MINI
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Last reply by NINETY EIGHT REGENCY, -
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Last reply by NINETY EIGHT REGENCY,
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MINI, the British brand presents the future model generations new design, one that is based on technological innovations, sustainability, brand typical driving pleasure as it reinvents itself for an all-electric future. PF0008994.mp4 This electrified go-kart feel with an immersive digital experience and a strong focus on a minimal environmental footprint is what the Concept Aceman is all about. This is the start of a new MINI design era according to Adrian van Hooydonk, Head of BMW Group Design. The focus is to redevelop the MINI icons with all the analogue strengths, in a digital future. A holistic user experience of light…
Last reply by David, -
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It's no secret that Mini's fortunes have not been good lately. In the first half of this year, Mini has only moved 17,583 cars of its five model lineup in the U.S. Parent company BMW needs to do something. Last month, Mini unveiled the all-electric version of the Mini-Cooper with a range between 146 and 167 miles. Now, a report out from Automobile Magazine says that Mini has canceled the internal combustion engine versions for the entire model range in the next generation of cars. Starting in 2023, Mini will use a skateboard style chassis to underpin the entire lineup. There will be a new downsized mini... a MiniMini, a more compact 3-door version, and a Mini cros…
Last reply by ocnblu, -
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MINI is introducing an all-electric version of the Mini-Cooper SE. The go-kart like feeling of the MINI is preserved with the battery mounted low in the vehicle floor for a lower center of gravity. Doing so means that there is no reduction in cargo volume. The battery range in the European cycle is approximately 235 KM to 270 KM (146 miles to 167 miles), however official EPA range estimates have not yet been established. Power is delivered by a 181 hp / 199 lb-ft of torque electric motor twisting the front wheels and the electric motor is smaller and lighter than the equivalent gasoline engine. Wheel slip is limited to help the Mini cooper with it unmistakable agi…
Last reply by FAPTurbo, -
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At the Nürburgring this weekend, Mini-Cooper will be showing a lightly disguised prototype of the new John Cooper Works GP, a limited production car coming next year. Mini says that only 3,000 units will be produced. The model features a 300 horsepower twin-turbo 4-cylinder engine, specialized suspension, weight reduced construction, and specialized aerodynamics. The prior version of this car was able to run the 'Ring at 8 minutes 23 seconds. The engineers will conduct test runs of the prototype without pushing it to its limits this weekend at the 24 hour race at Nordschleif. View full article
Last reply by Drew Dowdell, -
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Mini has been struggling in the U.S. for the past few as more consumers shun small cars. The brand which expected annual sales to total 100,000 vehicles by 2017, peaked at about 66,500 models in 2013 according to Automotive News. Sales through the first ten months of the years have totaled 37,359. This isn't good news for the 127 standalone Mini dealers in the U.S. as it makes it tough for owners to justify the investment. In 2016, 45 percent of Mini dealers reported being unprofitable. A year later, that number rose to 54 percent. "As a dealer and a manufacturer you have a vision of where the brand is going, and you have to prepare for it. In this case, the vision n…
Last reply by David, -
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About three to four years ago, Mini set out an ambitious goal of selling an annual volume of 100,000 vehicles in the U.S. But this goal would never come to fruition. Sales of Mini models have been in decline for the past few years partly due to buyers going towards light trucks and crossovers. BMW executives have since stepped back from this goal is considering whether or not to make Mini vehicles electric-only in the U.S. For dealers, the mixed messages has them concerned. Jason Willis, member of the Mini National Dealer Council expressed these concerns in a interview with Automotive News. "I don't think the dealers have a very clear vision of where the car lin…
Last reply by Robert Hall, -
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BMW has announced today that it has signed a “letter of intent” with Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor on producing electric-versions of the Mini in China. The German automaker in a statement said the next steps will be agreeing on the details of a possible joint venture and clarifying various aspects such as a location for production. The two have been in talks for almost the past two years - Great Wall confirmed the talks back in October. It is expected that the electric Mini will be similar to the concept that debuted last year at the Frankfurt Motor show. BMW also confirmed that production of the electric Mini will also take place at their Oxford, Great…
Last reply by A Horse With No Name, -
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It is no secret that the MINI Paceman wasn't a great seller and that production will be ending this year. But it seems there is a successor under consideration, a spiritual one. Auto Express spoke with BMW Group design chief Adrian van Hooydonk who revealed that the company is looking at an adding another variant of the Countryman with a coupe-like roofline. “Part of the issue was the three doors. We have looked into a lot of things, but all of our [BMW] SUV coupes are five-door vehicles. As much as people probably drive the cars with only one or two people, they like the comfort of an extra set of doors. They want to carry extra stuff – throw a bag in the rear …
