MINI
Report: Diesel Powered Mini Cooper S To Debut In 2011
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With the success of oil-burning hot hatches like the Seat Leon Cupra FR and Volkswagen Golf GTD, as well as a general trend towards “green” products (whatever that means), Mini is preparing to launch a diesel version of their Mini Cooper S hot hatch. Due to emissions legislation, BMW won’t offer the diesel in North…
MINI Minor City Car to Rival Smart Fortwo, Toyota iQ?
After introducing a new crossover at the top-end of its lineup, MINI now appears to be readying a new entry-level model – reportedly referred to as the MINI Minor by BMW officials. Designed as a true city car, the new minier MINI would be built to compete against the Smart Fortwo and Toyota iQ models…
MINI Beachcomber Concept Likely to See Production
MINI appears ready to expand its product lineup some more with the addition of the Beachcomber. First shown at the Detroit Auto Show this year, the Beachcomber Concept rides on the Countryman’s new crossover platform and takes inspiration from the tiny Moke model, which the brand offered from 1964 to 1993. In an interview with…
Half of MINI E Lessees Sign on for a Second Year
Roughly half of those who took part in the MINI E’s lease program in North American have opted to sign on for a second year. As the first electric MINI, the MINI E was built as a test platform for future electric car models from MINI and parent company BMW. MINI’s pilot project included leases…
Mini Countryman Getaway Package Lets You Purchase Spontaneity
Since the launch of the brand, MINI has always had a host of quirky accessories, from flag motifs for the roof, rally inspired fog lights for the front of the car, colored mirror caps and racing stripes in all manner of hues. To commemorate the launch of the new four-door Mini Countryman, the Getaway package…
Report: Next-Gen MINI Cooper to Get Turbo 3-Cylinder with Direct-Injection
The next-generation of new MINI Cooper models will be powered by turbocharged direct-injection 3-cylinder engines. According to a report by MotoringFile, the new turbo DI 3-bangers will deliver MINI D-like diesel efficiency – somewhere in the range of 50-mpg on the highway! Somehow the MINI (BMW) engineers are planning to produce roughly the same amount…
Nowack Motors Tunes MINI Cooper S and JCW to 260-HP
In the past, Nowack Motors has tuned several BMWs and recently has released three kits for the MINI Cooper S and JCW models. What are already a fun and nimble cars have just become that much more powerful through Nowack Motors’ tuning kits. The three kits are conveniently labeled with their horsepower ratings: N210, N230…
MINI Countryman Diesel Spied With 2.0-Liter BMW Engine
MINI has already made it clear that it will offer two diesel engines in the Countryman crossover, but has been remarkably quiet on just what those engines will be and how much power they will make. At launch, it was revealed that the entry-level One D Countryman would get 90-hp. Now, however, thanks to the…
Report: Fiat 500 Wagon To Bow Next Year
Fiat is taking dead aim at the MINI brand and is set to introduce two new versions, a three-door estate (a long wheelbase 500 modeled after the Clubman) and a proper five-door hatchback with more interior room. Not surprisingly, these versions will be offered in North America, where the increased space and practicality should broaden the…
Report: BMW Developing Hybrid Hydrogen Technology for MINI, Future Front-Drive BMWs
BMW is developing a complex powertrain that blends fuel cell and hybrid technology, allowing a car be carbon neutral in urban traffic. The system works by having a conventional gasoline engine powering the front wheels, while a small fuel cell sends power via capacitors in the transmission tunnel to an electric motor positioned at the rear axle….
