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BMW raises pricing on many models

Buyers interested in a new BMW will start paying a bit more for their Ultimate Driving Machines, beginning yesterday. The Munich, Germany-based manufacturer has announced price hikes across nearly its entire range, covering model years 2013 and 2014, that will sting higher-end customers in particular.
Price increases are enough to get any consumer riled up, but the incremental nature of BMW's increase makes it a bit easier to swallow. All 1 Series and remaining 3 Series Convertibles (including the M3 Convertible) will see a $300 increase in price. All current-generation F30 3 Series, 5 Series GT and X3 crossovers will get their price bumped by $200. $500 increases are coming for the 6 Series range (not including the M6), while the diminutive X1 gets just a $100 increase.
Cars on the losing end of the price hikes include the newest M cars, the M5 and M6 Coupe, Convertible and Gran Coupe, which are being bumped $2,000. BMW is adding $1,000 to the sticker of all Z4s and the entire X6 range, including the X6M.

Next BMW 6 Series, M6 to take aim at Porsche

Since BMW reintroduced the 6 Series line back in 2003, the big two-door has happily sat as the brand's de facto grand tourer. That will allegedly change come 2017, as Car is reporting that Munich will put its coupe on a diet with the so-called G15 generation, allowing the 6 to go after the likes of Porsche. All three of the current 6's body styles will be carried over for 2017, with the base 640i Coupe trimming over 500 pounds of body fat, to around 3,450 pounds. Even the droptop is getting some lipo, dropping from 4,255 to around 3,750 pounds. It's unclear how much the Gran Coupe will be lightened, as it will be the only member of the 6 Series family that's growing in size. BMW will stretch the wheelbase of its fullsize, four-door coupe, which should make it decidedly more sedan like. The weight savings come thanks to a new modular architecture that promises a "more advanced material mix." That means carbon fiber, high-strength steel and aluminum elements, and even some titanium and magnesium bits. Along with xDrive all-wheel drive, Car is promising new six- and eight-cylinder engines, with the 640i's 3.0-liter, turbocharged gas engine producing 347 horsepower while the diesel mill turns out 333. The 4.4-liter V8 of the 650i will deliver 476 ponies, while the range-topping M6's twin-turbo V8 will reach the magical 600-hp figure. Of course, we can expect to hear more about the next 6 in the coming months and years. In the meantime, though, let us know what you think of Car's positing below, in Comments.

Mercedes says it's tops in luxury sales for 2012, not BMW

It turns out that Mercedes-Benz North America has legitimate claim to being the top selling luxury nameplate in the US in 2012.
While sources such as Autodata had put BMW in the top spot, registration data from R.L. Polk shows that Mercedes customers registering new vehicles topped the Bavarian automaker in the most recent calendar year. Polk says Benz posted 274,123 registrations, compared with BMW's 268,498.
In terms of sales posted, BMW had bested Benz 281,460 to 274,134. But sales are recorded somewhat inconsistently from automaker to automaker. Some book the sales as soon as they are shipped from factory to dealer. There is perennial gamesmanship between the two German rivals, and the sales numbers suggest that BMW pushed out some extra sheetmetal to dealers in the last four weeks of the year.