Spy photographers at Edmunds have once again caught the MINI Crossover (final name coming soon) at the famous Nurburgring doing some final suspension refinement. There nothing really new in the video or the article but it’s another great way to see the size relationship between other cars and the R52 R57 which just happens to be right behind the crossover in one shot.
Today the US government announced new efficiency standards that will (for the first time in recent memory) unify all states around the same set of standards. It will also greatly influence automotive products and new engines in the coming years.
The new CAFE standard will grow 5% from 2011 onward until 2016. At that time US automakers needs to an fleet average (for cars) of 42 mpg. That’s an increase of 14.5 mpg as compared to what is currently law.
But how does it relate to MINI? Luckily for BMW and MINI the current crop of engines are already quite efficient as compared with other 4 cylinder power plants in the US. Yet, as a fleet they will need to average far more than they do now considering the Cooper S and JCW numbers impact the overall average. A scary thought for more than a few of us. continued →
Reports of BMW and Mercedes partnering to make everything from small cars to major components is like watching a tennis match. Every week seems to bring new statements either confirming or refuting the partnership. This week BMW is the one being cautiously pessimistic with BMW CEO claiming the brand is too valuable to be tied up with Mercedes too overtly. Here’s a quote from this week’s Automotive News:
No cost savings could possibly be great enough to warrant ruining the core of a brand, he explained.
Last week, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche pushed for a broader alliance with BMW during an interview with Reuters, saying there were in principle only a few areas where a cooperation was out of the question.
Specifically when it comes to the MINI, BMW is concerned about keeping brand values front and center – notably performance. As we reported last year, BMW looked seriously at building the the next-generation MINI on an Alfa Romeo (Mito) platform. Eventually they scrapped the concept after realizing that they couldn’t guarantee the resulting car would look or drive MINI enough.
A short run through the top stories from MotoringFile.com with Mr. Gabe Bridger in attendance before getting into what we will be doing at MINI United. Not before I realize that Todd and I totally need spy gear.
Do you suffer from the dreaded Death Rattle? Check that post at MF and definitely bring it up with your dealer! And, if you are looking for some great MINI E links, check out this post at Jasonsmini.com.
Finally, we talk a bit about what’s going on during MINI United and how we are planning our attack. First of all, we also can’t believe that they invited us along for a Pub Crawl. We also know that a Pub Crawl usually requires more than 2 pubs. Something, I can only imagine, we’ll be making at attempt to fix.
It’s confirmed! White Roof Radio and Motoringfile will be represented at MINI United 2009, happening Memorial Day Weekend at Silverstone Raceway in England.
For those of you that aren’t able to make it, not to worry. You’ll be able to play along with the MINI United Home Game right here! As we have in the past, Todd and I will be capturing as much as we can via photos, audio and video and all of that will end up right here as well as Whiteroofradio.com.
MINI has another trick up its sleeve in regards to new models over the next several years. As we broke over a month ago, MINI is currently working on a speedster model based off of the R57 platform using the existing 1.6L engine family. It’ll have an aggressive look, more sportiness and less space which all should equal the fastest MINI drop-top yet. The car will likely have a fabric top (with an optional removable hard top) with two roll bars behind the occupants giving the car a sleek sporty look.
But the big surprise in all of this is that MINI won’t be debuting the production speedster first. While they’ll be showing a concept speedster likely at Frankfurt this fall, the first model to come to market will a notch-back coupe version of the car meant to be the sportiest model of the R56 derived platform yet. As one source told us, “think of this model as the Z4 Coupe of the MINI line-up.”
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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: R60 (Countryman), Video May 20th, 2009 11 Comments 
A short run through the top stories from 
It’s confirmed! White Roof Radio and Motoringfile will be represented at 
