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BMW’s head office in Munich, Germany, was searched this week by EU officials investigating an alleged cartel among five German automakers, the company has confirmed.
EU investigators are looking into allegations that BMW, Daimler, VW, Audi and Porsche colluded to limit their spending on emissions technology.
The German automaker said EU staff had inspected its Munich offices, adding that it was assisting the regulators in their work.
Also on October 20, Daimler said it had filed an application for leniency.
Daimler, which owns Mercedes-Benz, also has no current plans to set aside funds for possible fines, according to its CFO Bodo Uebber.
Image source Pexels
EU and German regulators are looking at allegations that the companies collaborated for decades on many aspects of development and production, disadvantaging customers and suppliers.
BMW said it wanted to make clear the distinction between potential violations of EU antitrust law, and the illegal manipulation of exhaust emissions, which it denies.
In July, VW defended its record after allegations that it teamed up with other German car giants to breach EU cartel rules.
Volkswagen said it was normal for manufacturers to exchange technical information to speed up innovation.
However, VW declined to comment on specific allegations that the five automakers colluded on price and technology.
Many people who conduct business in cities struggle to find the right vehicle. They will want a car that looks professional and portrays the right look, but you will also want good fuel economy so that the car is affordable to run. This also enables you to zip around the city with ease. Unfortunately, city cars often do not have the best MPG despite being smaller than most automobiles.
Any business person looking for a smart city car with high MPG should consider the following vehicles.
- Mini Hatchback 3dr
This fantastic new hatchback from Mini is a superb choice for those looking for a stylish yet practical city business car. It has an impressive official figure of 80.7 MPG which makes it affordable to run and means you do not have to worry about finding a petrol station in the city often.
- Dacia Sandero
The Sandero is known for being an extremely affordable car, which sometimes deters motorists. However, it is an impressive city car which is both great to drive and portrays the right look. It boasts real life fuel economy of 61.7 MPG, so it is both affordable to buy and to run. Although it is not the most exciting vehicle, it does have a certain charm to it and it will fulfil the needs of anyone using it for business.
Image source Wikipedia
- Fiat Panda
The Fiat Panda has a great look; it is full of character and it is terrific for town driving. Fiat is well-known for creating excellent city cars and this model is no exception as it is fun to drive and has real-life fuel economy of 61 MPG. It also features a button which lightens the steering, enabling you to easily navigate tight gaps and park with ease around the city.
- Hyundai i20
The Hyundai i20 has been receiving rave reviews and is a great choice for business use in the city. It is attractive, spacious, affordable to buy and cheap to run. The 1.4-litre diesel engine has a true MPG of 59.4 MPG. This all ensures that it is sophisticated, practical and enjoyable to drive in town environments.
- BMW i3
This superb all-electric car is superb for city use as it has agile handling, low running costs and it is extremely lightweight thanks to state-of-the-art construction techniques. Typical of BMW, it is also very sleek and sophisticated. It offers an impressive range of around 124 miles, but you can also invest in a range extender version. This features a two-cylinder petrol engine and adds another 80 miles of range. You will struggle to find a better city car for business use than the BMW i3.
A horrible, or horribly drunk, BMW driver banged the front and side of her car trying to park it between two other vehicles.
In the video posted below, car enthusiasts may cringe as they watch what could easily be called one of the worst parking attempts captured on camera.
The video, which was originally posted on LiveLeak.com and goes on for a full minute, shows the unseen driver bumping and banging the curb, a stone pillar and another vehicle to the right in an attempt to straighten out her car.
“This is oddly entertaining,” one of the guys behind the camera says before pointing out the crooked BMW’s “ugly ass wheels”.
A horrible, or horribly drunk, BMW driver banged the front and side of her car trying to park it between two other vehicles
The driver then hits another unseen car to the left before the video ends.
One of the dumfounded observers asks out loud: “Is that my car? Sh**!”
That is one way not to video someone unsuccessfully trying to park a luxury automobile.
