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BMW i3 Shadow Sport limited edition opens a moon roof on US

Here's a bit of news for a quarter-million dollars. BMW is bringing a special edition i3 called Shadow Sport to the US for the 2016 model year. That tag refers to the special-edition Bimmers that come equipped with a moon roof, which before this was unavailable in the US. But only 50 lucky folks will get them. The Shadow Sport edition comes with a few other goodies, too, including "fluid" black paint, 19-inch alloy wheels, custom-trim interior and sport-tuned suspension, though there are no changes in the electric motor or performance. That means the same single-charge range of 81 miles, the same 0-60 miles per hour acceleration time of seven seconds flat and the same top speed of 93 miles per hour. If you experience a little slower speed and a little shorter single-charge range because you're spending too much time looking out of the moon roof, that's on you. The catch is that the model won't be available for the i3 vehicles with the gas-powered range extender, i.e. the i3 REx. The Shadow Sport will also have a price of $47,400, or $5,000 more than the base model i3. BMW's Dave Buchko told AutoblogGreen that all 50 Shadow Sports have been sold, with the first 40 selling out in the first hour or so of availability. The Shadow Sport is on display at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week. Through the first 10 months of the year, BMW sold 8,879 i3 vehicles, which was double year-earlier figures. Last month alone, though, things weren't as rosy, as October i3 sales declined 15 percent from a year earlier to 986 units. There's more information at the bottom of BMW's LA Show press release, below. BMW at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show: Making its North American Premier, BMW will showcase the all-new BMW 7 Series, all-new BMW 3 Series eDrive, all-new BMW X1 and the exclusive motorsport inspired BMW M4 GTS. BMW i will premiere BMW Laser Light, available for the first time in the US, as well as the limited edition BMW i3 Shadow Sport, featuring exclusive exterior paint color and interior design, moonroof and sport tuned suspension. Woodcliff Lake, N.J.: November 17, 2015 12:00 pm EDT /9:00 am PDT... The all-new BMW 3 Series eDrive, BMW M4 GTS, BMW X1 and the BMW 7 Series will make their North American debuts at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. In addition, BMW will feature the eDrive BMW X5 xDrive40e as well as the high-performance BMW i8, the all-electric BMW i3 and other BMW models at the BMW display.

A look back on BMW, South Carolina and Southern manufacturing

It has been 20 years since BMW broke ground on its Spartanburg, SC manufacturing facility, and while the automaker doesn't have any plans to mark the moment, economists and industry analysts have taken a closer look at the facility's impact on South Carolina, the South and global manufacturing. As of November, the Spartanburg plant's 7,000 employees cranked out 25,000 vehicles per month, and BMW has poured some $6 billion into the state since the plant opened in 1993. While that figure nearly matches the state's proposed budget for next year, some say there have been drawbacks.
To begin with, South Carolina provided BMW with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of public money and tax breaks with little public oversight, setting a precedent that would repeat itself with other corporations. The Detroit News reports that a Pew Center evaluation found 26 states didn't have a sufficient system for evaluating tax incentive performance. But BMW opened the door for a Southern manufacturing renaissance, with automakers from Mercedes-Benz to Hyundai and Volkswagen opening plants in the Deep South.
While states have raced to offer ever sweeter tax and cash incentives for big manufacturers, officials say BMW is proof the system can pay dividends. You can read the full piece here.

China probing German automakers over spare parts

The Chinese market has proven to be a boon to German luxury automakers. However, the way that the companies have allegedly been controlling their supply of spare parts has begun to draw the ire of the nation's government. According to insiders speaking to Bloomberg, officials from the country's economic planning organization have opened a probe into Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and some Japanese carmakers over claimed price inflation and limiting supply.
Specifically, the investigation centers around two aspects of how the companies do business, according to Bloomberg. Investigators want to know whether the original equipment component makers are able to sell spare parts only to automaker-authorized dealers or if they are also available to independent shops. There is also the issue of whether the price markup on replacement pieces is too high. The tight controls could be partially explained by China's reputation for producing counterfeit parts.
Evidently, the investigators haven't checked parts prices at car dealers elsewhere in the world. At least in the US, paying more at the dealer for factory components just goes along with owning a vehicle. If evidence of price fixing is found, the companies could face fines the equivalent of millions of dollars, according to Bloomberg.