Jan 23rd, 2015
For over five years we’ve reported (and reported and reported) on MINI’s internal desires to produce a smaller car than the R53, R56 and especially F56. In 2011 MINI gave us a view of what this car could be with the Rocketman concept. While the BMW Group could not make a business case of the concept initially, we learned back in October of last year that the city car had been in fact green-lighted by the Board. Yesterday, Automobile double-downed on our previous reports and revealed that MINI designers and engineers are actively working on the Rocketman, or should we say the MINI Minor. Automobile’s Georg Kacher also indicates that the Superleggera will join the ranks of the FXX generation. Although we can’t confirm the veracity of these claims, I don’t think we could have ended the week on a better note. continued →
Dec 22nd, 2014
Although electric vehicles are now fully part of the automotive landscape, hydrogen-powered cars still have a long way to go before becoming mainstream. In a recent post, our friends at Autocar quote BMW Group’s sales and marketing boss Ian Roberston on the matter. His opinions and subsequently the opinions and BMW and MINI may surprise you. continued →
Dec 11th, 2014
MINI has patented the stunning Superleggera concept released earlier this year. These photos (via Jokeforblog) show off the concept in all of it’s black and white glory and two dimensional glory. Why has MINI done this and does it it mean we can expect a production version? continued →
Nov 25th, 2014
MINI’s Roadster and Coupe twins were always going to be niche players within the line-up. However sales figures indicate that they may have turned into too small a niche to fulfill the typical seven year life-cycle. The pair are based on the R57 architecture which is going out of production next year with the new generation F57 convertible taking it’s place. Given that and the fact the sales are low it would seem 2015 would be a good year for MINI to potentially pull the plug. That opinion seemed to be confirmed by an interview MINI USA Head of Product Pat McKenna did with Autoguide at last week’s LA Autoshow:
“The Coupe and the Roadster will actually go out of production next year,” said MINI USA product boss Patrick McKenna speaking to AutoGuide at the LA Auto Show last week. “They’ve run their life cycle,” he said.
The quote obviously caught our attention but also seemed unusually blunt (or potentially a mis-quote) from the typically tight-lipped MINI. So we wanted to go to the source for a official statement. continued →
Nov 10th, 2014
Officially the news is that LA will see the US debut of the MINI five door and Superleggera concept. Unofficially we hear that MINI will be showing something else. Whether it’s a surprise new concept or a variation of a current model we don’t know. But we have our hunches it’s the former. Nevertheless here’s the official company line on what’s coming to LA. As you can see it’s impressive even without this latest rumor. Full official details of the show after the break. continued →
Oct 21st, 2014
Before you head for the comments to complain about MINIs becoming MAXIs read on…
Sources inside MINI are telling us to expect the next generation MINI hatch to grow in size and into the C segment. That’s the same segment as the VW Gold/GTI and Ford Focus – decidedly bigger than the current MINI. And yet MINI is set to get even smaller in the years ahead. Details? Read on… continued →
Oct 15th, 2014
Since we published our opinion piece last week stating that the Rocketman was a necessary move for the brand, we’ve heard from several sources on the subject. According these sources in the know, it’s great news for those of us who have been wanting a MINI city car.
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