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BMW has decided to recall about 1.3 million of its cars worldwide because of potential battery problems that could, in extreme cases, result in a fire.
The cars involved are 5 and 6 Series models built between 2003 and 2010.
BMW said it had received nine reports of the defect, but was not aware of any injuries resulting from the fault.
Owners should take the vehicles to authorized dealers for repair.
The company said the battery cable cover may be incorrectly mounted.
BMW has decided to recall about 1.3 million of its cars worldwide because of potential battery problems
A company statement said: “In order to carry out a quality measure, BMW is recalling all BMW 5 and 6 Series models of the previous generation, built between 2003 and 2010 and still on the market, for repair at authorized dealers.
“This can result in the electrical system malfunctioning, the vehicle failing to start and, in some cases, to charring or fire.”
The statement said the company would write to all owners and that checks would take about 30 minutes and be free of charge.
Earlier this month, BMW reported record profit margins in its core car business for 2011.
BMW profits jumped by 51% last year to 4.9 billion Euros ($6.43 billion) compared with 3.24 billion Euros from 2010. Sales rose 14% to 68.82 billion Euros.
Kelli Lynne Groves and her two daughters have been rescued from their car, which was teetering perilously on a California freeway bridge after a gravel truck rear-ended their car and plunged into a creek.
The truck hit the back of Kelli Lynne Groves’ BMW Thursday afternoon as she was travelling north on Highway 101 in southern California, causing the car to strike the bridge railing.
Kelli Lynne Groves, 36, and her two young daughters, aged 10 years and 10 months, dangled over the bridge awaiting rescue.
The impact from the accident caused Kelli Lynne Groves’ car to land on the centre of the concrete guard rail, KVEC Radio reports.
The big-rig truck, meanwhile, ploughed through the guardrail, falling into Nojoqui Creek and immediately bursting into flames.
The 48-year-old truck driver, whose name has not yet been released, died at the scene.
navy seabees, big rig truck, freeway bridge, san juan capistrano, mother and two daughters, california freeway, highway 101,
The terrified family waited for an hour for rescue crews to extricate them from the wreckage, and received help in the meantime from a group of Navy Seabees who were stuck in southbound traffic.
The Seabees used a forklift they were transporting to stop the BMW from going over the bridge, KTLA reports.
Photos capture 10-year-old Sage Groves looking terrified as rescue workers fight to bring her to safety, and her mother, wearing a red top, crying as firefighters help pull her from the wreck.
The accident, which is currently under investigation, occurred along U.S. Route 101 in rural Buellton, about 25 miles north of Santa Barbara.
Because of the accident, the highway was closed in both directions.
The San Juan Capistrano family was taken to nearby Cottage Hospital with moderate injuries, 920kvec.com reports.
The gadgets that we’re used to seeing in science fiction films could soon become a thing of reality as researchers develop new technology to make lives more like a Hollywood epic.
Wall climbing adhesive, self-destructing gadgets and cars that charge themselves are all things that could become reality.
Unveiling their work early next year at the Big Bang Fair, a celebration of all things science and engineering, inventors have come up with all of the above and a host of other gadgets.
David Kirby from the University of Manchester said that “real life is not only catching up with filmmakers but also inspiring their work – so the two are inextricably linked”.
While filming the latest installment of the Mission Impossible series, Tom Cruise – who plays Ethan Hunt – was pictured scaling Dubai’s Burj Kalifa using high-tech magnetic gloves.
Determined not to be outdone by such a fantasy world, inventors at Cornell University in New York have come up with a palm-sized device that uses the adhesive power of water to create a reversible adhesive bond.
That “glue” can stick to glass, wood and even brick. They hope to be able to create gloves and shoes that will allow us to scale even the blankest of walls.
Developers came up with the idea by looking at a beetle native to Florida which can stick and unstick itself to a leaf with a force 100 times its own body weight.
Some of the creations that have been thought of are already partially available including self-destructing gadgets.
