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The Tesla Model S was the best-selling EV of 2015

According to numbers crunched over at Hybrid Cars, the Tesla Model S was the best selling pure electric vehicle last year with 50,366 deliveries. These numbers might not tell the whole story, since Tesla reports deliveries made in 2015 that might have been sold in a different calendar year, while other makers are tallying sales. However, it's inarguable that the Model S ended up in more worldwide driveways than the second-place Nissan Leaf, which did about 43,000 sales. In the US alone, Leaf sales were down 42.8 percent year-on-year, from 30,200 in 2014 to 17,269 last year, and that decline also increased throughout the year. That marks a great finish to a great start to 2015, when Tesla took the lead in EV sales in the US for the first quarter. On top of that, as of last year the Model S becomes the second-best selling EV ever, with 107,148 deliveries since the middle of 2012. It trails the Nissan Leaf, with well over 200,000 worldwide sales. The Chevrolet Volt/Opel Ampera combo takes a close third, with about 106,000 sales. The Nissan and Chevy rivals both launched at the end of 2010, a 16-month head start on the Tesla. Down the charts, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV which continues to be forbidden fruit for our market notched 39,000 sales. The BYD Qin PHEV sold 31,898 examples in China, and BYD would take the overall victory from Tesla with 58,728 deliveries if you counted all of its EV and PHEV production, such as its electric buses. The BMW i3 nabbed fourth place with 24,057 global sales. In 2011 the Munich automaker said it wanted to sell 30,000 i3s annually by 2014, but by the time the car launched the company considered 15,000 annual sales 'great for now,' so the 2015 number seems a fine place to wind up. Related Video: News Source: Hybrid Cars Green BMW Chevrolet Mitsubishi Nissan Tesla

Is the BMW i8 actually already sold out?

The other day we brought you a report from Reuters, which quoted BMW's global sales chief Ian Robertson as saying that the Bavarian automaker had already sold out the entire year's production run of its new i8. Impressive, sure, but perhaps not all that unusual for a groundbreaking new sportscar from a major automaker, of which only limited quantities are typically built. But is the i8 really sold out?
Our compatriots at Car and Driver chased down the story and report that Robertson's claims aren't exactly accurate. According to C/D, the numbers are based on sales projections, not actual orders taken. So while BMW may build upwards of 1,900 i8 coupes next year and over 5,000 in 2015, and while they're all expected to sell, that doesn't mean that it's too late to get your order in. That is, assuming you have the $135k on hand and don't mind getting just three cylinders back in return.

Reverse-engineering i3 shows BMW profits after 20,000 sales

"This is, without a question of a doubt, the most advanced vehicle on the planet. It's as revolutionary as the Model T was when it came out." That is exceptionally high praise, and it's not even being heaped on one of the million-dollar hybrid hypercars from Ferrari or McLaren. It's not even being attributed to a particularly zealous Tesla fan. Nope, it's coming from a mustachioed man in suburban Detroit, and he's discussing a $42,400 BMW hatchback with Forbes. Of course, said hatchback is the revolutionary i3, and Sandy Munro's statements carry some degree of authority, as his company is tearing apart and analyzing every little nut, washer and bolt on the four-seat EV. Munro's eponymous company performs reverse-engineering analysis, meaning they rip apart brand new cars and sell the information to the world's automakers, saving OEM's both time and money. The most interesting thing it has discovered thus far? That even with the high costs of two of the i3's most important elements – carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic and lithium-ion batteries – his company's analysis shows that BMW need only sell about 20,000 units a year to turn a profit, Forbes reports. While Munro's company is often contracted by automakers, he's gone it alone on the i3 project, dropping about $1 million into in-depth analysis. That's a lot of money, but the company should be able to turn around and sell its findings for about $500,000, with a batch of Chinese automakers already queued up and ready to buy. Analysis of individual i3 components will also be available from a sort of a la carte menu. To see what it is about the i3 that has Munro speaking so highly of it, head over to the Forbes website and check out the feature article and video on the reverse-engineering process. Featured Gallery 2014 BMW i3: First Drive View 33 Photos News Source: ForbesImage Credit: Copyright 2015 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Green BMW Hatchback Electric Sandy Munro