Jul 17th, 2014
The following report is from long-time MotoringFile contributor Berthil van Beek
A lot of effort was done to make the opening a real party for all involved and especially the factory employees who worked very hard the last one and a half year to convert this plant from a Mitsubishi plant to a MINI plant with equal quality standards as Oxford. It was special to see our king drive so close to all the employees when he made a tour after the official opening.
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Jul 15th, 2014
The BMW Group sold more than a million vehicles in the first half of 2014, more than ever before in the first six months of the year. A total of 1,020,211 vehicles were delivered to customers worldwide, an increase of 6.9% over the same period last year (954,501). Sales in June also reached an all-time high: deliveries increased 4.8% with a total of 193,342 vehicles sold last month (prev. yr. 184,489).
As expected the recent model change means overall MINI sales continue to be down year over year. continued →
Jul 8th, 2014
Fresh off of the light refresh of the Countryman MINI has turned its attention to the Paceman. But lets cut straight to what you want to know. Every part of the Countryman’s refresh is seen in the Paceman (detailed below). New trim, colors, grille design and sound deadening. The only exception is that the Paceman doesn’t get the Countryman’s silver trim seen on the All4 model of the Countryman. The refreshed Paceman should hit showrooms in July or August depending on where you are in the world.
Click through for the very detail official release (PDF format) and a massive gallery of photos. continued →
Jul 7th, 2014
As expected, BMW announced last week that it would build a new production facility in Mexico to handle assembly of key models destined of the North American market. What those models are won’t be known for some time. However you can guess that it won’t be X models since the massive Spartanburg South Carolina plant has that handled. That leaves the 3 and 5 series as volume sellers in the US market – perfect candidates in our minds. But perhaps more interesting is the MINI brand which counts the US as it’s largest market. Surely there’s a chance that BMW is looking at this possibility as well. That of course begs the questions – would you care of your next MINI was made in Mexico rather than the UK?
Here are the key facts on this week’s announcement:
- Investment of roughly one billion US dollars
- Capacity of around 150,000 units per year
- Start of production planned for 2019
- Harald Krueger: Decision underscores commitment to the NAFTA region
Official Release: The BMW Group will build a new plant in Mexico in close proximity to the city of San Luis Potosí in the state of the same name. This move is in line with the company’s clear strategic policy of ensuring globally-balanced growth.
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Jul 6th, 2014
The MINI Countryman has been a massive success for BMW and MINI since its release in 2011. For it’s forth year of production MINI is giving it the typical visual and mechanical refresh. However unlike MINI’s past refreshes, the Countryman has received what has to be the subtlest nip and tuck imaginable.
We’ve detailed the revised Countryman previously on MF (both in the official release and hands-on) but it’s worth revisiting here. continued →
Jul 5th, 2014
Official Release:First things first was the motto for Joan “Nani” Roma (ES) when the 2014 Dakar Rally winner visited the iconic Goodwood Festival of Speed in England before he will be heading for the 2014 Baja Arágon in Spain later this month. During the world famous motorsport event Roma competed in the spectacular 2.86 kilometre hill-climb race in front of thousands of motorsport enthusiasts from around the globe. Alongside Roma: his powerful yellow MINI ALL4 Racing in which he claimed the Dakar victory for the MINI brand and the Monster Energy X-raid Team just over five months ago in the world’s most demanding long-distance rally.
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Jul 1st, 2014
The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported June sales of 35,577 vehicles, an increase of 5.7 percent from the 33,645 vehicles sold in the same month a year ago. Year-to-date, the BMW Group (BMW and MINI combined) is up 5.1 percent on sales of 181,534 in the first half of 2014 compared to 172,787 in the same period in 2013. MINI has struggled during the first half of the year to keep pace with last year; did June buck the trend? Full details after the jump.
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