While the iPhone may not actually explode when it falls into the hands of the wrong person, data stored on the device can be destroyed remotely.
Technologists in the US have come up with self-destructing text messages that could mean an end to embarrassing late-night, drunken messages. Tiger Text allows users to set a time period for them to be deleted.
People with office gossip on their mobile phone those with government secrets they want to hide should look out for the Tamatebako flash drive.
Fujitsu is behind this particular piece of kit, already available in Japan, which erases unwanted data without the distracting nature of a mini-fireball.
That information can be stored and deleted within a time frame of 10 minutes to a week. It will also be erased if the user inputs the wrong password or if it is plugged into an unauthorized computer.#
Another creation would surely be welcome news for motorists and green campaigners everywhere – although not that great for the tax man.
BMW created an i8 hybrid concept car for Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol that does away with the need to go to petrol stations.
Turbines generate enough energy from the wheels to power the car and could well be a glimpse of how we will drive in the future.
After getting out of your super-efficient car and arriving at your office, the new technology will just keep on coming.
“Surface computing” is being devised by Microsoft and it’s not just a version of the burglar light in the back garden that switches on every time a leaf blows past it.
The gadgetry will allow users to manipulate digital content through different motions and hand gestures.
Dr. David Kirby said: “Ethan Hunt’s adventures will no doubt capture the imaginations of millions, but the real excitement comes in knowing that film fiction is already being brought to life by scientists and engineers.”
The big Bang Fair will take place at Birmingham NEC from March 15 to 17.
Dr. David Kirby’s top science fiction hits that inspired reality:
iPad: 2001: A Space Odyssey – An astronaut is seen using a gadget similar to the iPad
Mobile phones: Star Trek – Dr Martin Cooper credits fictional devices as inspiration for his 1973 creation
Test tube babies: Brave New World (1931) – Aldous Huxley wrote about artificial reproduction… 46 years later the first test tube baby was born
CCTV: 1984 (1949): George Orwell’s all-seeing Big Brother nightmare has become a reality in the UK with more cameras per person than any other country
Robotic limbs: Six Million Dollar Man (1974) and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) – Scientists at University College London are creating limbs that can be connected to the human skeleton
Emmett Rauch, a 2-year-old toddler from Arizona who swallowed a tiny battery, has undergone multiple surgeries as doctors struggle to save his life.
Emmett Rauch swallowed a lithium battery from a remote control and has since had 18 surgeries in the past year at Phoenix Children’s Hospital in Arizona.
Toddler’s mother, Karla Rauch, said no one saw he swallow the battery and the first symptoms he had were similar to a cold.
The mother said: “Batteries start burning in the oesophagus within two hours and it was in him we think about three days.”
Emmett Rauch, a 2-year-old toddler from Arizona who swallowed a tiny battery, has undergone multiple surgeries as doctors struggle to save his life
Emmett Rauch has had four inches of his oesophagus removed after the acid from the battery burned two holes through it.
The toddler has also suffered multiple cases of collapsed lung and had close to 200 X-rays. He has spent more than 19 weeks of his young life in the pediatric ICU.
The batteries are so dangerous because they don’t have as much casing as an AA battery.
A nurse who cares for Emmett Rauch, Michelle Chacon, said she has seen several cases of children swallowing batteries and that more should be done to make families aware of the household danger.
Michelle Chacon has helped the Rauch family set up a charity to raise awareness about the tiny batteries which are used in everyday objects like clocks, cameras and calculators.
She said: “You talk about childproofing your home and covering your outlets, and this needs to be a part of that.”
According to the National Capital Poison Center, each year in the U.S. more than 3,500 people swallow miniature disc or button batteries.
The charity called Emmett’s Fight aims to inform about the dangers of button battery ingestion.
The symptoms are similar to the common cold or the flu – fever, lack of appetite, coughing and increase of mucus production.
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Jessica Simpson finally confirms she is pregnant, making an official announcement on her website.
