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Mercedes leads in US luxury car thefts

Mercedes-Benz makes some fine automobiles. The Silver Arrow'd cars are so good, apparently, that thieves can't help but try to steal them. The German brand is at the top of the charts for luxury car thefts in the US, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, with New York City leading the way. (And those New Yorkers complain about Detroit being bad!)
The C-Class was the most stolen model, with 485 ganked between 2009 and 2012 in NYC alone, while the E-Class and S-Class (which also boasted the worst recovery rate, at 59 percent) both finished in the top ten. Following the C-Class was the BMW 3 Series and Infiniti G. Not surprisingly, each of these were the most common models in their respective lineups. Los Angeles and Miami are also prime hotspots for luxury car thefts, according to the Detroit News report.
While getting your car stolen is pretty awful, there was one inspiring statistic compiled by the NICB - the average recovery rate across the board was 84 percent, with the Cadillac CTS getting recovered 91 percent of the time.

BMW and Samsung enter expanded battery agreement [w/video]

What's good for the goose is good for the gander. In this case, the goose is BMW and the gander is Samsung. And their five-year plan has worked out well. The German automaker this week expanded its current agreement with the South Korean battery-making giant. BMW and Samsung SDI reached a memorandum of understanding for Samsung to keep making batteries for BMW's growing stable of i3 battery-electric and i8 plug-in hybrids as well as yet-to-be revealed hybrid models. No dollar amount or new time frame was revealed, but with BMW already moving about 5,400 i3 vehicles during the first six months of the year, there should be a substantial amount of funds changing hands. BMW started working with Samsung in 2009 when it began buying batteries for its Megacity electric vehicle from SB LiMotive, a 50-50 joint-venture between Samsung SDI and Bosch. Things have been looking up for Samsung since last August, when Tesla Motors decided to diversify its battery supply chain by branching out beyond Panasonic and buying some of its lithium-ion batteries from Samsung. Feel free to check out the Samsung-Bimmer press release, along with a video report, below. BMW Group and Samsung SDI expand partnership BMW Group and Samsung SDI expand partnership: Signing of a memorandum of understanding for delivery of further battery cells in signing of MoU for delivery of further battery cells Seoul. The BMW Group and Samsung SDI plan to expand their supply relationship for battery cells for electro-mobility. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to this effect today in Seoul. Samsung SDI will supply the BMW Group with battery cells for the BMW i3, BMW i8 and additional hybrid models over the coming years. The most important elements of the agreement are the increase in quantities delivered over the medium term, in response to growing demand for electro-mobility, and further technological development of battery cells. Dr. Klaus Draeger, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Purchasing and Supplier Network: "Our partnership with Samsung SDI is a good example of successful Korean-German cooperation on innovative technologies. The battery is a key component in every electric vehicle – since it basically determines the range and performance capabilities of the car.

BMW i3 EV continues to shed camouflage

As BMW gets closer to introducing the production version of its plug-in i3, we keep seeing the hatchback being tested with lessening degrees of design-obscuring camouflage. Last we heard, BMW is expecting to have the i3 ready by the end of this year, and the swirly, blue camo does little to hide its basic design in these latest spy shots.
We get our first clear look at almost everything above the wavy beltline including the silver roof edges and matching mirror caps, and it can't hide the dip in the beltline behind the B-pillar - matching what we've already seen on the i3 Coupe Concept unveiled at the LA Auto Show last year. Another change we notice is the lower portion of camo removed from the front fascia allowing us to see the air opening and the black, vertical inserts leading up to the fog light bezels. Judging by the "Hybrid Test Vehicle" stickers on the side of this prototype, we can only assume that this is the optional range-extended model.