BMW is once again testing the limits of traditional car ownership. Having abandoned the subscription for heated seats and steering wheel, the company has not completely closed the issue of monthly payments. The new electric BMW iX3 model will have several functions at once, but you will have to pay a separate fee for them after purchasing the car.

We are talking about a surround view system with 360-degree cameras and a package of electronic assistants Driving Assistant Pro. Technically, all of these devices will be installed in every iX3 model, regardless of the configuration. However, these functions will only become available after the subscription is formalized. How much the subscription will cost is not yet known.

BMW explains the logic of this situation in simple terms: not all drivers are ready to pay for functions that they are not sure they need. The subscription can be formalized at any time - even after a long time after purchasing the car. The decision remains with the owner.
The Australian publication "Drive" reports that such a model is already being used. For example, adaptive suspension is available on some BMW models for 29 Australian dollars per month. The service for receiving information about road conditions in real time also works in the same way - here the company pays for cloud services and transfers part of the costs to the customer.

BMW previously admitted that its experiment with heated seats and steering wheel was a failure and abandoned the subscription last fall. But as the iX3 shows, the brand is moving away from the idea of ​​"on-demand functions."

Northvolt manufactured its first battery cell from 100% recycled nickel, manganese and cobalt. It has shown performance on par with its counterparts made from freshly mined metals.

Northvolt notes that all processing and manufacturing processes were carried out at the same facility at Northvolt Labs in Westeros, Sweden. This development marks a breakthrough for the battery industry and a milestone for Northvolt in its strategy to ensure a sustainable battery supply to support the decarbonization of society.

“The recycling process can recover up to 95% of the metals in a battery to a purity level comparable to fresh virgin material. We now need to increase our recycling capacity in anticipation of future battery volumes requiring recycling, ”said Emma Nehrenheim, director of environmental protection at Northvolt.

Recycled nickel, manganese and cobalt used in battery cells have been recovered from battery waste using a low-energy hydrometallurgical treatment, which involves using an aqueous solution to separate metals and separate them from impurities.

Northvolt is now looking to expand its recycling to industrial scale. To this end, it will build a separate facility for recycling batteries next to the future battery Gigafabrika in Skellefteå, Sweden. The design capacity of the factory is 125,000 tons of batteries per year, its construction will begin in the first quarter of 2022, and operation in 2023.

The recycling plant will receive materials from two sources: used batteries of electric vehicles and scrap from its own production of new batteries. Recycled materials from Revolt Ett will supply the neighboring Northvolt Ett battery plant with enough recycled metals to produce 30 GWh of batteries per year, half of the facility's total annual production.

Northvolt is a European manufacturer of battery cells and power systems. The company was founded in 2016 and has more than $ 27 billion in contracts to date with companies such as BMW, Fluence, Scania, Volkswagen, Volvo Cars and Polestar. More than 2,300 people work at Northvolt factories.

Today the launch of our website was published on the electronic news sites of Turkmenistan. This event will provide an opportunity for the Ýakyndar car market to contribute to the development of the online sales of our country.

Let us remind you that Ýakyndar is a comprehensive solution for car owners in order to find the necessary spare parts and services related to car maintenance. The main goal of which is to provide convenience to buyers for their further search and obtaining suitable auto parts in a timely manner and at affordable prices.

Read articles on the sites: Turkmenportal, TUIE, Orient.tm

Experts from Consumer Reports have compiled a list of the most reliable car manufacturers in 2026, based on the experience of more than 380,000 car owners. The research revealed the long-term durability and resistance to technical failures of various brands.

China's first electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, combining the capabilities of a car and an airplane, completed a successful test flight today in Chongqing, according to the media outlet "Greater Asia."

The innovative design, developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, consists of a ground module and a flight module that can be separated and reconnected with the simple press of a button, enabling rapid switching between modes.

In flight, the device can carry two people at an altitude of up to 3,000 m and a speed of up to 150 km/h. The space module, with its all-electric, intelligent body, has a range of over 300 km.

Now, to call a taxi, Ashgabat residents can use the short number 0555. This innovation from OJSC “Automobile Transport Services” was recently introduced to improve the urban public transport system, the official website of the “Turkmenavtotransport” agency reported.

The short number service was introduced for ease of remembering.

Another distinctive feature of this service is the constant availability of the number 0555. Each client will be able to call the dispatcher at any time of the day from the very first time - the number will never be "busy".

It is noted that the previously entered taxi numbers 76-05-01, 76-05-02, 76-05-03 will also function.

The website also lists the rates for ordering a taxi.

So, when ordering a taxi from 6.00 am to 2.00 pm, the order service will cost 7 manat, and then for each kilometer the fee will be 1 manat 20 tenge. If a taxi waits for a client for more than 2 minutes, then for each minute of waiting, the client will have to pay 70 tenge.

