Archive for September 2004
Sep 30th, 2004
The Montreal Gazette has an interesting story about the MINI's testosterone laden advertising and why it's important to the brand. Here's an excerpt:
BMW's much-anticipated Mini Cooper
In the U.S, billboards compare the little power-packed ragtop to a little power-packed motorcycle favoured by stunt riders known as a “crotch rocket.”
Another ad features a photo of a purple Mini convertible against a black background and neon-like words “Topless XXS Always Open.”
In Canada, online and television ads will be slightly more tame. One ad features a twenty-something guy in a suit jumping into the open convertible in slow motion and the tag line “Always Open.”
This much is clear: these cars might be small, but they're manly. And it illustrates a bizarre car-marketing paradox: in the business of marketing cars, the C-word is “cute.” If a car is perceived as a “chickmobile”, it's poison to men.
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Sep 29th, 2004
Update: It now seems the answer is, probably not. Apparently Mr Houghton-Berry himself emailed sales managers across the UK to specifically say there is no substance to the following story from AutoExpress and that the Moke won't ever make it into production. So please read the following AutoExpress story with that in mind! Here's an excerpt of the original piece:
We've been receiving 'Moke' signals for a while, and now the main man at MINI has admitted that the firm has plans to build a new version, true to the style of the original.
Speaking at a conference to mark half a million MINIs being built at Cowley, boss Trevor Houghton-Berry said: “Additional models will be part of the second-generation production plan, and these could include a two-seater cabriolet, a retro-style Countryman estate and I would really love to build a MINI Moke.”
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Sep 29th, 2004
Playlistmag.com has a well written review of the highly anticipated Alpine iPod interface. Here's an excerpt:
When used with a compatible Alpine head unit, Alpine's new $100 KCA-420i iPod Interface connection kit lets you play and control your iPod through your car stereo. Unlike BMW's popular iPod kit — which limits access to five playlists you specifically create for the system and limits navigation to skipping tracks forward and back — Alpine's solution lets you access all of your playlists and, via its onscreen display, search for songs, albums, and artists. (And the Alpine offering can be used in any car, not just a BMW.) After evaluating the KCA-420i for a month in my Honda CR-V test vehicle, I appreciated its features, innovation, and sound quality, but at times found myself frustrated by its interface.
You can read the entire review here.
If you can stand the garish look of the required Alpine headunit (all 2004 or later Alpine Ai-NET head units should work) and poor interface, it sounds like this might be a solution to consider.
Sep 28th, 2004
Some how I have a feeling this will be a popular download. Here are the official instructions on the installation of the new, official MINI armrest. It should be available at US dealers shortly as an accessory and will be a factory option after 1/05. You can fine out more about the official MINI armrest in this previous article.
[Official MINI Armrest Retrofit PDF]
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Sep 28th, 2004
For my birthday, some of my friends gave me a Supersprint exhaust system for my Cooper. They purchased it from Promini, where it retails for $399.95.
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Sep 27th, 2004
For all those wondering if it's possible to retrofit the new 2005 headlights and tail lights on earlier MINI we've got a resounding answer… yes! Obviously the price might be a bit prohibitive but hey, if you have to ask, you probably don't want to know! The instructions and part numbers come in the of the form of official MINI PDF instructions.
[Facelift Headlight Retrofit PDF]
[Facelift Taillight Retrofit PDF]
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Sep 27th, 2004
Here's an excerpt:
It is practically impossible not to love the Mini Cooper S Convertible, if not for the smiles induced by the S performance package, then for the grins garnered by rolling back the roof.
The S Convertible package includes an array of engineering improvements, half to overcome the extra 220 pounds of stiffening braces and the electrohydraulic roof, and the other half to address the only criticism of the S hatchback, namely, that it never quite felt as fast as the performance figures suggested.
You can read the entire Autoweek article here.
