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As US exports top 2 million, is America becoming the world's source of cheap cars?

North American auto production is booming with 2014 figures just shy of the of the 17.3-million vehicle record set in 2000. With more models being built on the continent, even more are being shipped overseas. Factories in the US exported 2.1 million cars last year – the highest number ever. About half of those went to Canada and Mexico, but more than ever have been heading to places like the Middle East and China. The upswing comes in part from from after-effects from the Great Recession, according to The Wall Street Journal. With a weak dollar and lower production costs after the financial crisis, building vehicles in the US was relatively cheaper and more competitive in the world. At the same time buyers around the world are going crazy for crossovers. According to the WSJ, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are already exporting the majority of their US production of these models overseas. Both automakers have also announced investments to expand production further here to send more vehicles abroad. Even Honda has been shipping more models out of the country than it imported here. There is a concern this international strength could start slowing because the dollar is strengthening against other currencies, though it's too early to know what the actual effect of this could be, according to the WSJ. "Of course, we closely watch currency exchange, but we don't make changes in production or allocation based on temporary fluctuations in the exchange rate," Ford North American boss Joe Hinrichs told the newspaper. Related Video: News Source: The Wall Street Journal - sub. req.Image Credit: BMW Plants/Manufacturing BMW Ford Honda Mercedes-Benz exports us auto production

BMW i3 REx rated at 117 MPGe, 39 mpg with 72-mile EV range

The numbers haven't made their digital way to the EPA's website yet, but we can now confirm that the BMW i3 with range extender will be officially rated at a combined 117 MPGe with 39 mpg once the battery runs out. That puts the amazing little city car just ahead of the pure-electric Fiat 500e (116 MPGE, combined) and behind the Honda Fit EV (118) and the Chevy Spark EV (119). In the plug-in hybrid category, it's at the top of the class, beating out the Honda Accord PHEV, which is rated at 115 MPGe but is also a much bigger vehicle. The i3 REx also has an official all-electric range of 72 miles and can go another 78 on gas (for a total of 150). When it's not carrying around the extra fuel tank and engine, the all-electric i3 gets 124 MPGe (combined), which is the currently the highest in the US. The i3 EV also has an all-electric range of 81 miles. BMW expects to deliver the first i3 REx in the US this week and delivered the first all-electric version earlier this month. There was a bit of a hold-up on the range-extender version thanks to a delay with getting these EPA numbers. Now that all the bureaucratic boxes have been checked, it's off to customer driveways they go.

Watch Emily Blunt and John Krasinski prank Jimmy Kimmel's SUV

Jimmy Kimmel has a bit of a rivalry going with Emily Blunt and John Krasinski. Not like the "I'm on television, you're on the radio" one he has with his former Man Show co-host Adam Carolla (who of course has more to do with cars than the last name he almost shares with a Toyota economy sedan). With Blunt and Krasinski, it's more of a prank rivalry. The Hollywood couple, you see, live across the street from Kimmel, and they're all good friends. But come the holiday season, things get a little competitive. One year they broke into Jimmy's house and left an illuminated snowman and some sort of santa bear in his foyer. Jimmy retaliated, the Krasinskis escalated, and up and up things went until Jimmy had their entire house wrapped like a gift. John and Emily weren't going to leave it at that, though, and took things in a decidedly more automotive direction. They gift-wrapped the host's BMW X5 and filled it with balls. But they didn't stop there. You'll want to watch the footage above to see how things ended, just take note of the roll cage visible as Krasinski-Clause stumbles out of the car in that last scene and remember that, while we couldn't say no vehicles were actually harmed in the making of this segment, at least it doesn't appear to have actually been Kimmel's.