The service of ordering a taxi from 14.00 pm to 6.00 am will cost 9 manat, and then for each kilometer you need to pay 1 manat 44 tenge. If a taxi waits for a client for more than 2 minutes, then you will have to pay 90 tenge for each minute of waiting.

The company notes that the minimum cost of the trip will be 20 manat.

Earlier we reported that new bus routes appeared in Ashgabat.

Today, the Law of Turkmenistan "On Amendments to the Criminal Code of Turkmenistan" has been published, according to which amendments have been made to Article 326.

The article is stated as follows:

"Article 326. Violation of traffic rules and operation of vehicles

(1) Violation by a person driving a car, motorcycle or other power-driven vehicle of the rules of the road or the operation of vehicles, resulting in negligent damage on a large scale, shall be punishable by a fine in the amount of twenty-five to fifty average monthly wages with deprivation of the right to occupy certain positions or engage in certain activities for a period of up to three years or without it, or correctional labor for a period of up to two years, with or without the deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a period of up to three years.

(2) an act provided for in the first part of this section, which has involved, by negligence, the infliction of damage on a large scale, if it:

a) committed by a drunken person,

b) is associated with the abandonment of the scene, is punished with a fine in the amount of fifty to seventy-five average monthly wages with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years or without it, or correctional labor for up to two years with deprivation of the right hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a period of up to three years or without it, or imprisonment for a period of up to one year, with or without the deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a period of up to three years.

3) the act provided for in the first part of this article, which caused serious harm to human health by negligence, is punishable by a fine in the amount of fifty to one hundred average monthly wages with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years or without it, or correctional labor for up to two years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years or without it, or imprisonment for up to five years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years or without it.

(4) an act provided for in paragraph one of this article, which caused serious harm to human health by negligence, if it:

a) committed by a person who was drunk,

b) is connected with leaving the scene of an accident, is punishable by correctional labor for up to two years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years or without it, or imprisonment for up to seven years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years or without it.

(5) the act provided for in paragraph one of this article, which caused the death of a person by negligence, is punishable by imprisonment for a term of three to seven years with or without deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term of up to three years.

(6) an act provided for in paragraph one of this article, which caused the death of a person by negligence, if it:

a) committed by a person who was drunk,

b) is connected with leaving the scene of the incident, is punishable by imprisonment for a term of five to ten years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term of up to three years or without it.

(7) the act provided for in paragraph one of this article, which caused the death of two or more persons by negligence, is punishable by imprisonment for a term of five to ten years with or without deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term of up to three years.

(8) деяние, предусмотренное частью первой настоящей статьи, повлёкшее по неосторожности смерть двух или более лиц, если оно:

a) совершено лицом, которое находилось в нетрезвом состоянии,

б) связано с оставлением места происшествия, наказывается лишением свободы на срок от восьми до пятнадцати лет с лишением права занимать определённые должности или заниматься определённой деятельностью на срок до трёх лет или без такового.

Note

1. A large amount of damage in this article is recognized as damage caused in an amount exceeding seventy-five average monthly wages.

2. A person who has voluntarily compensated the damage caused in full shall be released from criminal liability provided for in parts one and two of this Article.

3. If the person who committed the act provided for in parts three, five or seven of this Article has taken all possible measures to assist the victim, the punishment may not exceed half of the maximum amount provided for by the sanction of the relevant part of this article.

4. If the person who committed the act provided for in parts two, four, six or eight of this Article left the scene of the incident to assist the victim, he cannot be held criminally liable for leaving the scene of the incident.

5. For the purposes of this article, a person who was in a state of intoxication is recognized as a person whose inebriety is determined in accordance with the legislation of Turkmenistan, or a person who evaded passing a medical examination for a state of intoxication on the established grounds and procedure at the lawful request of authorized persons."

The Law of Turkmenistan "On amendments to the Criminal Code of Turkmenistan" is published in today's newspaper "Neutral Turkmenistan" and comes into force from the date of its official publication.

Toyota has updated the Altitude model, the most suitable for off-road conditions, for 2026. Now the car's equipment has been expanded to include 18-inch wheels and an adaptive tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) for all-terrain tires. Despite the addition of the new function, the price of this version has remained unchanged.

TPMS is offered for the first time on the Altitude model with 18-inch wheels and A/T tires. Previously, the system was only available on the VX and Kakadu versions with 20-inch wheels. The Altitude now matches the Lexus GX550 Overtrail in terms of tire pressure monitoring. Although the price of all Prado models has increased by $700 due to inflation since January 1, there is no additional charge for this new feature. 

The updated Prado Altitude is currently priced at AUD 93,400 (approximately US$65,600).