Australia to get MINI Diesel

Jon Apr 25th, 2008 Link

Make sure to thank your Governor DB next time he cruises by in one of his Hummers or any number of lawmakers in their fairly typical SUV’s. Rather funny that the biggest reason we will not see the Mini D is directly because of California. Meanwhile spend a little while there to see what is per capita one of the largest SUV markets in the US.

A very sad state that a Mini D is worse for the environment than the massive numbers of SUV’s. Think our legislators need a serious wake up call. Although a very cool development for the Mini community in Australia.

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recrudesce Apr 25th, 2008 Link

autralia ?

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Volker Apr 25th, 2008 Link

Autralia ?! Geez, I really have to start watching BBC world news again, so hard to keep up with the new names of these former USSR/GUS states :)

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rhawth99 Apr 25th, 2008 Link

Have you priced diesel lately? Here in NJ it is $.50 to $.60 more per gallon than super.

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TO Apr 25th, 2008 Link

Doopered again!

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c4 Apr 25th, 2008 Link

Yes but Diesel goes a lot farther too..

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.hugo Apr 25th, 2008 Link

yup, i have a cooper d and i love it. it sips on diesel on my daily commute to work. i live in germany so i really get to let her rip on zee autobahn. even at 200kph (124 mph) i get 10L/100km (23.4 mpg) and if i drive at a leisurely american rate of 105kph (65 mph) i get 3.7L/100km (63mpg)! and she’s clean too, the other day i had the motor running and i went around to the back of my mini to get something out of the hatch and had the exhaust blow directly onto my leg from just a few inches away. no smut or stink on me! (ha ha that reads funny!) fuel is waaay more expensive here than in the states but at least diesel’s still the cheaper of the fossil fuels here.

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Mk1 Apr 25th, 2008 Link

BMW is always way behind the curve. Style and profit over substance every time. VW is already promoting their new “clean” diesel in all 50 States. By the time BMW/MINI gets around to a diesel MINI for the US, we’ll all be driving fuel-cell and electric cars.

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DB Apr 25th, 2008 Link

Make sure to thank your Governor DB next time he cruises by in one of his Hummers or any number of lawmakers in their fairly typical SUV’s. Rather funny that the biggest reason we will not see the Mini D is directly because of California

I’ll be sure to do just that. And the reason is because of the black stuff that come out of the exhaust pipe. the combination of diesel cars, trucks, ships and exhaust from jets all collects in the giant valley known as SoCal. Our air is brown more often than not, getting darker as the temps go up.

As much as I would love to have a diesel MINI, I’m pretty keen on breathing too. I can wait it out.

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dave Apr 25th, 2008 Link

the really just need to bring the diesel here. if bmw is going to sell diesels here, why not mini? i just can’t stand the priuses anymore. too crappy and too much smug

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c4 Apr 25th, 2008 Link

BMW always behind the curve? Heck that is news to me. I think the folks that are always behind the curve are the ones from Wolfsburg…. After 30 years they can’t even figure out the American market. When VW fixes they crappy dealer network and second rate quality, then we’ll talk.

See the nice write up Autoextremist.com put up this week:

http://www.autoextremist.com/

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Jon Apr 25th, 2008 Link

I hear you DB, but really do you consider the greater damage being done would be from a thousand Mini D’s running around in California or by the millions of SUVs that inhabit the area. Seems to me if a government is honest about addressing air quality which group has a greater impact on your air.

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MINIme Apr 25th, 2008 Link

I say MINI should build a U.S. car with additional leg room in the rear and just put pedals in all 4 seating positions. If you want to go faster carry more passengers (carpooling). See how this works out so nicely?

Then, we American MINI drivers could collectively make our “green” statement while ridding our fat asses of some extra body fat AND we could raise the middle finger to the oil companies in the process.

Problem solved! No applause necessary. Just throw money!

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Crusoe Apr 25th, 2008 Link

The only MINI that has a chance soon is the Clubman D since emission laws are mostly based on cargo capacity to emission limit ratios.

