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BMW, Sixt carsharing making money most places

The DriveNow carsharing service, which is a partnership between BMW and Sixt, is growing quite rapidly. "We've been surprised about the explosion of new subscriptions, which has helped boost revenue," says Sixt CEO Erich Sixt. The number of DriveNow users has increased from 215,000 at the end of last year to 300,000 today. Sixt says that DriveNow has been profitable in cities in which it has been established for over a year. Perhaps encouraged by its unexpected success, DriveNow is set to expand even further. The service is currently available in five German cities, as well as in San Francisco, California, and the involved parties are considering a five-year plan to expand to 25 more cities in Europe and the US. Still, Sixt expects DriveNow to report a "small-to-medium, single-digit" loss for this year, according to Sixt CFO Julian zu Putlitz. It's no big deal, just the result of startup costs in new areas. Sixt, which is Germany's largest car rental company, also reported that its own second-quarter income rose 12 percent to $37.7 million, while sales rose 7.6 percent to $585.78 million. DriveNow uses a membership and pay-per-minute model that allows customers to rent BMW and Mini vehicles as they need them. The service also acts as a way to let potential customers try out the vehicles and familiarize themselves with the brands before they buy cars of their own at some point. Depending on the location, DriveNow's fleet includes the BMW 1 Series, ActiveE and X1, as well as several Mini vehicles like the Cooper, Clubman and Countryman. Featured Gallery 2012 BMW ActiveE: First Drive View 31 Photos News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Copyright 2014 AOL Green BMW MINI car sharing profit revenue drivenow sixt

BMW Concept Active Tourer Outdoor enjoys a day in the sun

This BMW Concept Active Tourer has evolved for the nature and cycling set and premiered at OutDoor Friedrichshafen, a trade fair in held this month in Germany. The sturdy wagon is tweaked with new materials, accessories and ConnectedDrive features for those who do a lot of their living under the sky as opposed to inside their cars.
Under the hood is the same plug-in hybrid drive system we've were introduced to in 2012, featuring a transversely-mounted, 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor and a battery pack under the rear compartment floor. Total output is 190 horsepower and 147 pound-feet of torque headed to the front wheels, a claimed time from zero to 62 of under eight seconds, a pure electric range of up to 19 miles, a top speed of 124 miles per hour and claimed fuel economy of around 95 US miles per gallon.
The space behind the rear seats is the showcase, with a transformable compartment that can stow two bikes on built-in, retractable carriers. Remove the front wheel and seat from the bikes, then the frames can be locked into place using two rails and brackets. The wheels can be stowed in a holder attached to the right rear seat, the saddles can go into a compartment in the load floor. If you need to make a quick adjustment or a fix, you can do so since the bikes are aligned across the load bay.

BMW confirms new Mexican plant

After over a year of speculation, BMW is finally officially announcing that it's building a factory in Mexico. The new plant will cost the German automaker roughly $1 billion US and will have a capacity of about 150,000 vehicles a year when complete. However, production won't begin there until 2019.
The new factory is being built near the city of San Luis Potosí, Mexico, with plans to employ about 1,500 people. Unfortunately, BMW is still mum about which models it's producing south of the border. Earlier rumors indicated the possibility of the 3 Series, 1 Series and maybe even Mini models there.
BMW says Mexico's multiple free trade agreements are a major factor in the choice of location of the plant. They make it possible for the automaker to ship models more cheaply to North America, parts of South America and the European Union. "The Americas are among the most important growth markets for the BMW Group. We are continuing our strategy of 'production follows the market,'" said Harald Krueger, the board's head of production, in the company's official announcement.