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X1, 3 Series power BMW back into global luxury autos sales lead

BMW managed to eke ahead of Audi for the global luxury sales crown in February. According to Bloomberg, BMW saw deliveries swell by 7 percent in February, besting the 3.2 percent jump enjoyed by Audi and giving BMW a 407-unit delivery lead over its rival last month. Mercedes-Benz, meanwhile, continued to falter, with the brand selling some 37,229 fewer machines than BMW, whose factories are running at full capacity to keep up with demand. Models like the X1 (shown above) enjoyed a sales increase of 40 percent in February while the company's bread-and-butter 3 Series jumped by 26 percent.
Mercedes-Benz hopes to stem its continued market share loss with the addition of the entry-level CLA sedan to its portfolio in April. The company is set to roll out an updated version of its cash-cow E-Class at the same time, and a new-generation S-Class will follow along shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, the company is increasing production to meet demand for its A and B-Class models.

Bosch has an advanced self-parking system slated for 2019

Self-driving cars are the future of the auto industry, but there are many years and intermediate steps between now and driverless roads. Bosch made one of those important baby steps earlier this month when it unveiled its Home Zone Park Assist, which takes automated parking to the next level. The system works like this: a driver pulls up to where they'd normally begin to angle into a preferred parking spot. The driver then sets the start point and slowly drives the car into place so the system can learn the route. After the route is entered, the driver can let the car take control by either holding down a button inside the vehicle or on a smartphone app to engage the self-parking program from outside the car. Twelve ultrasonic sensors, a rear-facing stereo video camera, and four radar sensors work together to slot the car safely into or out of a spot perfectly every time. If you don't start in the same place every time that's okay, because the car can deviate from the original start and stop points by up to six and a half feet. The system can track up to 100 meters' worth of complex maneuvers, perfect for anyone tired of backing out of long, curvy, or steep driveways. Bosch says the system will be available in a few years but doesn't mention any specific models. Other companies have similar technologies, but they're not quite as advanced. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently cleared a similar technology called Park Assistant Plus for use in the BMW 7 Series. BMW's technology allows drivers to move the car in and out of parking spaces with the key fob. Tesla's Summon feature allows the Model S and X to come when called up to 10 meters away. But Bosch seems to have pushed the boundaries of what autonomous features on cars can do. Besides superior distance, the really amazing aspect of Bosch's system is that it allows cars to sense obstacles within its path and make the decision whether to proceed with minor course adjustments or stop and wait for its owner. That's right, a decision-making car. Welcome to the brave new world. Related Video:

BMW mulling potential 9 Series production

Nine months may be long enough to bring another human being into the world, but it may take BMW a bit longer to make up its mind on the production of a potential 9 Series model. The idea was first mooted when the Bavarian automaker presented the Vision Future Luxury concept at the Beijing Motor Show last year. Billed (not unlike rival Audi's Prologue concept) more as a design study than a pre-production concept, the Vision Future Luxury show car nevertheless took a larger form than the 7 Series, prompting speculation that a new flagship sedan could be in the works. The better part of a year later, such a decision has reportedly yet to be taken, but over at BMW Blog they're reporting that the automaker's incoming chief executive Harald Kruger is a fan of the idea and could give it the green light after he takes the helm in May. If approved, the model likely to be dubbed 9 Series would reportedly compete with the Mercedes-Maybach S600 – but then that model was earmarked to take on the Rolls-Royce Ghost. BMW has typically been careful not to overlap with its Rolls-Royce division, but considering how it's also been going downmarket with front-drive models to close the gap to the Mini brand, we wouldn't be all that surprised to see the 9 Series positioned maybe just below the next-generation Ghost and developed alongside it, taking a page out of rival VW's playbook. Volkswagen has, after all, made a brisk business out of sharing platforms and slicing market segments between the various brands under its umbrella. And while BMW is nowhere near as large, its new leadership could find new ways to increase its market share.