Archive for March 2010
Mar 16th, 2010
The world is changing. Cars are getting bigger batteries while efficiency standards are on the rise worldwide. Through it all BMW has decided to become not only the maker of performance oriented cars but efficient ones as well. Core to that plan is the MINI brand and the future powerplants destined for its next generation cars.
As we mentioned in Part 1 in this series last week, MINI will be launching a new generation of its core product to replace the R56 hatchback in late 2012. At the heart of this new generation of MINIs will be a new range of powerplants that will create a new benchmark for not only performance but also efficiency.
The first generation new MINI was designed and even partially engineered before an engine was even identified let alone developed for the car. Ultimately the R5X series of models made due with a Chrysler designed (and Brazilian built) iron block four cylinder that was inefficient (in modern terms) but surprisingly full of character that more than suited the car. The R56 on the other hand was given a BMW designed four cylinder that was shared with several Citroen and Puegoet models. For 2012 BMW will be giving the next generation MINI an entirely new range of engines designed and developed once again in house at BMW. continued →
Mar 16th, 2010
On the eve of the US debut of the Countryman (at the NYC Auto Show in a few weeks) the WSJ took a look back and a look ahead at the MINI brand and it’s surprising success in the US market. It’s a fascinating take on the MINI story by a relative outsider to the automotive world let alone the MINI world. Here’s an excerpt:
“It was like a mission for me,†says Jack Pitney, who was BMW’s North American corporate communications chief at the time. “Here was the most successful car in U.K. history, with an uninterrupted production run of 40 years. It needed to be on our roads.†The numbers were against him. “All the classical research said there was no market,†Pitney says. “The Mini brand had less than 1 percent recognition in the U.S.â€
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Mar 15th, 2010
Last month MINI announced updates to the entire MINI line-up with more power and more efficiency. We reported the details earlier this year but to recap, here are the numbers with the new engines.
- MINI Cooper: 120 hp (up 2 hp)
- MINI Cooper S: 179 hp (up 7 hp)
The JCW is unchanged thus far but we expect more information later this year.
All of these changes will go into effect with March production in almost every market around the world except for the US. With the mid-life cycle model refresh coming on-line with September production MINI USA has decided to delay the introduction of the updated engines to coincide with the refresh launch. With this change MINI will have a clean differentiation between the 2010 and 2011 models. So for all those on the fence about when and what to get, September production just got a lot more interesting.
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Mar 12th, 2010
Last week we told you about MINI’s 2011 refresh and what to expect. While we’ve seen photos of the Cooper S variants we have (until now) not see anything Cooper related. However that came to an end this week as spy photographer associated with AutoBilde snapped a silver Clubman with full refreshed front and rear bumpers.
Upfront it’s clear that the Cooper will get restyled foglight surrounds along with extra cooling ducts likely meant to take air into the braking system. You can clearly see the changes in the photo above as compared to this photo of the current Cooper Clubman. continued →
Mar 11th, 2010
BMW has a hit on their hands with the MINI. But they also have a problem; how to sell more small premium cars. Research is showing that the small premium car category has huge growth potential and that only having one brand offering such a car may be a mistake. BMW’s solution? To based a small front wheel or all wheel drive BMW off of the next generation MINI platform.
Last week on BimmerFile we noted that during BMW Chairman Norbert Reithofe’s speech he made it clear that BMW and MINI were extending their brands into the small car segment. But what did that exactly mean? Was he talking about the shared platform between the MINI and a new small BMW or BMW’s new range of “megacity” cars sub-braned as iSetta? Autocar had a chance to ask the man that very question.
Being careful to separate the new price-leading front-wheel-drive model from BMW’s upcoming city car – a totally different project as part of its Mega City Vehicle electric car initiative – Reithofer added, “For these new vehicles [the new BMW and Mini] we are developing a common architecture for both front and four-wheel drive.”
While exact details remain shrouded in secrecy, Autocar can confirm the new entry-level BMW has been conceived to run the same front-wheel-drive underpinnings as the next-generation Mini Cooper.
Autocar predicts this new BMW will be built along side the MINI in Oxford. However our sources tell us this is impossible given the current cost of expanding the plant even further. Instead it’s likely that the new small BMW will be built alongside a small slice of the next generation MINI production at a current BMW plant in Germany. It’s worth noting that our sources tell us that all MINIs produced in Germany will be destined for the European market as a way to insulate the British currency issues BMW currently faces.
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Mar 10th, 2010
MINI Sales continue to look good for 2010. Worldwide sales are up 16% and BMW expects big things with the launch of the Countryman later this year in Europe (and early next in the US).
Official Release: Sales of the MINI brand also continued to perform well. Last month, 13,443 MINI cars, 16.0% more than in February 2009 (11,584), were delivered to customers worldwide. 25,645 MINI vehicles were sold in the year to the end of February. That represents an increase of 18.2% (prev. yr. 21,704). Ian Robertson: “Over the next few years the MINI product family will grow from three to six members. The MINI family’s fourth model, the new MINI Countryman, will arrive in showrooms in September and will play an important part in the premium brand’s long-term growth.â€
Mar 10th, 2010
BMW has gone the length of officially disputing the notion that the upcoming launch of the ActiveE will be smaller than the MINI E field study. Why do you ask? Because the idea is to offer at least the same number in hopes that many of those MINI E customers would move over to the Active E. Would you trade your MINI E for a BMW 1 Series based ActiveE with a more advanced liquid heating and cooling? Let us know in the comment section.
Official Release: Recent published reports have incorrectly stated that the size of the fleet of BMW ActiveEs that will be deployed during the BMW Group’s second-phase field trial in the US will be limited to 200 vehicles. While the exact size of the fleet has yet to be confirmed, it will be at least as large as the MINI E fleet which is currently in operation. There are 450 MINI Es on the road in the US right now. They are being driven by a dedicated group of individuals and select fleet users. continued →
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