Sep 27th, 2004
There are a few updates on MINIUSA.com that may be of some interest. First, as reported on MotoringFile previously, it would appear that an end to the Anthracite headliner drama in the US is officially here and it's return to the US is immanent. The headliner has been added into the MINI ordering system and is available on MINIUSA.com. It is ZAH and is available from week 46 (early November) production onward. As reported here last week the price will be $200.
Secondly they have removed the polished and Anthracite versions of the new R99 wheels. No word as to why but lets hope that the roll-out is just pushed back a few months.
Finally, there are now pictures accompanying the White Sunroof Graphic and Checkered Sunroof Graphic options. Could this be the white/frosted sunroof that was mentioned in several articles earlier this summer?
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Sep 25th, 2004
Hard to believe but the new MINI made it's US debut four years ago this past week in New York. To give you the full favor of the time period here's an excerpt from the article Autoweek ran about the introduction:
Frank Stephenson says he's the luckiest guy in the world because he's got the best job in the world. As he pulls the cover off his work for the past five years, who could argue?
Stephenson, an American who grew up in Europe, was given the responsibility of redesigning the Mini — the British automotive icon some view on par with VW's Beetle. Walking around the car inside a film studio in New York's Greenwich Village at its U.S. debut, Stephenson says this is a project he believes he was born to complete.
“I celebrated my 40th birthday the same day of the Mini's 40th anniversary. So I guess it was fate,” Stephenson says. “Plus, this was the only car I've ever stolen — it belonged to my mother.”
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Sep 24th, 2004
Automobile Magazine has a feature in this month's edition where it ranks the top 100 cool cars of all time. As expected both the classic and new Mini made the list. The new MINI came in at #85 while the classic edged out it's younger sibling at #67. The 1963-67 Corvette Stingray came out on top followed closely by the Porsche 911.
Automobile doesn't have the story online but you can find the magazine at most major bookstores in the US.
Sep 24th, 2004
For those of you who just can't get enough of BMW/MINI press release reading material here's a nice (long!) recap of what's new with the MINI for 2005. This was distributed to journalists during the Paris Autoshow by MINI Press:
Fresh Wind for MINI One, MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S.
All models within the MINI range remain extremely popular the world over. And to increase the appeal of these unique cars to an even higher standard, the MINI One, MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S have been modified and upgraded this summer.
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Sep 23rd, 2004
Dr. Michael Ganal (BMW Group board member responsible for sales and marketing) gave a speech today that outlined the where the new MINI's has been and where it's going in the years ahead. It's not exactly ground breaking in terms of information but it's always nice to hear from the suits now and again…
Welcome to our MINI Press Conference here at the Paris Motor Show.
This is just the third motor show where we are presenting MINI. And it is only three years after the market launch of MINI in late summer 2001. But we have already - just recently - set up a very significant record: Last month the 500,000th MINI came off the production line in Oxford! This number alone confirms MINI's unique story of success.
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Sep 22nd, 2004
Since everyone seems to be in the design opinion mood lately I thought it might be a good time to show-off some official 2005 model year sketches we've obtained. I would expect they'll be a bit more well received than what was posted yesterday!
Seen in these concepts are a few of the more notable exterior changes that MINI has introduced for the 2005 model year. As these drawings show, the exterior changes coupled with the new design requirements of the convertible demanded a good deal of time spent in the studios finalizing details. You can check them out at the link below:
[2005 MINI Concepts]
Sep 21st, 2004
Update: We were hoping for some clarification on these images and I’m happy to say we finally got it. The images above are from a BMW sponsored contest for design students where 1st prize gets an MCS for a year. You’re looking at 1st prize! So while they might indeed represent some interesting ideas that BMW/MINI could be looking at, it would seem that they are not official concepts from MINI.
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Sep 21st, 2004
Here's an update from Alex who is running the MINI armrest group buy started last week:
- The first 30 armrests have arrived on Saturday!
- The first 30 people who have placed their order on the technic forum will receive their armrest within the next few days!
- The price for the armrest including postage & packing is 125 euros (around $152) which is still more than $40 below dealer price!
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