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Mercedes leads in US luxury car thefts

Mercedes-Benz makes some fine automobiles. The Silver Arrow'd cars are so good, apparently, that thieves can't help but try to steal them. The German brand is at the top of the charts for luxury car thefts in the US, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, with New York City leading the way. (And those New Yorkers complain about Detroit being bad!)
The C-Class was the most stolen model, with 485 ganked between 2009 and 2012 in NYC alone, while the E-Class and S-Class (which also boasted the worst recovery rate, at 59 percent) both finished in the top ten. Following the C-Class was the BMW 3 Series and Infiniti G. Not surprisingly, each of these were the most common models in their respective lineups. Los Angeles and Miami are also prime hotspots for luxury car thefts, according to the Detroit News report.
While getting your car stolen is pretty awful, there was one inspiring statistic compiled by the NICB - the average recovery rate across the board was 84 percent, with the Cadillac CTS getting recovered 91 percent of the time.

2015 BMW i8 offers you a fast ride to the future for $135,700* [w/video]

BMW's long-form teasing and rollout of its incredibly cool i8 has put us in a unique position to report from its world debut here in Frankfurt. Typically, an auto show debut marks just the start of the information dump about a new vehicle. The i8, however, is a car that we've already driven and reviewed, so perhaps the biggest news from the show floor is the official price of the thing, as well as getting to see it live and in person, of course.
Arriving in US showrooms in the spring of 2014, the i8 performance plug-in hybrid will carry a price tag of $135,700 (*not including $925 for destination and handling charges). That kind of cash puts the i8 near the very top of the BMW range (slotting just under the top-trim 7-Series models), and will buy a massive amount of new technology.
The four-seat i8 has the look of a true supercar, and its new-tech drivetrain will offer up the performance of a stirring sports car, at least. A TwinPower Turbo, three-cylinder, 1.5-liter engine will make 231 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque that's gets sent to the rear wheels, while a 96-kilowatt electric motor doles out 131 hp and 184 lb-ft of maximum torque to the fronts. Total system output of 362 hp and 420 lb-ft allows the i8 to sprint to 62 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds with all-wheels-driven handling, and it still returns an astonishing 94 miles per gallon US.

BMW builds awesome M4 GTS safety car and racing wheelchair

BMW has developed two very different, but equally impressive wheeled vehicles recently. The first is the new M4 GTS Safety Car, specially prepared to serve Germany's popular and highly competitive DTM touring car series. It packs 500 horsepower and trick water-injection tech, just like the other 700 road-going examples of the GTS. Unlike the street version, it features key upgrades like special LED lighting, radio communication equipment, and special livery, as well as the no-cost optional Clubsport pack that includes six-point racing harnesses, roll cage, and fire extinguisher. The other new BMW doesn't have an engine, but is highly impressive nonetheless. It's a racing wheelchair created by BMW DesignWorks. Stemming from the automaker's partnership with the United States Olympic Committee, it features carbon-fiber construction and has been streamlined for aerodynamic efficiency. Members of the US Paralympics Track and Field team will help further develop the wheelchair before using it at the upcoming games in Rio de Janeiro. We wouldn't be surprised if longtime BMW driver Alex Zanardi helped in its development as well, even if he'll be competing for Italy at the Paralympic Games this year. Related Video: New high-performance special model BMW M4 GTS to be employed as a safety car at the DTM in 2016. Special models from the BMW M's mid-range series with even better performance and radically designed for high-level driving dynamics have enjoyed a lasting tradition at BMW M Division for decades now. The latest example is the BMW M4 GTS. BMW M has opted for a particularly spectacular way of drawing the public's attention: The BMW M4 GTS is to become the official DTM safety car during the 2016 season. Munich , 28th April 2016. Special models from the BMW M's mid-range series with even better performance and radically designed for high-level driving dynamics have enjoyed a lasting tradition at BMW M Division for decades now. The latest example is the BMW M4 GTS, which is limited to 700 units (combined fuel consumption: 8.5 l/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 199 g/km)*. In order to provide formidable proof of this elite sports car's outstanding performance qualities, BMW M has opted for a particularly spectacular way of drawing the public's attention: The BMW M4 GTS is to become the official DTM safety car during the 2016 season. The demands on such a lead car at the most popular international touring car series are high.