Last reply by Frisky Dingo, -
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MINI is getting ready to introduce its first hybrid vehicle with the upcoming second-generation Countryman crossover. In a statement released yesterday, MINI said the model would use an internal-combustion engine to power the front wheels and an electric motor to power the rear wheels. This also gives the model an all-wheel drive setup. Many believe the Countryman Hybrid would use the powertrain found in the 225xe Active Tourer - a 1.5L turbocharged three-cylinder and an electric motor delivering a total output of 224 horsepower and 284 pound-feet of torque. A 7.7 kWh battery pack provides an electric-only range of 25 miles and can be fully recharged in 3 hours and 15 min…
Last reply by William Maley, -
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Let us present what is possibly the biggest oxymoron in the automotive world. Today, MINI has announced the 2016 Clubman. MINI says the new Clubman is "longer and wider than any other MINI". They aren't kidding. The new Clubman is about 10.9 inches longer than the standard Hardtop, 2.9 inches wider, and rides on a wheelbase that is 4 inches longer. The added size allows MINI fit actual rear doors. The spilt opening tailgate remains, offering a cargo space of 17.5 cubic feet with the rear seats up and 47.9 cubic feet with the seats down. For North America, the Clubman will come with two engines. The base Clubman Cooper will have a turbocharged 1.5L three-cylinder with …
Last reply by ocnblu, -
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The past week has been abuzz with a report from Britain's Car Magazine stating that the MINI Superleggera Vision concept - shown last year - would go into production in 2018 as a replacement for the slow selling Roadster model. However, MINI's top executive put the kibosh on that report somewhat. Peter Schwarzenbauer, head of MINI told Automotive News Europe that the concept is still under discussion. “I cannot confirm that it has been approved yet,” said Schwarzenbauer. Schwarzenbauer has been a big proponent of the concept, saying it would be a “great addition to the Mini range” and has been pushing for the model to enter production. Source: Automotive News Europe (…
Last reply by David, -
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Mini has thrown its hat into the “Gran Turismo 6” ring with its own Vision GT concept based on the Mini Clubman. On the 15th anniversary of the series, “GT6” creator Kazunori Yamauchi asked automakers to create a perfect, no-holds-barred race car for the popular simulator. So far about a dozen have acquiesced. The Mini Clubman Vision GT has a 395-hp engine and a six-speed sequential transmission. The concept is all-wheel drive with fully adjustable dampers in the front and rear. Top speed can be as high as 180 mph, depending on gearing. “The Mini Clubman Vision Gran Turismo is in fact the second cooperation in connection with ‘Gran Turismo 6,’” said head of BMW group …
Last reply by Z-06, -
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For awhile, we've been reporting on MINI's plans to expand their lineup to possibly ten models. But now, the company is reversing that decision. Bloomberg reports that MINI's parent company, BMW has decided that MINI has too many models and is cutting it down from eight to five models. Peter Schwarzenbauer, MINI's brand chief says the automaker will focus on “superhero” vehicles such as the three-door hardtop. “Like a superhero, each of these cars has its own personality and unique capabilities. It is important to find the right balance between growth on the one hand and profitability on the other,” said Schwarzenbauer. Schwarzenbauer goes onto say that this new focus…
Last reply by rares209, -
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The EPA has been on a bit of a tear with revising fuel economy numbers on a number of vehicles since the whole Hyundai/Kia fuel economy fiasco. Ford had to revised their numbers on a couple of their vehicles, and recently Mercedes-Benz had to do same with the new C-Class. Now MINI is the latest automaker to change their numbers. Announced this week, MINI will be changing the fuel economy numbers on four different models. This comes as the result of an audit done by the EPA, and joint re-testing done by BMW and the EPA. The models affected include the three-door Cooper and Cooper S models. The old and revised numbers are listed below, Cooper w/six-speed manual: Old - 30…
Last reply by David, -
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If you have been paying attention to MINI sales for the past few months, then you've noticed that sales have been slipping. This despite the new Cooper Hardtop coming to dealers. So what is going on? Jalopnik thinks its due to supply. A quick search on Cars.com shows that the nationwide supply of Cooper Hardtops is just under 1,100. MINI explained the reason for the small supply is due to pending fuel economy certification. "Sales have dropped because our supply has been so limited. MY 2015 MINI Hardtops have also not been able to go on sale pending the final results of federal fuel economy certification," the automaker said in a statement. MINI goes onto say that the …
Last reply by David, -
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Do you happen to be one of those people who look at the new MINI Cooper and think: You know what this vehicle needs? Two extra doors. Well if you happen to be, then this announcement from MINI should be of interest. The brand announced last night the 2015 MINI Hardtop 4 door which offers added versatility to the MINI family. The four-door model is about 6.3-inches longer overall and rides on a wheelbase that is 4.3-inches longer than standard Cooper Hardtop. This allowed MINI to fit full-size rear doors to the vehicle. The increase in length also expands cargo space from 2.3 to 9.8 cubic feet. Powertrains for the 2015 MINI Hardtop 4 door are much the same as on the stan…
