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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.

Mercedes fights off late BMW surge to claim 2013 luxury sales crown

The king is dead - long live the king. Mercedes-Benz is now your new US sales champion in the fiercely competitive luxury market, deposing the champ BMW, which has enjoyed annual supremacy for the past two years.
Thanks in no small part to the dynamite launch of the new, affordable CLA-Class, not to mention a redesigned E-Class and hot-selling S-Class, Mercedes moved 33,007 units in December alone, while sales in 2013 were up 14 percent, to 312,534. BMW, meanwhile, managed to sell 309,280 units in 2013. It was far from a sure thing for the Stuttgart-based brand, though, as BMW managed to nearly halve its rival's sales lead heading into the last month of 2013.
"We saw record sales, flexed our muscles across the entire product line from top to bottom and brought the customer experience to an all-time high," said Steve Cannon, Mercedes USA's CEO. While we don't have individual figures, it seems at first blush that the CLA was really the car that pushed Mercedes over the top.

Next-gen Mini could sire 10 different models including PHEV

The first generation of the reimagined, BMW-backed Mini was a simple things, confined to two body styles - hatchback and four-seat convertible. It wasn't until the second-generation platform came along that Mini began truly expanding, offering a long-wheelbase model, a roadster, a coupe, a five-door crossover, and a three-door, um, thing?
BMW is aiming for 10 to 12 different vehicles from just two brands off one platform.
According to an interview between Automotive News Europe and the BMW board member that oversees Mini, Peter Schwarzenbauer, the funky British brand will be expanding far beyond the seven body styles it currently offers. "With the new ULK architecture, we currently have in mind eight to 10 models," Schwarzenbauer told ANE. That architecture he mentions, will also underpin the BMW 1 Series GT and the BMW X1, meaning that BMW is aiming for 10 to 12 different vehicles from just two brands off one platform (and that's only what we know about).