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Here's how Detroit is selling more luxury vehicles than Germany and Japan

Now there's an attention-grabbing headline, eh? Although the answer to the riddle - pickup trucks and SUVs - might be somehow deflating, the numbers involved deserve a going over. According to TrueCar's figures (click on the table to enlarge), six of the year's ten best-selling vehicles in the US that sell for a transaction price above $50,000 are body-on-frame, and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class is the only foreigner to crack the top five. Every enthusiast knows that pickup trucks are 'Murica's most popular vehicle by a colossal margin, and there have been plenty of reports about the popularity of luxuriously appointed trucks and SUVs, but compare these figures from TrueCar: 70 percent of Chevrolet Tahoe sales have a transaction price above $50K, and The Bowtie is expected to make $3.9 billion in revenue on 66,945 predicted high-dollar sales; 95.1 percent of E-Class sales break $50K, so the German company will make $4.0 billion on 67,006 predicted sales in that pricing sphere. It's about the only time you'll see the Tahoe ranked right next to Mercedes' bread-and-butter sedan. Ram is ahead of those two with $4.2B coming from $50K-plus sales. The Ford F-Series does almost as much revenue as the next three combined, with an expected $10.8 billion coming from sales of trucks over $50K - more than a quarter of the model's total sales, when a base F-150 can be had for about $26,000. Yes, the Germans make a lot more money on fewer sales, but considering the comparison, the bottom line isn't too troubled by such facts. Weighing like-for-like, the full-size Ford walks it in every category; elsewhere, the Chevrolet Silverado outsells the Ram, but the Ram outsells the Chevy by 6.7 percent above $50K. And for all the flak GMC takes over swapping out grilles, the Sierra also outsells the Chevy in the well-appointed segment, 16.1 percent of sales versus 11 percent – the Professional Grade brand is a huge profit center for The General. You'll find more info in the TrueCar press release below. TrueCar finds pickup trucks far outsell premium brands among top 10 vehicles over $50,000 Ford F-Series pickup sales over $50,000 surpass combined BMW 3, 5, 7 Series luxury car sales SANTA MONICA, Calif. (December 10, 2014) - TrueCar, Inc., the negotiation-free car buying and selling platform, finds mainstream pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles dominate U.S.

BMW celebrates its awesome '80s M535i

BMW recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of the M5 with a very limited, special edition of the super sedan. And even before the original version was transporting German executives at ludicrous speeds down the Autobahn, the folks in the M department tried their hand at improving the 5 Series with the M535i. Only offered in 1980 and 1981, the company made just 1,650 of these top-spec models, but they sowed the seeds for the future. In this video looking back at the M535i, you really see the automaker from a completely different era. As an outgrowth of the company's touring car racing efforts, the special model packs a 3.5-liter inline-six rated at 218 horsepower, a powertrain capable of accelerating the M535i to 62 miles per hour in 7.5 seconds via a dogleg five-speed gearbox. This take on the 5 Series is also a visual treat because it mixes the standard version's skinny A-pillar and thick C-pillar styling with some era-specific upgrades. The corduroy-covered Recaro seats and groovy multicolor stripes down the side, on the air dam and at the rear are especially fun touches. While the video's announcer is a bit dull, there's nothing boring about this rare, vintage BMW. Take a trip back in time with this clip, it's a nice bookend to the Petrolicious E28 5 Series family video we showed you yesterday. News Source: BMW via YouTube BMW Automotive History Performance Classics Videos Sedan

Ram 1500 Rebel TRX and Jeep Grand Wagoneer | Autoblog Podcast #642

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by News Editor Zac Palmer. The big news this go-around is the reveal of the 2021 Ram Rebel TRX and Jeep previewing the 2022 Grand Wagoneer. They also discuss a mysterious BMW M8 mule and the F1-inspired Delage D12. Next, they talk about driving the Lincoln Navigator and Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Coupe before revisiting a recent "Spend My Money" segment with an update from the sender. Autoblog Podcast #642 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown 2021 Ram Rebel TRX debuts as a Hellcat-powered, desert-running Raptor killer Jeep previews 2022 Grand Wagoneer again What's hiding beneath this mystery BMW M8 mule? (Update) Historic French brand Delage returns with the D12 Cars We're Driving: 2020 Lincoln Navigator 2020 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Coupe Spend My Money update Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: