Jan 14th, 2015
Everything that we know is about to change! That’s a bold statement, but given the scoop Autocar managed to grab from BMW’s Advanced Engineering Department, we are in for a wild ride regarding future BMW and MINI models. According to Autocar journalist Hilton Holloway, the BMW Group is on a quest to a radical engineering overhaul which will result in reinventing legacy cars into all-wheel-drive range-extender electric cars. To comply with EU fuel consumption regulations, future BMWs and Rolls-Royce will boast unprecedented EfficientDynamics technologies, including:
- Mix of steel, aluminum and composites for body construction
- Electric motors as primary drive source while combustion engines act as energy generators
- Advanced aerodynamics to reducing air and rolling resistance at speed to a minimum
- 3D connected navigation systems that anticipate traffic and road types
Although it will require some time before the Group can pack all these innovations into a single vehicle, we’re already witnessing the efforts of the Advanced Engineering Department with the successful i3, i8, and upcoming G11 7 series. continued →
Jan 12th, 2015
Priced just hundreds of dollars more than its R56 predecessor (albeit with 23 more horsepower), the F56 JCW was officially introduced today at NAIAS. Does this give the new JCW a price versus performance equation that we’ve been looking for? The numbers look good but we’ll find out for sure later this year when we get behind the wheel.
Official release: The new 2015 MINI John Cooper Works Hardtop will make its World Premiere today at the North American International Auto Show, featuring the most powerful engine ever installed in a MINI production model. The latest high performance addition to the MINI line up will be priced at $30,600 plus $850 Destination & Handling in the U.S. and will go on sale in the spring. continued →
Jan 12th, 2015
Follow-us both at MotoringFile on Instagram as the MF crew braves the cold of Detroit and all that is NAIAS press days Monday and Tuesday. We’ll not only be at the MINI stand exploring the new JCW and Superleggera concept but bringing you the best of the rest of the show as it unfolds. For the full feed follow us on Instagram. Clock through for the web gallery. continued →
Jan 11th, 2015
We wish we had done a better job bringing you the latest news from the Dakar Rally, but preparation for NAIAS got in the way. In any case, Autosports reports that Nasser Al-Attiyah, driver of the MINI Qatar Rally Team, has seen his lead shrink due to altitude sickness in yesterday’s stage:
>In a change to the format for 2015, competitors have to do without their service crews and assistance trucks for the middle weekend, carrying only three spare tyres with them for Saturday’s 199-mile run from Iquique to Uyuni and Sunday’s follow-up 317-mile route back to Iquique, where the rest day will take place on Monday. The punishing seventh stage took place partly at 3,500 metres above sea level, and rally leader Al-Attiyah was only seventh fastest after having to stop several times due to altitude sickness.
While the team lost some precious time, let’s all hope it doesn’t prevent a MINI from winning yet another Dakar. continued →
Jan 11th, 2015
The title speaks for itself. With more than two million vehicles sold worldwide across its portfolio of brands, the BMW Group sets a new record in 2014. BMW’s achievement is reinforced by the fact that Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Porsche have all hit sales records last year. While 2014 was a bumpy year for MINI, the brand only saw a 1% decrease in sales compare to last year (302,183 vs. 305,030), but it appears to be on course to set a new sales record for 2015. Here is a summary of BMW’s press release:
- Record worldwide sales: up 7.9% with a total of 2,117,965 deliveries
- Best ever year for BMW, BMW Motorrad and Rolls-Royce
- MINI sales up 20.7% in December – a new record for the month
- BMW i sales around 17,800
Full details after the break. continued →
Jan 8th, 2015
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is the largest event of the year held in Las Vegas and we caught up with MINI’s own Patrick F. McKenna to talk about #minimotordisco at CES. continued →
Jan 6th, 2015
Autoblog managed to get their hands on a fresh new set of spy photos of the 2015 Clubman. The most interesting bit from this release is the interior shot. It confirms what we announced on MotoringFile back in May of last year, with the extra width of the F54 allowing MINI designers to have a fresh take on the interior. continued →
Everything that we know is about to change! That’s a bold statement, but given the scoop Autocar managed to grab from BMW’s Advanced Engineering Department, we are in for a wild ride regarding future BMW and MINI models. According to Autocar journalist Hilton Holloway, the BMW Group is on a quest to a radical engineering overhaul which will result in reinventing legacy cars into all-wheel-drive range-extender electric cars. To comply with EU fuel consumption regulations, future BMWs and Rolls-Royce will boast unprecedented EfficientDynamics technologies, including:
