With more than 250,000 BMW plug-in electric vehicles already on global roads, the makers of the ultimate driving machine are now planning to make EV technology an integral part of its brand and production process. BMW is emboldened by seeing sales of its plug-in cars increase by nearly 50 percent this year. “We are preparing our car architectures and our factories to flexibly integrate this technology,” said Oliver Zipse, BMW’s chief of production. “For us, creating that flexibility is the most efficient way to profitably offer electric cars.”

The all-electric version of the 2017 Honda Clarity started arriving in dealerships in the past few weeks. The full-size sedan, which is only available in California and Oregon, leases for $269 a month for 36 months with $1,999 due at signing. The all-electric Clarity can travel 89 miles on a single charge. That puts Honda in the unfortunate position of introducing an EV with a driving range significantly lower than the new generation of electric cars.

The BMW blog reported earlier this month that the 2017 BMW 5-Series will be offered with three plug-in hybrid options. The launch of one or more of these plug-in cars in global markets could be as early as December 2016. Stories about these models first emerged late last year, and add to a growing roster of BMW EVs and plug-in hybrids expected in the next couple of years.

In September 2013, Peter Wolf, BMW’s head of production line for large vehicles, said, “We are planning to have a plug-in hybrid vehicle in each and every model series.” Twenty months later, BMW appears to be methodically marching to this plan by announcing the introduction of the 330e, a plug-in hybrid version of its popular 3-series sedan.

Audi will introduce a new more powerful, lighter and more fuel-efficient version of its Q7 sports utility vehicle at the 2015 Detroit auto show in January. Here’s the big news for plug-in fans: the new Q7 will be offered with a powerful one-two combination of plug-in capability and a 3-liter V-6 diesel engine.

BMW is barely out of the gate with sales of its i3 and i8 battery-powered cars. Yet, it has already established a leadership role in the electric car world—putting the company in the top echelon of EV-makers along with Tesla and Nissan. As news emerges of more BMW EVs and plug-in hybrids in the works, the German automaker appears to be moving faster than Tesla or Nissan toward an entire suite of plug-in cars.

In 2014, BMW introduced two plug-in vehicles: the all-electric i3 and plug-in hybrid i8 sports car. But that might be merely a precursor to a set of new practical plug-in Bimmers coming in 2015 and beyond.

BMW’s luxury plug-in hybrid sports car will sell for a base price of $135,925, when it goes on sale in the U.S. next spring, the German automaker announced this morning at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The announcement was made as part of the official unveiling of the production version of the company's first plug-in hybrid car.

August 2013 was an impressive month for electric car sales, with the Chevy Volt and Nissan LEAF racking up new records. As has been the case since those first two plug-in models hit the market in late 2010, the Volt and LEAF continue to own the lion’s share of sales. In August, their combined sales were 5,771, more than half the total 11,363 purchases. The plug-in Prius and Model S each contributed about 1,700 sales. Are we locked into this pattern for the next couple of years, or could 2014 electric cars bring entirely new buyers to the market?

With a week to go before it officially unveils its i8 plug-in hybrid sports car, yesterday BMW published an enigmatic teaser video of the i8 on its YouTube channel. As with most teaser videos, little info is given away.