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Mk1 Apr 25th, 2008 Link

BMW always behind the curve? Heck that is news to me. I think the folks that are always behind the curve are the ones from Wolfsburg…. After 30 years they can’t even figure out the American market. When VW fixes they crappy dealer network and second rate quality, then we’ll talk.

c4, I hear yah. VW drops the ball on all counts, and is way behind the curve. Wouldn’t buy one for all the reasons you stated….but if even these yodels can put new clean diesel models on the streets in every US State, how far behind the curve does that put MINI ;-P

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goat Apr 25th, 2008 Link

Regretfully, many who claim environmental arguments cannot see beyond efficient fuel use (itself a very worthy goal) and conflate high MPG with “good for the environment”. If only environmental issues were that simple! Air emissions and their associated environmental and human health effects are grossly undervalued by the high MPG folks that accuse California of slowing “progress”.

DB speaks as many Californians (correctly) do because they have had to – and continue to have to – disproportionately experience the environmental and health effects of air pollution. And, yes, the particulate matter (i.e., PM2.5) emissions from diesels – the most serious pollutant by far for both acute and chronic health effects – are far higher than they are from gasoline engines. Throw in a diet of biodiesel and the toxics associated with the PM only increase.

There is no magic bullet, unfortunately, and the rest of North America should be happy that California consistently upholds higher air quality standards. But diesel with appropriate PM-aftertreatment can be made to work, and I believe it will be sooner rather than later.

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neuron Apr 25th, 2008 Link

60% of all goods coming into this country go through the Port of Long Beach and the Port of San Pedro about 5 miles apart in southern part of L.A. county. That means we get to enjoy the fume from the ships, rails, and trucks while the goods are funnelled from the world to rest of the country. More diesel vehicles are welcome here as long as the tail pipes are pointed inward.

BTW, is there data showing that California is the biggest per capita suv market in the country?

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DB Apr 25th, 2008 Link

Still looking for SUV per capita, but I did find this chart showing Co2 emmissions in a heat map. Interesting indeed.

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goat Apr 26th, 2008 Link

Good map… nothing quite like the oil and gas sector for CO2 production. Your texas looks like our alberta. :)

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Dr Obnxs Apr 26th, 2008 Link

A lot posting to the thread need to do some learnin! What is offered for sale as a powertrain is directly related to what is regulated. The US, unlike most other regions, regulates particulates as well as a bit of gas mileage. In Europe and many other large markets it’s more about CO2 per mile. As one of the posters correctly pointed out, particulates are a serious health risk and do carry lots of additional costs that isn’t captured in the price of the fuel. So if you want high particulate deisels be prepared to spend lots of your savings via increased average health care costs and the like.

There’s more to life than just MPG….

Also, it’s funny to read the implication that if small deisels are available here in California, then all the SUVs will suddenly go away and we’ll all have Jetta TDIs. That’s laughable on it’s face….

FWIW, Porsche has announced that they will offer hybrid versions of their panamerica 4 door sport sedan and the Chyanne…. Targeting 30% increase in fuel efficiency.

There’s more than one way to skin the cat…

The US is also pretty tapped out on diesel refining capacity, and because if the increase in other contries car use, less diesel is available on the open market. Wonder what the price delta will be if all of a sudden millions of diesel passenger cars start hitting the streets?

I’m all for diesels, as they get more overall energy efficiency than gas motors, but it’s not as simple as just letting them be sold.

Matt

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GregW Apr 26th, 2008 Link

Yes – little NEW ZEALAND is also taking diesel as well as the oil burners from just about every other manufacturer BMW included.

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neuron Apr 27th, 2008 Link

I wonder if California has the highest (per capta or in gross ) number of MINIs.

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Russell Greenwood Apr 27th, 2008 Link

I’ll believe it when I see it – didn’t seem very ‘certain’ from the way the original report states it…

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Aussom Apr 28th, 2008 Link

MINI Copoper D sounds like a good start for MINI Diesel in Oz. I’m looking forward to knowing whether there is a possibility for a MINI Cooper S Diesel variant (presumably an intercooled turbo charged diesel engine?)

Also interested in knowing what the service intervals will be on diesel, plus the cost of Oil Service, Inspection 1 and Inspection 2 services compared to the petrol variants.

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Aussom Apr 28th, 2008 Link

Sorry – I meant “MINI Cooper D” in the first sentence above (typo). Can the Editor possibly amend? Thanks.

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