MINI
MINI Captures First Rally Victory Ahead Of WRC Debut
While it wasn’t the MINI Countryman WRC that did it, the brand still captured their first ever rally victory, with an S2000-class MINI John Cooper Works finishing first in the Rally dell’Adriatico. The privateer team, known as Grifone, is campaigning the car in a regional rally series that adheres to the rules of the S2000…
Auto Sales Up 17 Percent In March, Ford Outsells General Motors
Despite higher gas prices and panic over Japan’s earthquake, and its subsequent effect on auto production, March 2011 was a positive month for the industry, with sales up 17 percent compared to the previous year. Among the Big 3, Ford managed to outsell General Motors for the first time in a year, with a 16…
MINI Cooper S Hybrid With All-Wheel Drive Spied
A MINI Cooper S fitted with an experimental hybrid all-wheel drive system was spotted testing in winter climates, a surprise move for BMW, which has given no indication it was developing such a car. Sharp-eyed readers will not the electric motor mounted between the rear wheels, as well as the “hybrid” stickers mounted on the…
Cool New Computer Accessories For The Mini Fan At Home
For the ultimate Mini fan in the house, the car maker has just released some new gadgets to keep him/her entertained when working on their computer. Mini has just released some new flash drives, a 4GB unit which is shaped like a British Bulldog and a 8GB unit shaped like an ignition key. The outer…
Mini Bringing Goodwood Concept to Shanghai Auto Show
Mini has released a few details on a new concept they have dubbed “Goodwood,” after the spiritual home of Rolls-Royce, the auto festival at the Goodwood Estate, and to British luxury in general. The Goodwood concept will be the 21st-century version of the Radford Mini, a luxury, bespoke version aimed at the wealthier ends of…
Lexus, MINI Top J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Index Survey
For the third year in a row Lexus has taken the top spot in J.D. Power’s annual Customer Service Index Study, which rates the satisfaction by owners and lessees of their dealership service department. On a 1,000 point scale, Lexus achieved 846 points, with Jaguar placing second at 837 and Cadillac third at 830 in…
MINI Countryman Gets Rear Bench Seat for 2012
The MINI Countryman currently seats four, plus a whole lot of cupholders. But due to consumer demand, a rear bench option will be coming to America as early as July. The four-seater will be standard, but the bench seat will be an additional option. Current Countryman owners looking to squeeze their fellow countryman into the middle…
MINI Countryman Helps BMW Increase 2010 Profits
Purists may scoff at the 4-door MINI Countryman and its betrayal of “brand values”, but BMW’s bean counters are laughing all the way to the bank as the company credits the newest MINI with helping profits surge 15-fold in 2010. BMW’s net income was recorded at 3.23 billion euros in 2010, up from 210 million…
Mini Countryman Receives Top Safety Pick
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has named the Mini Countryman its “2011 Top Safety Pick,” the first Mini to do so. The sort-of-SUV received “Good” ratings in front, side, rollover, and rear impact protection, ensuring that owners won’t get beat up if they ever take theirs rally racing. The Countryman comes with electronic stability…
MINI Rocketman Set For Production, Won’t Come To America
With the positive reception given to the very compact MINI Rocketman concept at this year’s Geneva Auto Show, MINI execs have given indications that the car will be produced sometime in the near future. “We are good at looking at history and interpreting a future for it,” MINI sales and marketing chief Kevin Robertson told…
MINI Rocketman Video: First Look at 94-MPG City Car Concept
Looking to return to its roots in a high-tech way, the brand famous for thinking small has unveiled a new more-mini MINI at the Geneva Auto Show. Called the Rocketman concept, this isn’t a production car and it’s easy to see why, with a state-of-the-art carbon fiber spaceframe that allows it to be incredibly light…
Geneva 2011: MINI Cooper SD Burns The Midnight Oil
Diesel hot hatches have always been a bit of an oddity – one would think that a big, heavy diesel engine would throw off the superb balance and lightweight that are the hallmarks of most front-wheel-drive hot hatchbacks, but the MINI Cooper SD is one diesel hot hatch that deserves the benefit of the doubt…
