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BMW is the US auto industry's leading exporter

Which automaker do you think ships the most cars out of North America, one of the Detroit Three or perhaps one of the Japanese automakers? Nope. It turns out the BMW's Spartanburg, SC, factory is the biggest automotive exporter from the continent in the United States. According to a recent profile by Bloomberg looking at the plant's 20th anniversary, Bimmer's southern ops sends out more vehicles than all of Michigan combined.
When the Spartanburg factory opened up in 1994, its success was hardly assured, largely because of South Carolina's relatively small economy at the time. However, BMW picked the site because of its proximity to East Coast shipping that made it easier to move engines and transmission in from Germany and export vehicles back to Europe, according to Bloomberg. The Bavarians clearly made the right choice.
Today, the plant has developed into an absolute powerhouse. The factory currently assembles the X3, X4, X5 and X6 and exports about 70 percent of the vehicles built there. Things are only getting better. BMW is investing $1 billion through 2016 to boost annual production from the current 300,000 units up to 450,000 and to build a new flagship crossover called X7. The expansion also adds a further 800 jobs there to take total employment up to about 8,800. Including the latest financing, BMW has put over $7.3 billion into the factory since it opened, notes Bloomberg.

Upgraded BMW 230i and M240i get more power, new badges

A few months ago, we got our hands on a report that claimed that BMW would ditch the 28i and 35i monikers for both the 2 and 3 Series. BMW already dropped the 335i designation in favor of the 340i badge, but the 328i is still hanging around. In the 2017 2 Series, the old badges are out. Meet the new 2017 230i and M240i, in both coupe and convertible flavors. If you're already confused about all the badge changes, here's the important part: the 2.0-liter inline-four and the 3.0-liter inline-six, both turbocharged, get more power than the engines in their 2016 counterparts. The 230i will get 248 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque, and be smoother than before. Those are increases of eight hp and three lb-ft of torque over the 2016 model. The M240i replaces the M235i. There's more power here, too: 335 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque, available from 1,520 rpm to 4,500 rpm. Those are increases of 15 hp and 39 lb-ft of torque, by the way. All-wheel-drive models are eight-speed automatic-only; a six-speed manual is a no-cost option on the 230i, and available on the M240i. These models will launch later this summer, and pricing will be available closer to that time. We reached out to a BMW spokesperson for a better understanding of what hardware and software changes are responsible for the increased output, but this information isn't yet available. Related Video: BMW Convertible Coupe Luxury Performance 2 series bmw m240i bmw 230i

Preserving automotive history costs big bucks

$1.8 million is spent each year to maintain GM's fleet of 600 production and concept cars.
When at least two of the Detroit Three were on the verge of death a few years back, one of the tough questions that was asked of Ford, General Motors and Chrysler execs - outside of why execs were still taking private planes to meetings - was why each company maintained huge archives of old production and concept vehicles. GM, for example, had an 1,100-vehicle collection when talk of a federal bailout began.