Ok all you MF readers. You read the site daily. You know these little cars backwards and forwards. So we’ve compiled what we think are the biggest stories of the year. But now we need you to tell us which one was your favorite. So you tell us what the biggest, most interesting, most important story you saw on MF this year.
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Now that’s you’ve had your chance, let us tell you about some of our favorite stories of the year. A few may not have gotten the attention of the stories above, but in our minds they were the gems of 2009.
This year saw the release of a couple excellent videos celebrating the brand’s 50th anniversary. With all the stories, reviews, links and general excitement throughout the year, we wanted to make sure you didn’t miss them. They’re definitely work a click.
We talked about this in the past, but it does seem that the MINI E is having a hard time dealing with cold weather.
Remember that time you left your phone in the car on a cold night when you went to dinner, and when you got back to it, the battery was nearly dead because it had gotten so cold? Yeah, that would be happening a lot if you had an electric car that didn’t take temperature into account. And so the testers of BMW Mini Es are finding out in cold weather: range seems to be reduced by half in 23° temperatures.
We would be interested in hearing about how the cold weather is affecting you in your MINI E. Sound off in the comments.
Adam Carolla perused the LA Autoshow recently and had a chat with Vinnie Kung, MINI USA Product Manager. On the agenda, the new MINI Roadster and Coupé concepts, the MINI crossover and the fact that Carolla is infatuated with the GP. Vinnie turns that into Coupé talk interestingly by mentioning that the new concept is actually similar in concept to the GP with more rigidity and reduced weight.
We’d like to wish everyone happy holidays as we close out 2009. It’s been an incredible year at MotoringFile and we owe it all to you the readers. So with that in mind we present you a (huge) desktop wallpaper for your downloading pleasure of the above image. Consider it our present to you.
We’ll be taking the next few days off (or at least trying to) as we gear up for next week, next year and of course the Detroit Auto Show. So until then, thanks and cheers!
Head of MINI Design Gert Hildebrand got together with Autocar to talk about the Beachcomber concept and how it relates to the rest of the MINI range. It’s a thorough introduction of not only the idea but the design in detail. Especially knowing that we are looking at what is essentially an R60 (albeit with bigger tires, cut-out doors and plenty of detailed styling changes).
Hey guess what gang? You do get one more show this year to close out 2009. Turns out some pretty exiting news hit MotoringFile.com last week so the 3 of us got together to talk about just that. That’s right, three of us tonight, just like the old days.
We all hope that all y’all have a great holiday and New Year!
The US government agency the NHTSA (always one of our least favorites) is requiring MINI USA to recall certain 2010 MC and MCS vehicles for inadvertently upgrading the stock 16″ wheels to 17″ wheels on some customer cars. The problem is that the label inside the door with tire pressure specifications relates to 16″ tires and thus has to be replaced. While we’re all for correct PSI, we find it a little bit of a stretch that the NTSHA believes being off a pound could result in the risk of a crash. But then again we’re also suckers for free stickers.
Regardless owners of the affected cars will receive a notice in the mail soon if they haven’t already.
Official Recall Notice (in all caps because that’s how the US government apparently talks):
BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 MINI COOPER AND COOPER S VEHICLES FOR FAILING COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110, TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS. THE AFFECTED VEHICLES WERE EQUIPPED WITH 17 INCH WHEELS, BUT THEIR LABEL STATES THAT THEY WERE EQUIPPED WITH 16 INCH WHEELS. ALSO THE TIRE PRESSURE STATED ON THE LABEL FOR THE COOPER S IS INCORRECT.
Usually when we get cards around this time of the year from friends in the MINI world, we’re not asked to share them with our readers. However the card (seen above) we received recently was created for MotoringFile and its readers by none other than MINI Design in Munich.
We want to especially thank the team for producing this card considering that they’ve been über busy finalizing the upcoming Coupé and Roadster twins for production later in 2011. continued →
Few things have divided the MINI community more than the idea of a MINI crossover vehicle. And with the MINI Beachcomber we’re getting out best look yet at the forthcoming MINI Countryman crossover. In fact what you see above is an R60 with the doors cut in half and the top taken off. Otherwise it’s not that far off.
But forget about the R60 for a second. We want to know your thoughts on MINI’s latest concept.
With the Beachcomber concept, MINI is not only giving us a look at a modern Moke type of vehicle but also a hint at many things to come.