Report: 2011 MINI JCW to Get Added Power, Updated Aero
We absolutely love the MINI John Cooper Works (JCW) edition (reviewed here and here) and for 2011 it’s going to get more hard-core. According to the MINI experts at MotoringFile and thanks to some new spy photos from LeftLaneNews we have better insight to what the mid-cycle updates will include. For starters, the JCW will…
Russian Designer Denis Simachëv and Tuner TopCar to Build 25 Limited Edition MINIs
Denis Simachëv x TopCar MINI Cooper S We love customized MINIs like we love air, so seeing a street art-inspired one from Russia made our hearts go all aflutter. Prepared in a strict limited run of 25 unique cars, the Russian artist Denis Simachëv and Russian tuner TopCar will create each car as a wholly…
MINI E Laps the Nürburgring – Slowly
Whether to promote the cars “performance” or more likely just for the fun of it, the team at MINI took the new MINI E electric vehicle out to Germany’s famed Nürburgring to see what sort of a time they could get. As you might expect, it wasn’t close to the GT-Rs 7:26.70 time, but then…
Report: MINI JCW WC50 Model Headed to U.S. Dealers As Most Expensive MINI Ever
Last year MINI unveiled a very special and very cool John Cooper Works Championship 50 Special Edition model in the U.K. to celebrate the company’s 50th birthday. And now according to the folks at MotoringFile, the JCW WC50 will also be offered in the U.S. – but it doesn’t come cheap. Originally MINI had no…
MINI Coupe and Roadster Revealed in Patent Drawings
Several patent drawings obtained by Autoblog show what the news outlet claims are the production designs for the upcoming MINI Coupe and Roadster. Both vehicles look remarkably similar to their concept counterparts, even down to the helmet roof for the Coupe. The overall design still looks almost identical to the hatches, with the main feature…
MINI Countryman Set to get U.S. Debut in New York
After its world premiere at the Geneva Auto Show just a few weeks back, MINI will show its Countryman crossover for the first time on U.S. soil at the New York Auto Show on April 1st. The very first crossover from the brand, MINI expects this four-seater to be the most fuel efficient crossover in…
New Front-Wheel Drive BMWs Coming Says CEO
So far we have heard several reports of a new front-drive model from BMW, but now comes confirmation from BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer. “There will be front-wheel-drive BMWs in the smaller vehicle classes in the future,” said Reithofer during a press conference about the German automaker’s finances. The architecture will actually be both front-drive and…
Report: BMW Planning New Front-Drive Model On Next MINI Cooper Platform
BMW will produce a new front-drive model that will slot in underneath the 1 Series in the company’s lineup. According to a report by AutoCar, the news comes direct from BMW chairman Norbert Reithofe. This new BMW will share its architecture with a the next generation MINI Cooper and will be separate from the upcoming…
MINI’s Future ‘Greener and More Efficient’ With Engine Updates in 2011, Dual-Clutch Transmissions Likely
With the launch of the all-new MINI Countryman at the Geneva Auto Show last week we had an opportunity to sit down with the VP of MINI USA, Jim McDowell and find out more about the brand’s first crossover and what the future holds for the rest of the product range. Starting with the Countryman,…
Geneva 2010: MINI Countryman First Live Photos
MINI was supposed to introduce its new Countryman at the Geneva Auto Show but leaked photos of the crossover forced the company to release pictures and details in January. Today, at the Geneva Auto Show, MINI had the Cooper and Cooper S Countryman models on display as it prepares for the official unveiling tomorrow. We’ve…
MINI Countryman Music Video Highlights Crossover’s Funky-Meets-Functionality Package
The marketing experts behind the MINI brand have stuck again with another commercial that you’ll want to watch. In fact, you’ll probably watch it a few times and search for the song on iTunes to download for your iPod. Yup, it’s cool. The video doesn’t really tell you anything about the car, but it’s plenty…
Kansas City Man Wins MINI Convertible Challenge for Most Hours Clocked Top-Down
Easily the biggest gimmick on the new MINI convertible models is the Openometer. The what? Well, the Openometer is a gauge just like all the other gauges you might find on a car’s dash, but on the MINI convertible models it measures how long the owner has driven with the top down. To help promote…
BMW, Peugeot Citroen Extend Partnership to Build New 4-Cylinder Engines
BMW and French automaker Peugeot Citroen have signed a new agreement to work together to develop a new generation of improved 4-cylinder engines. The new powerplants will be used in BMW’s MINI lineup as well as in Peugeot’s 207 and Citroen’s C3 Picaso. BMW recently made several changes to the 2010 versions of the engines…
Report: MINI Countryman JCW “Definitely Under Consideration”
A high-performance version of the MINI Countryman crossover is “definitely under consideration” says MINI U.K.’s general manager Jochen Goller. Only recently did MINI officially confirm the Countryman model which is expected to make its word debut at the Geneva Auto Show in March. Currently the MINI Cooper S Countryman boasts the highest output with 184-hp….
