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X3 SUVs fuel sales lead at BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s BMW brand last month increased its lead in the U.S. luxury automotive sales race with deliveries rising 19 percent on higher sales of the X3 sport-utility vehicle.
Sales of the redesigned X3, which hit U.S. showrooms in January, rose to 1,853 in September from 146 a year ago, contributing to the SUV’s almost four-fold increase to 19,167 so far this year, the Munich-based automaker said last week.
"It’s very well received," said Jesse Toprak, an industry analyst with TrueCar.com, a website that tracks auto sales. "It was one of the better executed redesigns we’ve seen in the luxury segment in a long while."
Microsoft pulls plug on Zune player
NEW YORK » Microsoft is discontinuing the Zune media player, which it launched five years ago in the hope of taking on the iPod.
The player was well reviewed when it launched in 2006, and it grabbed as much as 10 percent of the market for media players. But enthusiasm faded, and the Zune has become one of many failed iPod wannabes.