Geneva 2011: MINI Rocketman Returns To Roots With Smaller Hatchback
If you’ve ever seen an original Mini (which may be unlikely if you live in North America) you might find it hard to wrap your head around just how small the car really is. The current MINI Cooper, while small by our standards, absolutely dwarfs the original car, but MINI’s new Rocketman concept should set…
2011 MINI Cooper S Models Get JCW Tuning Kit Upgrade Package [Geneva Preview]
As part of MINI‘s 2011 Cooper lineup and debuts at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, an announcement has been made that a John Cooper Works Tuning Kit will be available for the MINI Cooper S, MINI Cooper S Clubman and MINI Cooper S Convertible. The tuning kit will raise horsepower to 200-hp and torque to…
MINI Rocketman Concept: Carbon Spaceframe City Car Gets 94-MPG [Geneva Preview]
When the new MINI Cooper debuted back in 2001, it was impossible not to note how much larger the car was than its classic predecessor. The less-than-mini size of the vehicle is even more obvious in Europe, where the majority of cars on the road share roughly the same dimensions. It comes as little surprise…
MINI Rocketman Tipped as Name of New 80-MPG Carbon Spaceframe City Car
MINI‘s rumored city car, set to debut at the Geneva Auto Show, now has a name. According to reports, the more mini MINI will be called the Rocketman and will make use of parent company BMW’s carbon fiber investments to showcase an entirely carbon fiber spaceframe chassis. This should give it an incredibly low curb…
MINI City Car Concept to Bow at Geneva Auto Show
MINI will unveil a new city-car concept at the Geneva Auto Show next week as it continues to study the possibility of a smaller model to sit below the Cooper hard-top in the current lineup. According to reports, the car will be a 3 +1 layout, along the lines of the Toyota iQ and will…
No Bigger or Smaller MINIs Says U.S. Brand Boss, But More Crossovers Likely
Despite rumors to the contrary, MINIs aren’t about to get any more or less mini. In a sit down interview with MINI USA boss Jim McDowell, at the Chicago Auto Show he dispelled rumors of a MINI-minor, as well as the possibility that the Countryman could get an even larger sibling. “I don’t anticipate a…
MINI Cooper Mat Edition Says Bonjour
If you still think that matte black paint jobs are just a fad, think again. MINI has decided to release a limited edition factory package that can be added onto any Cooper variant, turning it from a hip, trendy little car to a stealthy and sleek trendy little car. Dubbed the Mat Edition, MINI will…
MINI Gets a Louis Vuitton Makeover from CoverEFX
Have you ever said to yourself: “Gee, I wish my MINI matched my super cute Louis Vuitton hand bag”? And because too much of a good thing is never a bad idea, there’s a MINI that looks like the designer brand just puked all over it. CoverEFX, a German tuning company, has put subtly aside…
MINI Cooper’s Number One Competitor Will Surprise You
MINI USA boss Jim McDowell sat down with AutoGuide at the Chicago Auto Show to talk about what might just be the most carefree car brand out there, complete with its own lexicon that includes things like bootgating – that’s tailgating in a Countryman, if you must know. Much of the conversation dealt with the…
BMW To Launch 13 Front-Drive Models By 2016
The thought of a front-drive BMW was inconceivable less than 5 years ago, but the Bavarian luxury car maker appears to be planning an onslaught of front-drive models for launch by 2016, including a couple crossovers, a sports car and a new compact. The first front-driver will be a 1 Series GT, another pointless crossover, but one…
MINI Countryman WRC Officially Revealed in Monte Carlo
After teasing us with a hopped-up version at the Paris Auto Show, MINI has now revealed the official race-prepped Countryman WRC machine. Unveiled in Monte Carlo, MINI brought out drivers Dani Sordo and Kris Meeke, as well as the 1967 Monte Carlo Rally winning Mini Cooper and drivers Rauno Aaltonen and Paddy Hopkirk to celebrate….
MINI Clubman Hampton Edition Revealed Ahead of Geneva Debut
MINI has revealed the Clubman Hampton edition ahead of its planned debut at the Geneva Auto Show, announcing the special trim will be available on all four Clubman models – including the new Clubman SD. With a special Reef Blue paint color, the vehicle gets custom silver accents with the wheels available in either silver…
