As MINI and Prodrive charge forward toward the May racing debut of the MINI Countryman WRC, more and more testing is taking place to get the cars 100% sorted out. Here we have the car testing on some fast gravel road and (more impressively) seeing how much air he can get while scaring photographers. (Video after the break) continued →
Today is the day that BMW took the wraps off its biggest gamble to date. No it’s not a full car reveal. Actually much more grand and has greater implications than any single new model. The brand is BMW i and the idea is to rethink the car and the way we use our transportation infrastructure.
Along with the brand, BMW announced its plan to produce two cars under the i name. The i3 will be a fully electric three and five door hatch with a carbon fiber monocoque on an aluminum frame (yes body on frame is back). Pricing has yet to be even hinted at but we expect this to be a premium offering (ie high-end 3 Series territory). The i8 will also be much more premium costing more than $150,000. But it will have performance, design and engineering that will live up to that price. Likely very similar to the Vision concept that debuted at Frankfurt a year and a half ago, the car will likely redefine what a sports car is. With its three cylinder turbo diesel developing great power while being extremely efficient, the i8 will lead the brand.
Look for the BMW i8 to debut in 2013 and the i3 to follow it about a year later.
Official Release: The new BMW sub-brand focused on developing sustainable mobility solutions has been launched. “BMW i represents a new movement in premium mobility. With the introduction of this new sub-brand, the BMW Group reaffirms its leadership as the most innovative and sustainable premium car company. The products and services have been conceived around a revolutionary approach: purpose designed and purpose built for sustainable, premium mobility. It’s a new day in our industry; a new era for individual mobility. This is BMW i – Born Electric.†said Ian Robertson, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Sales and Marketing, in Munich on Monday. (Official gallery and video after the break) continued →
Live from Munich – BMW has just announced that the Megacity brand will be known as “i”. Two models are already planned and we’ll see both later this year.
First up will be the i8 in 2013. The car will be built in the Leipzig plant. The i3 will be following the i8 shortly after 2013 and will be the three and five door hatchback we’ve seen in sketch for since last year. The i8 will be over $150,000 and have performance that rivals some supercars. However it’s the i3 that’s likely more interesting to the MINI owners. A compact 3 and 5 door hatchback, the car will be space and energy efficient to the highest order.
100% electric and built entirely out of carbon fiber and aluminum both will be revolutionary for mass products automobiles. However even the compact i3 will be pricey. Expect this to be easily double the price of a base MINI. (live gallery after the break)
This comes to us from White Roof Radio co-host and MotoringFile contributor, Todd Pearson.
In 2006, MINI announced they would be producing a performance-oriented special edition model that would be lighter weight and limited in quantity worldwide. As we all know, that edition was dubbed the MINI Cooper S John Cooper Works GP edition. Two thousand individually numbered GPs were produced with 415 sold in the US. I wasn’t immediately smitten when the GP was announced but the car grew on me so much that I put a deposit down and paid extra to take part in a special delivery of the very first GPs delivered during the first MINI Takes The States. The special delivery took place at Laguna Seca during the kick-off to the Monterey Historics in 2006. Needless to say, as soon as I laid eyes on the Thunder Blue Metallic paint, carbon fiber wing and unique aero kit on the GP, I was in love with this car. continued →
The title says it all. BMW will launch the highly anticipated new sub-brand on Monday. We’ll be in Munich later in the week to talk with BMW about plans for both the new sub-brand and the future of MINI. continued →
As many of you know, MINI made a sizable marketing investment in the Super Bowl this year — running an ad as well as giving away tickets to “the big game.” MINI also threw a Bootparty to celebrate and it included some game day themed MINIs that we’re told we’ll see round the country at similar events in the future. Looks like good times.
Here Evo puts the European hot hatchbacks through the ringer, comparing the Citroen DS3R to the MINI Cooper S and others. A terrific summary of each vehicle, showing just how close all these cars really are to each other on paper, but how far apart they are in dynamic driving appeal. The MINI fairs well, but we won’t spoil the ending. Definitely worth a watch.
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: Countryman WRC Feb 21st, 2011 7 Comments 
