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Is BMW ready to increase i8 production?

The BMW i8 plug-in hybrid is really fast. But the car is getting to customers really slowly. The German automaker might be doing something about that. Bimmer executive Ian Robertson, speaking with reports at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week, commented on the high demand for the super-PHEV and said the company may step up production in Germany, Automotive News Europe says. That's because the wait list for the i8 is approaching 18 months in some global markets. And Robertson would like to get that timeframe down to about six months. No details were disclosed about how fast the i8 is being produced or how much faster that production rate may get. The i8, which retails for about $135,000, started sales in Europe in June and in the US two months later. As for the smaller, slower i3 electric vehicle, BMW is making about 2,000 units a month, and wait lists are down to about four months. Part of the reason for that is because BMW shifted distribution rates for that model towards the US to meet higher-than-expected demand from stateside consumers and slow German sales. Through the end of October in the US, BMW had sold almost 4,300 i3 vehicles and 271 i8 models, including 204 i8 units last month alone.

BMW shows up-armored X5 concept and we can't get near it

BMW has brought a slightly different concept vehicle to the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. Rather than something that foreshadows a future product or a new design direction, the Munich-based manufacturer has brought an X5 that's designed to be shot at. It's called the Concept X5 Security Plus. The Concept X5 name is a bit misleading, though. It's based on the 2014 X5, while BMW already builds an armored CUV, called the X5 Security. The concept tag has to do with the "Security Plus" part.
Engineered to be compliant with VR6 security standards - the current X5 Security is for VR4 standards - the Concept X5 will quite happily shrug off direct attacks from an AK-47. Thanks to sealed joints, high-strength steel moldings, high-performance steel body panels and special, polycarbonate-coated security glass, Kalashnikov's finest, whether used as a firearm or as a melee weapon, would be useless against this X5.
Built alongside the standard X5 in BMW's Spartanburg, SC factory, the X5 is shipped to a BMW facility in Toluca, Mexico for installation of the armor and security features. The company claims this delivers a more thoroughly engineered protective solution than aftermarket retrofitting.

BMW reclaims US luxury sales crown from Mercedes

The numbers, they are in: BMW has reclaimed the luxury-sales crown from Mercedes by a margin of 9,347 cars. Mercedes donned the king's headgear in 2013 after a strong final quarter of 2013 when the new CLA and S-Class poured out of dealerships. This year, led by the 3 Series/4 Series and X5, BMW sold 339,738 units – a 9.8-percent increase year-on-year. Mercedes, led by the C-Class and M-Class, saw its sales go up by 5.7 percent to 330,391 units. We'll have to wait a bit to see if there's another registrations-vs-sales challenge as in 2012, when BMW was anointed US luxury ruler. Behind them, a dark horse named Lexus nudged closer to the leading Teutons, selling 311,389 cars. The Japanese luxury automaker also had the biggest gain among the top three, its sales rising by 13.7 percent compared to 2013. Audi had the biggest sales of anyone among the top five, though, with a 15.2-percent gain to 182,011, which moved it a spot ahead of Cadillac; the Wreath-and-Crest brand dropped 6.5 percent to 170,750. Acura (167,843), Infiniti (117,300), and Lincoln (94,474) took the final positions. Speaking of Lincoln, sales at the once-mighty luxury marque stand as the mightiest jump of any on this list, up 15.6 percent. That's the power of Matthew McConaughey... and better cars and a new crossover, sure. So now that we're back to Round One of 2015, in case no one else has said it yet: "Ok, fight!"