[Grizli]

Thieves make BMW hottest car at auto show

DETROIT | Fri Jan 14, 2011 11:19am EST

DETROIT (Reuters) - When carmakers like BMW say they hope people find their next car at auto shows like the one in Detroit this week, this wasn't exactly what they meant.

Two thieves drove away in a brand new $94,000 BMW 750i xDrive Sedan on Wednesday night that was left idling outside the Westin Book Cadillac, one of Detroit's major hotels.

The car was one of more than a dozen BMW sedans used to ferry executives and guests around town during the show.

On Thursday morning, police said they were still looking for the gray four-door BMW.

Police said the car was dropped off by a valet to be loaded onto a transport truck to take it back to BMW's North American headquarters in New Jersey when two men jumped into the car and drove away.

BMW, which featured its glitzy 650i convertible at the Detroit auto show, said it remains committed to the event.

"It's just an unfortunate incident," BMW spokeswoman Stacy Morris said.

(Reporting by Bernie Woodall. Editing by Peter Bohan)