automaker may be short-lived as German automaker, Volkswagen, is poised to leapfrog GM. The Volkswagen Group consists of several brands including mass producers Volkswagen and Skoda, premium brand Audi and Bentley, a line of ultra-luxury cars. The automotive also owns Scania, SEAT and Bugatti, demonstrating just how far-reaching the company is. Contributing to GM's decline is a sharp downturn in US sales, its primary market. VW has a small slice of the US market, but relies on its European base to drive sales. The company is also making inroads in the Americas, Asia and Africa, among the fastest growing markets in the world. In addition, the automaker is planning to build a new plant in Tennessee, its first American manufacturing plant in twenty years. GM will likely see its share of the market decrease when its expected sale of Saab is finalized later this year. The automaker is also attempting to sell or shut down Hummer and is cutting back on Saturn and Pontiac. Going forward, GM's US brands will probably include Cadillac, GMC, Buick and Chevrolet while Opel, Vauxhall, GM Daewoo and Holden will comprise some of its European, Asian and Australian brands. VW's ascendancy to the second spot isn't assured, but with the way that GM is contracting and with its own growth plans in place, its move up the charts will happen sooner or later.

That and a general resistance to change and skepticism of new technology. What will make cars like VW e-Golf, Nissan LEAF and Chevy Volt more attractive is the growing public charging network. Although that growth will start to falter unless the existing network is in greater demand - chicken and egg. The electric car industry is similar to our Solar PV business in the early days and it was only the financial incentives available that increased demand, which then led to increased supply and ultimately drove down costs. For EV sales to grow, it's essential that governments and the public sector provide grants and funding toward the cost of purchase as well as a continued development of the charging network. In the UK we have a government "plug-in car grant," which provides 35% (capped at £5000) toward the purchase of electric vehicles, as well as tax incentives, which are vary favorable for business users. They include a 100% capital allowance and a 0% "benefit in kind" tax rate for company car owners. Let's hope our new government can keep this up. Back to the e-Golf though - the truth was that we were going to wait for the Golf GT or Audi e-Tron plug-in hybrid as we, also, were skeptical about the day to day use and range anxiety.

BMW offers the i3 in four configurations. Choosing one is pretty simple, as all models have the same list of standard features and a limited number of options. We go into more detail below, but here are the basics of each model's performance: The standard BMW i3 has a 170-horsepower electric motor and a range of 153 miles. The BMW i3s has the same range but a 181-horsepower electric motor. Both are available as Range Extender models, which come with a gas engine that turns the car into a plug-in hybrid and lets you fill up at gas stations. Those models have a total range of 200 miles. Once you pick the car's capabilities, you choose a design package. These dictate the kind of seat upholstery you'll get - cloth or variants of synthetic and genuine leather - as well as interior trim design. The standard Deka World includes cloth upholstery, and Mega World adds combination synthetic leather and cloth seats. Giga World and Tera World give you your choice of interior wood trim.

Go with Giga for genuine leather and cloth seats and Tera World for full leather upholstery. Standard and optional features, along with their prices, are nearly identical for every model. The only exception is automatic parking assistant, which isn't available in i3s models. 44,450. It comes with a 170-horsepower electric motor and 153 miles of range from a 42-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. Standard features include cloth upholstery, heated front seats, automatic climate control, proximity keyless entry, push-button start, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, LED headlights, heated and power-folding outside mirrors, a rearview camera, front and rear parking sensors, and rain-sensing windshield wipers. The standard iDrive infotainment system includes a 6.5-inch display screen, HD Radio, satellite radio, Apple CarPlay, a USB port, and Bluetooth. 1,400 to the base price to get synthetic leather seat trim from one of the design packages. 2,350 and adds adaptive headlights, stop-and-go adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, a universal garage door opener, and navigation with real-time traffic.

47,650, the BMW i3s features a 181-horsepower engine, a sport suspension, and upgraded exterior styling. It has the same range as the base model. 48,300. It has the same electric motor as the base model, as well as a gasoline engine for a total range of 200 miles. 51,500 and combines the upgrades of the i3s with a gasoline engine. Check out our U.S. News Best Price Program for great savings at your local BMW dealer. You can also find excellent manufacturer incentives on our BMW deals page. If you approve of its quirky styling, the BMW i3 is an intriguing choice for an eco-friendly luxury small car. It boasts spry acceleration, straightforward features, and lots of cargo room. However, some EV rivals offer those positives along with a longer driving range - and in most cases, they do it for a lot less money. Don’t just take our word for it. Check out comments from some of the reviews that drive our rankings and analysis. Tidy dimensions make zipping through congested city traffic easy, and the i3 leaves nothing in its wake except slack jaws. To describe the 2019 BMW i3 and 2019 i3s as merely electric-powered subcompact hatchbacks does them an injustice. The i3 is radical in its approach and execution. BMW has maintained the i3 as a relevant pick for EV shoppers by making constant updates. …Its small size and light weight make it nimble, quick to accelerate and easy to park.