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Audi and Mercedes both outsell BMW in January

There won't be any celebrations in Munich this month, as BMW was outsold by arch-nemeses Audi and Mercedes-Benz. The Bavarian company finished behind Audi in January, which took the top spot for the first time since June of last year, Bloomberg reports. Ingolstadt rode high on a 10-percent bump in sales, while Mercedes saw a larger 14 percent increase. BMW, meanwhile, only saw a modest 6.3-percent sales increase last month, thanks in large part to its struggles in China. The company's sales there increased at about half the rate of its chief competitors, with a 7.9-percent jump to Mercedes and Audi's roughly 15-percent increases. Perhaps more worrying for BMW, though, is that this could become something of a trend for the company. According to Bloomberg, issues with Chinese dealers who cancelled orders over sales targets and bonuses combined with what the publication calls aging models, could spell bad news for the German marque. "This looks like a pretty significant decline in growth compared to Mercedes and Audi," Bankhaus Metzler analyst Juergen Pieper told Bloomberg. "I think this will continue during the next few months." News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Matthias Schrader / AP Earnings/Financials Audi BMW Mercedes-Benz

Bond in Motion car exhibit coming to L.A.'s Petersen Automotive Museum

The Petersen Automotive Museum was already a must-see for any car enthusiast visiting Los Angeles, and it's about to get a little better should you also be a James Bond fan. Opening Sept. 25 in the museum's appropriately named Grand Salon gallery will be the "Bond in Motion" exhibit of more than 30 cars, motorcycles, boats, submarines, helicopters and scale models used during the creation of the 24 official James Bond films. The timing corresponds with the Oct. 8 release of "No Time to Die," the upcoming 60th anniversary of the first Bond movie ... and hey, the release of our "All 24 James Bond movies ranked only by their cars." Highlights include many of the most famous Bond cars, including a 1977 Lotus Esprit S1 in submarine guise from "The Spy Who Loved Me," an Aston Martin V8 from "The Living Daylights," a 1999 BMW Z8 from "The World is Not Enough," the Aston Martin DB10 specially made for "Spectre," the post-flipped Aston Martin DBS from "Casino Royale," and one of the 1964 Aston Martin DB5s from the recent movies. I visited an exhibit of the same name back in 2013 at England's sensational Beaulieu Motor Museum. Although the one in L.A. won't be as comprehensive as that, simply due to logistics, many of the same vehicles and props will be present. You can see some of the photos from that exhibit below, and should you be a James Bond fan, can appreciate that it went much further than the Aston-heavy headliners above. In fact, it was hard to see what was missing from the collection. Tickets are on sale for the opening reception Sept. 23 featuring "one-night-only photo opportunities, live entertainment, food and martinis, shaken not stirred." Considering this is Los Angeles we're talking about, it's perfectly plausible this means noteworthy cast members from past films. Prices are $60 for general admission and $199 for VIP access, which includes exclusive access to the exhibit, "007 lounge" and a curated talk, plus complimentary food and a hosted bar.  The exhibit runs until October 2022.  AMC Hornet and Mercury Cougar XR7 View 22 Photos  

Car designer Frank Stephenson wants to show you something ... smaller

Influential car designer Frank Stephenson has often thought small. Now he’s thinking smaller. Throughout the past three decades, he has shaped — literally — some of the most indelible designs in automotive history: the modern Mini, the Ferrari FXX track star, the Maserati Gran Sport, a range of stunning McLarens and down to the funky 21st-century version of the Fiat 500. Now heÂ’s turned his pen to fashioning watches. His Cosmos analog piece, made to mirror “a black hole in space” and detailed “with an orange pinstripe which simulates the supernova glow of a neutron star,” features a Japan-built quartz movement and was created in concert with the Time Concepts company. “ItÂ’s the age-old adage ‘car people are watch people,Â’ so it was a natural step for me to get creative with timepieces too,” Stephenson said in a statement. “The collection showcases the love I have for exceptional and emotionally charged design, just like what is required in designing world class cars.” While Stephenson, who is 64, may be best known publicly for his vision of “affordable style” with the Mini and the Fiat, his ethos also translated to the utilitarian. In the case of BMW in the mid-1990s, the company was hustling to market an SUV, and turned to him for inspiration. His team had six months to complete the project. The result was the high-end X5, which Stephenson sketched during a two-hour flight. In 2018, Stephenson established the independent design company, Frank Stephenson Design, based in London. Related video: Design/Style BMW Ferrari Fiat Maserati McLaren MINI Gadgets watch frank stephenson