MINI Release: New York, NY – January 15, 2009, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced in his State-of-the-City speech that BMW Group will loan a fleet of 10 MINI E electric zero-emissions cars to the City of New York. These vehicles will be used in its Street Condition Observation Unit, known as SCOUT, and will be among the 500 MINI Es the BMW Group is producing as part of a one-year pilot field study to determine the viability of electric vehicles in real life use. The MINI Es will be used by SCOUT inspectors who drive New York City’s streets in search of street conditions, such as potholes and graffiti. The vehicles are scheduled to begin arriving in April. continued →
MF has learned that MINI will be releasing not one but two 50th Anniversary edition MINIs next year. Similar to the Checkmate and Park Lane MINIs that came out in 2006, these special edition cars will be available for order through dealers and will include special interiors and wheels. They will also only be available in specific colors: one model in Pure Silver, the other in Hot Chocolate.
We’ve heard rumors to the effect that MINI was secretly planning a special version of the JCW coupe for late in the R56′s model run but nothing had been substantiated until very recently. While we know very little about the car, the engine or even the timing of such a model, we do know that MINI is in the early stages of building prototypes at the Oxford plant to be finalized in an undisclosed Munich location.
Specifically we’ve heard from several sources that a Chili Red/Black JCW test car recently spotted going down the final Oxford assembly line with no back seats and several sound-system components missing. It was labelled a T-car which is the plant’s term of an internal test car used for new models. continued →
Can’t make it to this year’s Detroit International Auto Show? No worries, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a full video recap of the press conference and a look around the MINI booth.
We are fans of Winding Road around here as has been mentioned before. Issue 41 is a good reason why. Chock full of clever Top 12 or Top 5 lists, including their favorite cars from 2008.
Sure the MINI made the list.
The Mini Cooper line has been a favorite with the automotive media since its introduction in 2002. The latest iteration sallies forth as a wonderful mix of performance and fuel efficiency, particularly the S variant with its 172 horsepower four-banger that achieves 26 miles per gallon in the city and 34 on the highway.
Other cars in the list include the BMW 1 Series, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, The Audi R8 and Dodge Sprinter. Yes, that Dodge Sprinter.
The MINI is also featured in their Top 10 most fuel effecient cars, coming in at number 9.
Winding Road is a free online car magazine. You can read it on the website or download it to your computer to read any time. Well written, great photos and easy to use. It’s no wonder it always makes the Motoringfile Gift Guide. Well worth checking out and subscribing.
Official Release: Speech by Ian Robertson, member of the board of management of BMW AG, MINI Press Conference at the 2009 NAIAS.
Welcome to the North American International Auto Show 2009! And welcome to our MINI stand!
The world is becoming more MINI – with the United States leading the way. Americans have truly fallen in love with the MINI. MINI has proven that small cars can also be premium.
Last year we sold more than 54,000 MINIs here in the US. That’s an impressive 29 percent more than the year before. That makes the United States MINI’s largest single market, accounting for nearly a quarter of global sales.continued →
1st Gen MINI R50: One & MC Hatch R52: All 1st Gen MINI Convt. R53: MCS Hatch 2nd Gen MINI R55: Clubman R56: Hatch R57: Convertible R58: Coupe R59: Roadster R60: MINI Crossover R61: MINI Crossover Coupe 3rd Gen MINI F55: Clubman F56: Hatch F57: Convertible F60: MINI Crossover F62: Traveller
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Sections: MINI E Jan 17th, 2009 10 Comments 
