Sections: MINI E Jun 12th, 2009 7 Comments 
Our MINI E coverage continues today with an exclusive look at the car’s owners manual.
+ MINI E Owner’s Manual / Official MINI PDF
Sections: MINI United, Podcast Jun 11th, 2009 17 Comments 
Of course, it wouldn’t be a MINI United unless we got the chance to talk to the main man in charge, Dr. Wolfgang Armbrecht, Senior Vice President of Brand Management at MINI. He gives us the lowdown on the latest MINI updates. Or, as much as he could. Pay special attention to the part about the Crossover and the “optional” four wheel drive feature. Also, in what should be music to some enthusiasts’ ears, note that Dr. Armbrecht stated that in the future MINI would be focusing on “the trend toward smaller cars”. Keep in mind this statement followed some discussion of the Crossover, a larger MINI, but the statement can be taken as a hopeful hint of where MINI may be going next.
This is the last of our MINI United coverage. If you missed any of it, you can find it all here. Don’t forget to also check out the WRR YouTube Channel for the all of the video we posted.
MINI United ’09: Dr. Armbrecht Interview :
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Sections: Safety Jun 11th, 2009 23 Comments According to the IIHS you’ll want to be extra careful to avoid low speed accidents if your a MINI driver. A recent study gave the car a “poor” grade in low speed impacts due to the repair costs. Here’s an excerpt from their report:
Pricey styling decisions: The Mini Cooper is the only car the Institute has tested with a hood that buckled in the front corner test. This is a pricey styling design on the manufacturer’s part, Nolan points out. The minicar’s hood wraps around the front of the car like a fender, so instead of replacing just a fender, the car needed an $810 new hood. Repairs total $2,637 in this test.
Full press release after the jump. continued →
Sections: Ask MotoringFile Jun 11th, 2009 42 Comments 
This week’s Ask MF comes from Graham:
Is there any truth to the rumor that MINI is seeking growth in the US by expanding it’s dealer network significantly? I don’t mean by just a few new dealerships, more than that.
It is our understanding that MINI USA plans to grow the network by adding anywhere from 6-12 new dealerships over the next few years. We’ve heard rumors of new dealerships in all parts of the country from San Diego to downtown Chicago. We’re holding off publishing anything specific at this time but expect to hear more about this soon.
Sections: Official News Jun 10th, 2009 18 Comments 
Both were revolutionary and triumphant: in the summer of 1959 Alec Issigonis presented his concept for a small car which, with its transverse-mounted front four-cylinder engine and space for four occupants plus luggage, was to become a byword for economy of space and driving fun. That same year, sports car constructor John Cooper won his first Formula One World Championship title with Jack Brabham at the wheel. 50 years on, the MINI John Cooper Works World Championship 50 evokes both the start of the triumphal path of the classic Mini as well as victory in the F1 Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship for John Cooper’s racing team. This MINI special edition was inspired by John Cooper’s son, Mike. His signature appears on the facia and on one of the bonnet stripes. It will have a limited production run of 250 units and was unveiled to the public at the 2009 MINI United Festival in Silverstone. The car is based on the MINI John Cooper Works and driven by a 155 kW/211 hp four-cylinder engine with Twin-Scroll turbocharger and petrol direct injection. The production version of the MINI John Cooper Works World Championship 50 features numerous exterior and interior details reflecting the racing pedigree of the brand. continued →
Sections: R58 (Coupe), R59 (Roadster) Jun 10th, 2009 33 Comments 
We’ve talked about the upcoming speedster several times over the last few weeks and have dished pretty much all that there is to dish. Even the shocking news that MINI willlead with a coupe version for production despite the speedster being unvieled first at Frankfurt thus fall.
However until not we haven’t seen (what we would call) a decent guess as to what the car would look like. Granted this latest sketch from Automobile magazine is still a guess but at least it matches some of the descriptions we’ve heard.
+ MINI Speedster / Automobile
Sections: Best of the Web, Efficiency, MINI E Jun 10th, 2009 No Comments 
Owner number 19 has decided to go one step beyond with his MINI E. He is going solar and keeping a blog about it as well.
First of all, I have noticed that some of the blogs by new owners refer to the great handling of the car and the great ergonomics of the interior and how cute the car is. These people have obviously never owned a Mini Cooper before. They are ALL like that. Infact the MINI E is clearly the worst handling model in the line-up due to the extra weight. What I want to do here is focus on the things that make the MINI Es different from their petrol-powered road mates.
Follow the link above to find out his explination of the brake and gas pedals in his MINI. Makes perfect sense. Also follow the link below for the photo gallery.
[ Meet a MINI E that will only use solar power ] Autobloggreen.com
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