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BMW i3 Coupe EV in production end of 2013 (video)

The BMW i3 Coupe Concept will go in to production at the end of 2013, and BMW tell us why the i3 is so important in a new video. We’ve already got the little i3 in the mix and due to arrive in 2013 (although it could come with the more pragmatic option of a range extender instead of as a pure EV) and the i8 supercar is well on its way. But after the reveal of the BMW i3 Coupe Concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show last month, BMW has confirmed the i3 Coupe will go in to production by the end of 2013, and it will be an EV.

First Sight: Smart Fortwo and Forfour

"Dress-down Wednesday," remarked a colleague as Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche walked on stage wearing jeans and no tie. While it was a hot day in Berlin, Zetsche's excuse for his informal attire was the occasion – the new Smart is here. Its prospective owners, he explained – young, urban consumers with an active lifestyle, not the typical members of corporate Germany – adhere to a different, if similarly rigid etiquette.

Dual-clutch transmission put on hold at Chrysler

Chrysler Group has delayed introduction of a fuel-saving automatic transmission so it can make the shift patterns more palatable to U.S. drivers--the latest sign that a key tool in automakers' plans to meet tougher fuel-economy rules needs some fine-tuning. Two weeks ago, Ford Motor Co., which uses a similar dual-clutch transmission in its Fiesta and Focus, took a hit in Consumer Reports' annual reliability survey because many drivers complained about balky shifting.