Last reply by A Horse With No Name, -
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With every new generation of MINI, the lineup has grown and grown. In the first-generation, there was three models. Now, the lineup consists of seven models. However, a BMW board member wants to see MINI cut back the number of models it has. Peter Schwarzenbauer, BMW board member for Mini and Rolls-Royce tells Autocar that he would like to see brand to pare down the lineup as he believes the rapid expansion is hurting the brand. He said BMW had to be “sensitive about the number of variants and about size. It is better to go in a different direction to concentrate on doing less but better”. What would Schwarzenbauer's MINI lineup look like? It would comprise of what Schw…
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William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com October 14, 2013 When the first-generation of the new MINI was introduced back in the early 2000's, it was very simple. There was a three-door hatchback, a convertible, and a long-wheelbase wagon. Come to the second-generation and the family grew. Alongside the three models of the first-generation, MINI added a three-door and five-door crossover, two-seater coupe, and roadster. Now with the third-generation MINI waiting in the wings, there is the possibility of the family growing again. "With the new ULK architecture, we currently have in mind eight to 10 models," said Peter Schwarzenbauer, BMW's board member in charge o…
Last reply by David, -
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William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com September 29, 2013 We're just a couple months away from MINI showing off the next-generation Cooper at MINI's factory in Oxford, Great Britain. To keep us interested, MINI has revealed the powertrain lineup and chassis for the Cooper. The standard Cooper will get a new 1.5L turbocharged three-cylinder with 134 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque (170 pound-feet for a few seconds with MINI's overboost function). The Cooper S gets a new 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder with 189 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque (221 pound-feet with overboost). These power figures are thanks in part to TwinPower turbocharging and d…
Last reply by David, -
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William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com July 17, 2013 MINI had a unique entrant in the small cargo van area. Taking their Clubman wagon,MINI removed the backseat and blacked out the windows to create the Clubvan. MINI said the model would go on sale in the U.S. sometime this year. The Clubvan did go on sale and then left. Wait, what? According to MINI USA Communications Manager Nathalie Bauters said the MINI Clubvan was sold in the U.S. for short time. Sales totaled 50 Clubvans. So why did MINI pull the Clubvan from the U.S.? Blame the 25 percent Chicken Tax on commercial vehicles. Source: Green Car Reports William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Ge…
Last reply by regfootball, -
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By William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com April 4, 2013 Jim McDowell, vice president of Mini USA told Edmunds that Mini's lineup could be experiencing a shake-up. "When we start to replace models, I think you will see that we won't replace every model exactly," McDowell said. Currently, Mini has seven models on sale: Cooper Hardtop, Convertible, Coupe, Roadster, Clubman, Paceman, and Countryman. Two of those models, the Countryman and Cooper Hardtop make up account for about 75 percent of Mini sales. "When I joined Mini, we knew that we would have two models. Ultimately, we (now) have seven. We are starting the next generation a year from now. We know that …
Last reply by PONTIAC06, -
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By William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com February 16, 2013 We known for a time that the Mini lineup would be growing to ten models, but we weren't quite sure how that would happen. Well Car and Driver had the chance to talk with Mini U.S. product planning manager Patrick McKenna about the possibilities. Model eight is the new Mini Clubvan, while nine and ten will not be a new body style. Instead, nine and ten will be a front-wheel-drive hybrid and a second-generation electric Mini, both based on the three-door Cooper. Also in the pipeline is the new Cooper which will debut in November and come with a turbocharged three-cylinder engine and a next-generation …
Last reply by balthazar, -
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William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com September 14, 2012 Almost two years since the introduction of the Paceman concept at the Detroit Auto Show, Mini is showing the production version at the Paris Motor Show this month. The Paceman is essentially a Countryman, minus two doors and some design changes. The roofline is more rakish, the rear fenders are more muscular, and the back is completely different and features a new set of taillights. Inside, the Paceman is a four-seater only. Backseat passengers get their own seats. Cargo space measures out to be 38 cu. ft. when the seats are folded down. Powertrains for the U.S. model are going to be the base 1.6L fo…
Last reply by William Maley,
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