Mar 10th, 2014
MINI and BMW executives keep dropping more and more indicators that several current MINI models don’t have a future in this new generation of cars. This latest round of revelations came via Oliver Friedmann, head of MINI brand management, in a conversation with Auto News. Instead of a wide cross-section of model variants, Friedmann says MINI’s new strategy is to focus on three “pillar” cars to ground the product lineup in what MINI is all about. Those models? The F56 hardtop hatch, the next generation Countryman, and the next generation Clubman which we saw in concept at Geneva.
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Nov 8th, 2013
The MINI JCW GP is a car that we here at MotoringFile hold in rather high esteem. While certainly not for everyone, it’s a package deal of everything the second generation MINI has to offer in terms of a pure driving experience and special JCW touches. It’s a car MINI created not to make money on (because like the 2006 GP, MINI likely lost money on this model), but out of sheer brand enthusiasm.
We’ve reviewed it on the track and on the road and fell in love with it both times.
Turns out we’re not the only ones who feel that way. EVO has included the second generation MINI JCW GP in its list of final contenders for EVO Car of the Year. continued →
Aug 19th, 2013
According to the Automotive News MINI is expanding the Not Normal marketing campaign that was introduced earlier this year buy its agency BSSP. Given all the recent small car competition MINI is looking to turn up the dial a bit to gain more of the public’s attention. According the Automotive News:
Mini is fighting back with new executions in its “Not normal” campaign from Butler Shine, Stern & Partners, Sausalito, Calif. — the creative strategy that allowed the agency to hold onto the account after the automaker’s review in 2012. The idea is to push its peculiarity and stand out from brands like Chevrolet’s Spark, which outsold Mini in July of this year according to Automotive News’ DataCenter. continued →
May 17th, 2013
MINI delivers a car with miss steering wheel paddles. Hilarity ensues.
May 14th, 2013
Australian motoring site and friends of MotoringFile, Ausmotive.com, are reporting this morning that MOTOR Magazine has named the second generation JCW GP as the latest winner of their “Bang for your bucks” award. One judge called the GP the “best MINI I’ve ever driven, especially on a track.” We couldn’t agree more.
Head over to Ausmotive.com for their full take and some down under GP photos. You can also catch the full MINI Australia press release after the jump.
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Apr 12th, 2013
Today we’ve got an unlikely pairing from AutoCar.co.uk between the new MINI Paceman JCW and the BMW 135i. While the Paceman JCW is the more sporting than its Cooper and Cooper S siblings, it’s still a no-brainer that the M135i has it beat in the performance category. So why compare the two? Simple. Because they cost about the same.
The video is a pretty scathing indictment of the Paceman’s price point. Something is out of whack. Either the Paceman really is priced well out of reality, or the BMW is the bargain of a generation. Check out the video after the jump and tell us what you think.
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Apr 8th, 2013
Since the debut of the new MINI more than ten years ago, the line-up has grown from one to seven distinct models. As we look toward the next generation MINI hatch, the F56, we can’t help but wonder about the next generation of all those other MINIs as well. What will the next Clubman be like? Will the Coupe and Roadster merge into one product? What about the next Countryman? continued →
