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BMW is the US auto industry's leading exporter

Which automaker do you think ships the most cars out of North America, one of the Detroit Three or perhaps one of the Japanese automakers? Nope. It turns out the BMW's Spartanburg, SC, factory is the biggest automotive exporter from the continent in the United States. According to a recent profile by Bloomberg looking at the plant's 20th anniversary, Bimmer's southern ops sends out more vehicles than all of Michigan combined.
When the Spartanburg factory opened up in 1994, its success was hardly assured, largely because of South Carolina's relatively small economy at the time. However, BMW picked the site because of its proximity to East Coast shipping that made it easier to move engines and transmission in from Germany and export vehicles back to Europe, according to Bloomberg. The Bavarians clearly made the right choice.
Today, the plant has developed into an absolute powerhouse. The factory currently assembles the X3, X4, X5 and X6 and exports about 70 percent of the vehicles built there. Things are only getting better. BMW is investing $1 billion through 2016 to boost annual production from the current 300,000 units up to 450,000 and to build a new flagship crossover called X7. The expansion also adds a further 800 jobs there to take total employment up to about 8,800. Including the latest financing, BMW has put over $7.3 billion into the factory since it opened, notes Bloomberg.

Feds greenlight BMW X5 diesel sales for 2016 [UPDATE]

Update: The EPA also confirmed that the 2016 X5 diesel passed the tests in a statement: "EPA and the California Air Resources Board certified BMW's 2016 diesel X5. EPA is performing additional screening when it conducts confirmatory emissions tests before issuing a certificate. Our screening tests found no evidence of a defeat device in the 2016 BMW X5, concluding our certification review." The 2016 BMW X5 xDrive35d is the latest diesel model to pass rigorous emissions tests by the Environmental Protection Agency and prove that it doesn't circumvent regulations with a defeat device. The luxury SUV can now go on sale to customers, and BMW spokesman Hector Arellano-Belloc confirms to Autoblog the first of them should arrive at dealers around late January. The automaker previously delayed production of the new model at the Spartanburg plant until the EPA completed certification. Following Volkswagen's emissions cheating, the EPA, California Air Resources Board, and Environment Canada began stricter testing for diesel vehicles to ensure that they met regulations. The first models to get the additional scrutiny were the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon with the Duramax engine, and they passed with no problems. According to Reuters, the X5 diesel was the only other non-VW from the 2016 model year that the agencies needed to certify with this more rigorous evaluation. The 2016 X5 xDrive 35d starts at $58,695 after the $995 destination charge. A 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine sends 255 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque through an eight-speed automatic to the all-wheel drive system. BMW claims that the vehicle can reach 60 miles per hour in 6.5 seconds, and the 2015 model carries an EPA fuel economy rating of 24 miles per gallon city, 31 mpg highway, and 27 mpg combined. Related Video:

1959 Ferrari 250 GT California sells for nearly $18M, exceeding expectations

RM Sotheby's just wrapped up its auction in New York, where it sold off a pair of gorgeous silver roadsters, with one of them selling for the incredible price of $17.99 million. That car was a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California that we covered previously, and Sotheby's was only expecting it to go for between $14 million and $17 million. Apparently someone felt the car's rare aluminum construction and racing history was worth the extra cash. View 11 Photos The other roadster went for considerably less money but was notable because of its previous owner, late Apple CEO Steve Jobs. The car is a 2000 BMW Z8 that the tech mogul had for around three years. The final sale price only met expectations, though, at $329,500. The original auction estimate was between $300,000 and $400,000. Related Video: Featured Gallery 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione by Scaglietti View 30 Photos Image Credit: Diana Varga courtesy of RM Sotheby's, RM Sotheby's Celebrities BMW Ferrari Auctions Convertible Racing Vehicles Performance Classics bmw z8 ferrari 250 gt california