(Updated: all photos have removed due to a BMW/MINI legal request) Images of the R57 MINI Convertible, scheduled to debut this winter at the Detroit Auto Show, have surfaced thanks to a tipster. While there aren’t many surprises in these photos thanks previous information we’ve reported, there are a couple of new items shown. For one it looks as if MINI is adding a black trip options on the headlights and on the belt-line trim that has been traditionally chrome. continued →
With the current financial state of the US economy and the decline in sales of BMW models, BMWNA has watched sales dip for the first time in a long time. This comes at a time when the company has just invested in expanding its headquarters in NJ, along with other capital investments.
This past spring brought about a change in the used car market. Plummeting prices forced BMW to write down some of its losses. The losses continue due to the poor state of the market. With more cars to come off lease with inflated residuals, how can BMW offset these losses and the money they have already spent elsewhere? Easy: sell some of its more liquid assets.
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The 2009 MINI convertible has been spotted again, this time with the top down. And as we have been reporting, the new car will not have the rollbar that was so prominently featured on the R52. The photo above comes courtesy of Auto Express but don’t expect anything new within their article. For instance they claim the R57 was delayed due to the R52 selling so well. That in fact is not the case. The roll-out for the various MINI models has been set in stone for as long as 4 years now and is closely following the timeline that BMW has used for it’s various models for decades. So while we’d recommend taking a look at the pics, read the full article at your own peril.
If you’ve been wanting a closer look at MINI’s new Crossover Concept but didn’t have plans to get to the Paris Motor Show, we have your answer. We’ve obtained some official footage of the concept that gives us a much better glimpse at much of the functionality that doesn’t really come through in two dimensional photos. So grab your favorite beverage, sit back and enjoy…
Automotive News is reporting that BMW North America and MINI USA will be reducing it’s staff by around 100 employees and turning down 44,000 cars (it’s not clear how many if any of that will be MINIs) that were allocated for the North American market. Here’s an excerpt from the article:
O’Donnell has ordered his department heads to look at cutting costs. They were to have reported back to him by the end of last week. Marketing will be a key area for slashing expenses. O’Donnell said it is wrong “to push in a market that is declining.” continued →
MINI has a coupe, a convertible (set to be re-introduced next spring), a wagon-like vehicle and soon an SUV. While we’ve known for quite some time MINI has been contemplating different variations of the current line-up, however until now we never had any official confirmation of what may be coming. After talking with various high-level sources we’ve pieced together the following list of potential MINI variations that BMW is currently studying. continued →
The 2008 Paris Auto Show is coming up. MINI plans to be there in force showing off all of the current cars as well as the JCW Clubman, the R60 Concept and the Cooper D.
The Current MINI Range at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.
From Driving Pleasure to Sheer Passion: The MINI John Cooper Works. The MINI John Cooper Works Clubman.
(MINI Press Release)Note: Unless indicated otherwise, the contents of this Media Information Kit relate to the equipment and specifications for Germany. Deviations in other markets are possible. All specifications and technical data on the MINI John Cooper Works and MINI John Cooper Works Clubman are provisional.
The sporting talent comes in its DNA, the joy of above-average performance is unparalleled every mile, every kilometre on the road. MINI at its best – ready to go for new records in its strongest discipline: the joy of motoring.
Whoa, what’s this? Looks like MINI is testing their own battery-powered MINI out in Munich.
It’s understood that BMW boss Norbert Reithofer will unveil the battery Mini at the 2008 Los Angeles motor show in November – the perfect location for the car’s public debut.
Hybrid technologies has been building an electric MINI for quite some time. Pricing for that car starts just north of US$50,000. Let’s hope BMW and MINI can bring this one to driveways for quite a bit less. This also jives with our production update posted in July.
We’ve heard rumors that Fiat is planning to bring the 500 to the United States in the next couple of years. And, recently, in the Bay Area of California, Fiat held a research study about small cars that included the Smart, Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, Nissan Versa and the 500.
WRR listener Jason managed to get an invitation to this event, the idea of which was to do some driving in the cars under normal driving conditions. And his take on it is very interesting.
After that I was a little more pleased with the car’s overall performance. (him being there also hinted that this was put on by Fiat). I felt the car was underpowered too, coming from driving a modified R53 for so long, but he assured me there would be a “JCW like” kit for the Fiat 500 soon, so thats a plus for the little Fiat.
This one showed up on my radar last week. It’s a great analysis of the R60 Concept by frequent MF commenter Nathaniel Salzman. He took the time to reasearch and post a great analysis of not only the R60, but the MINI brand in general.
I don’t think anybody who’s paying attention can say that a car with MINI’s premium outlook on features, safety, design, and economy, in a 4-door package, with AWD wouldn’t just sell like crazy in the US. It probably won’t be a big hit in Europe, but they’ll probably be lined up around the block to buy them here. This has led to accusations within the MINI enthusiast community that MINI is only making this car to pander to the poor tastes of American car buyers who’ve been brainwashed into this notion that they need off-road capability in their daily commute up the freeway. continued →
Michael joins us again from The Mail Buoy podcast. Starting out with a short rant before we dive right into some R60 concept talk.
The three of us going into some great detail about the R60 concept with a new format that worked very very well. It did result in a longer-than-normal show, but for this topic, I think it worked fantastic and you should enjoy it. Running time is close to an hour for those of you that listen along at MF or WRR.
From Autoblog green and something we have been expecting for a while now.
This entire time, BMW was to decide on the fate of the city EV by the end of the year, and it seems that they have. BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer has confirmed that the Bavarian automaker will indeed go smaller, though we are not so sure it will wear the blue and white badge. Rather, the new vehicle could wear the Isetta badge made popular on microcars from the past. “It’ll be a car with a completely new look, with two engines available. One will be a very efficient combustion engine and the other will be a purely electric model,” says Reithofer.
This will be interesting to see and to see how well it performs against the MINI.
*The image above isn’t an official rendering. The final version of the car will surely look much more different. However you can see more information about it on it’s Flickr page.
This has to be the craziest comparo yet. From AOL Autos via Car and Driver, in search of cars that will give an Audi R8 a run for it’s money.
Of course, both get their grunt from powerplants that are as antithetical as the wrappers they arrive in. The Cooper S’s high-tech, 1.6-liter engine uses a turbocharger to put a “bang” in “four-banger,” whereas the Escalade employs a brutal, old-school 403-hp, 6.2-liter V-8 that sucks down more than twice the fuel. Furthermore, if anything remotely resembling a curve turns up in the middle of that quarter-mile run, David will eat Goliath for lunch.
Buyer beware. From ABC news, a story about a MINI that was damaged during Katrina, ended up in Kansas City then sold to an unsuspecting buyer in South America.
Sight unseen, Vargas bought the car over the Internet through a dealer in Bolivia for $7,000. He then spent $5,000 shipping the car of his dreams to Los Angeles, down the Pacific Coast to Chile, and over the Andes Mountains to Cochabamba, Bolivia.
Tonight joined by Michael Babischkin from The Mail Buoy podcast while we talk about motoring badges on jets, Todd replacing his brakes and making funny sounds and news from Motoringfile.com. Be sure to check back tomorrow for 271. We go pretty long talking about the new Crossover concept and how we think it will affect MINI. I think we covered some great points that you might (or might not) appreciate it.
If you are one looking for the contact form, it was pointed out to me last week that there wasn’t a link to it. That has been corrected. You can also find it here.
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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: R57 (Conv.) Sep 27th, 2008 79 Comments 
Michael joins us again from 
This has to be the craziest comparo yet. From AOL Autos via Car and Driver, in search of cars that will give an Audi R8 a run for it’s money.