Countryman Design Similarities
Yes for starters we are looking at essentially a over stylized R60 Countryman crossover. But what exactly does that mean you ask? MINI Design took a prototype R60 and literally cut into the doors (the originals are still in place as you can see the seams on the front and rear), removed the top and began re-imaging it in the guise of an off-roader. So in a sense what you’re looking at here is a modified R60 Countryman.
But let’s get more specific. The lights are spot on carry overs from production. However the bumpers and cladding on the renderings and images are new and will not be seen on the R60. Either will the off-road tires. However if you look at a few of the early sketches (especially the one below) we start to get a much better idea of how the final Countryman design will shape-up. continued →
BMW and Mercedes have been trying to find ways to pool resources and save money for the last several years. From sharing engines to sharing the MINI platform, several options have been discussed and ultimately decided against. However this week the two are announcing that they will be cooperating not in engineering or production of delivery processing. The Automotive News is reporting that the two (including of course MINI) will be cooperating in vehicle processing in Mercedes Baltimore processing plant. Here’s an excerpt:
Jim O’Donnell, president of BMW of North America, told Automotive News today the deal will save BMW time and money. He anticipates about 50,000 cars destined for the central region, which includes Chicago, will be prepared by Mercedes-Benz. He would not disclose financial details. continued →
As we exclusively reported this past summer (and again last week), MINI will be bringing a Moke like concept to the Detroit Autoshow. The concept not only foreshadows a potential production version of the concept but the MINI Countryman crossover as well. In fact what we see here is basically the Countryman taken to the extreme.
Official Release: MINI crosses borders, enters new dimensions of driving pleasure, and wins over additional target groups.
Once again, MINI achieves all this by consistently expanding the model range and through the unconventional creativity of MINI design. Just a few months prior to the launch of the brand’s fourth model announced for autumn 2010, MINI is now demonstrating its potential for further enhancement of driving pleasure and diversity through another spectacular concept car: the concept of a brand-new type of vehicle proudly presented by MINI at the North American International Auto Show (16–24 January 2010) in Detroit.
The MINI Beachcomber Concept is a four-seater concept car designed consistently for maximum driving pleasure, taking up the enhanced options of the new MINI and combining these potentials with the vision of a radically open body concept.
For 2010 MINI will roll-out the next of it’s high-end limited edition models with the help of Rolls Royce Motor Cars. Since we broke the story about the RR MINI last May, few details have made their way out of either Munich Germany or Goodwood England (Rolls’ headquarters). But that’s not to say we don’t have some of the basics down. For starters the car will feature Ming Blue exterior paint with ultra soft leather and high gloss plastic on much of the interior surfaces. More specifically look for a custom dash, headliner and other signature items. The images seen earlier in the year on MF showed much if this on an earlier test mule. While the final trim and specifications have changed slightly, we expect the car to carry on much the way we see it in the photos above.
However there is one big piece of information we haven’t pried from our sources yet; what the cars final name will be. For obvious reasons using the Rolls Royce brand name doesn’t really make sense on the MINI platform. But what could BMW use that harkens to all of the history, pomp and circumstance that the RR conjures up? Our sources are telling us the answer will be Goodwood.
The name is synonymous with high class motor cars for a couple of reasons. For one the Goodwood Revivial and the Goodwood Festival of Speed are both some of the biggest events on the UK’s motoring calendar every year. But more importantly Goodwood is the home of all Rolls Royce design, engineering and manufacturing.
Official UK Release: On 13 December 2009 at MINI’S Oxford plant, forty electric MINI E cars were handed over to their test drivers, who are all members of the public. This marks the start of two consecutive six-month field trial periods which will evaluate the psychological, social and technical aspects of living with an electric car. The findings will be used both to inform the BMW Group engineering teams, as they create zero emissions vehicles for the future, and the wider world to help guide power providers, policy makers and component manufacturers in their decision making.
The BMW Group has played a pioneering role in the development of sustainable private transport through ever more efficient petrol and diesel power plants. This is being achieved through the comprehensive application of a wide range of technologies, collectively known as Efficient Dynamics. More than 1.6 million cars worldwide have been sold with Efficient Dynamics technology integrated into their design. The company also has a long-term commitment to the development of both hybrid and hydrogen powertrains. continued →
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1st Gen MINI R50: One & MC Coupe R52: All 1st Gen MINI Convt. R53: MCS Coupe 2nd Gen MINI R55: Clubman R56: One/MC/MCS Coupe R57: One/MC/MCS Convt. R60: MINI SUV
Sections: MF Feature Dec 31st, 2009 7 Comments 
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