Jessica Simpson, 31, wrote a short message, telling her fans: “It’s true, I am going to be a mummy.”
The reality star and former singer, who is engaged to NBA star Eric Johnson, also comically dressed up in a mummy Halloween outfit in a photograph to accompany the announcement, while cradling her bump.
Jessica Simpson finally confirms she is pregnant, making an official announcement on her website
Jessica Simpson has been at the centre of swirling pregnancy rumours for weeks now – but until today has remained mum.
According to a Boston-based gynaecologist, Jessica Simpson is at least six months gone and is heading into her third trimester.
Dr. Dave David, told RadarOnline: “She looks to be 26 weeks, which is around six months.
“It is definitely a pregnancy and not weight gain. You can by the shape of her abdomen, her belly wouldn’t be that rounded if it was just fat.”
On Monday, Jessica Simpson reunited with Eric Johnson after jetting back to the West Coast from her business trip in New York.
Jessica Simpson was seen laying a protective hand over her growing tummy as she walked hand-in-hand with her fiance.
The former singer was dressed casually in black leggings, platform Alaia boots and a holey beige jumper.
Eric Johnson was the perfect gent and helped his wife-to-be into their black BMW by holding the door open for her as she got in.
Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson looked in good spirits as they put on a smiley display during their outing in Beverly Hills.
Last week Jessica Simpson, along with her mother Tina and some friends, checked out several apartments in New York.
Jessica Simpson is reportedly looking for somewhere to buy in New York City for her and fiance Eric Johnson to reside now that she spends so much time there working on her fashion lines.
A crowd of bystanders lifted a burning car off a motorcyclist trapped underneath in a dramatic rescue near Utah State University on Monday. The good Samaritans action was captured on video.
Chris Garff , who captured the event on video, said he was doing what any good videographer would do when he grabbed his camera and went to investigate the black smoke billowing outside the Logan, Utah, business building where he was preparing to videotape a lecture for a business professor.
Motorcyclist saved by the crowd of good Samaritans
Then he realized he was capturing something extraordinary.
“I knew there was some pretty remarkable footage,” he told The Times.
“Then it really starts to set in, that this is going to be a big deal.”
Moments earlier, a motorcycle and a BMW had collided, leaving the motorcyclist trapped underneath the car; the motorcycle quickly went up in flames that spread to the front of the BMW.
By the time Chris Garff started shooting from his perch on the ninth floor, a few bystanders had rushed over and frantically tried to lift the vehicle – but it wouldn’t budge. Then they tried again, including some nearby construction workers still wearing their hard hats.
The crowd hoisted up the side of the car so that it was resting on just two wheels. That created just enough space for one of the construction workers to dart underneath and pull the man’s seemingly lifeless body to safety.
Chris Garff said he continued to roll and tried to figure out what to do next and then he realized the man was moving.
“I was just freaking out, you can hear my voice on the video, I thought that guy was a goner,” Chris Garff, 31, said.
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw him move.”
The man, later identified as Brandon Wright, 21, was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and treated for broken bones and other injuries. He faces a long recovery, and his family released a statement thanking the strangers who saved him.
“Brandon and our entire family would like to express our deep gratitude to all of the people who stopped at the crash scene on Monday to help rescue Brandon,” the statement said.
“The fact that so many people would risk their own lives to save Brandon is a testament to the spirit of the community, and we will forever be thankful for these angels saving our son.”
Chris Garff said he had to get back to work after the rescue – the media production specialist still had a lecture to shoot. But when class was over, he prepped the video and contacted local media to see if they might be interested.
In less than 24 hours, the video has had more than 42,000 views on YouTube, and Chris Garff’s phone is ringing off the hook with interview requests from CNN and other media outlets.
Chris Garff said he’s pleased with the attention, but he’s more pleased to know he lives in a world where strangers will put their lives in danger to help others.
“The guy survived, thankfully he did. Those people didn’t stop to think… they acted. Strangers stopped and lifted a car and saved a man’s life. It tells you that there’s hope.”
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