MINI Coupe At Frankfurt Auto Show

The two-seater Coupe is the latest addition to MINI's growing range of models. We've already seen and detailed the pint-sized coupe model but today the British company updated its gallery with a fresh batch of photos.
According to MINI, its first-ever coupe model that will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show is not just revitalizing the brand’s racing history but also provides the firm with a contender in the sports car segment.
The MINI Coupe will be offered with the most powerful engines in the brand’s line-up. The base version is the 122HP MINI Cooper, followed by the 143HP C and the 184HP Cooper S, while at the top of the range sits the 211HP MINI John Cooper Works.

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BMW Group Publishes Results of first Mini E Trial

We all know about the merits of electric vehicles but have you ever wondered how it would really be like owning one and driving it on a daily basis?

In collaboration with the British government, the BMW Group launched a trial program in the UK with 40 pure-electric MINI E cars given to 62 citizens and 72 pool users over two six-month periods, from December 2009 until March 2011.
Now that the trial period is over, MINI and the Oxford Brookes University, which undertook the research, have released their findings.
Here are the MINI E trial project results in numbers:

• 40 MINI Es


• 12 Months


• 138 Drivers (32 women, 106 men)


• 258,105 miles (415,380 km)


• 33,345 Journeys


• 80,282 kWh Electricity


• Highest mileage by an individual driver over six months: 7,954 miles (11,270 km)


• Average mileage per vehicle over six months, including fleet pool cars: 3,226 miless (4,830 km)


• Average single trip distance: 9.5 miles (15.3 km), compared to UK average of 7 miles (11.3 km)


• Average cost to charge over six months: £60, less than 2p per mile


• Virtually all recharging carried out at home.


• Almost all participants said they’d consider buying an electric car as a result of taking part in the program.


• 80% of the participants trips were made exclusively in the MINI E. With the addition of rear seats and a bigger boot, this number would increase to 90%.

The MINI E is powered an electric motor that produces 204HP and 204 Nm, while drawing energy from a 35kWh Li-Ion battery. It has a top speed of 95 mph (153 km/h) and an official maximum range of 149 miles (240 km), although the company admits that 112 miles (180 km) is a more realistic figure.

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MINI UK Launches New Soho Editions

Following the release of the MINI Clubman Soho edition last year, the British automaker decided to name all of its special edition models after London boroughs, districts, streets and landmarks.

As a result, the Soho nameplate has now been applied to the three-door hatchback and soft-top convertible model, both of which will be available in the United Kingdom in Cooper and Cooper D models from now until March 2012.
The Soho editions sport an exclusive ‘White Silver’ metallic paint, which is not available on any other current MINI Hatch or Convertible model, as well as 17-inch Black Star Bullet alloy wheels, Bi-Xenon headlights with black interior reflectors and white indicators.
As for the interior, the two MINI Soho models gain Anthracite headlining, a 3-Spoke sport leather steering wheel and ‘Piano Black’ interior surfaces.

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MINI Cooper S R53

The second generation of the new MINI from the BMW Group has been with us since 2007 but the tuning industry has yet to let go of the Mk1 hatch and especially the Cooper S model with the R53 designation.

German tuning house CoverEFX has just launched a new package for the MINI Cooper S Mk1 that includes both cosmetic and performance modifications.
The transformation begins on the outside with a flat gunmetal grey vinyl wrap for the body contrasted by the orange colored roof and front fenders as well as the glossy black trim for the aero package and body trim.
The smoked out lights and the new 17-inch multispoke alloy wheels in black with an orange rim further enhance the car's looks.
Under the hood, the MINI's 1.6-liter turbocharged engine is boosted to 240-horsepower while the three-door hatch rides on a lowered sports suspension.
The total cost of the package is set at €8,000 which comes to around US$11,400.

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2014 BMW FWD 1-Series GT

*2012 BMW 1-Series Hatchback Pictured above

It’s no secret that BMW is getting ready to adopta front-wheel drive layout for its smaller modelsincluding certain versions of the next generation of the 1-Series. BMW’s decision has already sparked a lot of discussions whether its front-wheel drive products will remain true to the brand’s “ultimate driving machine” motto or an insult to the company’s heritage.

Now it seems that the day we will see the first front-wheel drive BMW is closer than we thought. According to Autocar magazine, the 1-Series GT, which is said to be a more practical version featuring a high-rising tail like the 5-Series GT, will be the first BMW to adopt front-wheel drive. Its launch is scheduled for 2014.

The 1-Series GT will be based on the BMW Group’s new UKL1 platform, which will first be used on the next-gen Mini, due in late 2012, and in 2018 by the third generation of the 1-Series range.

The all-new platform will use MacPherson struts and the traditional Z-axle multilink rear suspension, while four-wheel drive will probably be an option, opening the road for a small crossover that will sit under the X3 in BMW’s range.

The German brand has big plans indeed for the UKL1, as it will underpin as many as 20 BMW and Mini models. BMW’s head of development, Klaus Draeger, estimated that the Munich-based automaker could manufacture as much as 600,000-800,000 FWD cars annually without the need to cooperate with another manufacturer.

If the report proves accurate, the only models in the 1-Series lineup to stick with RWD will most likely be the Coupe and Convertible and possibly a small four-door sedan.

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BMW Boss: Front-Wheel Drive Bimmers will be “The Ultimate Driving Machine

The times, they are a-Changing sang Bob Dylan, and they did. And for the most part, it’s for the better –or we’d still be living in caves. But when one of the staples of the motoring world embraces a new philosophy, be prepared for the purists to cry “FAIL”. The news of BMW adopting front-wheel-drive for its future compact models is the perfect example.

For decades Munich has bombarded us with its naturally aspirated in-line engines, be that with 4, 6, 8 or 10 cylinders along with 50/50 perfect weight distribution and the “ultimate driving machine” tag.

Now turbos are all the rage, even in the M-division and they are trickling down to the rest of the lineup in the name of fuel economy and CO2 emissions. But a FWD BMW? Where is this world coming to?

BMW Group board member Ian Robertson has a perfect counterargument: “In the last 10 years we have built nearly two million front-wheel-drive Minis and no one has ever told me the driving dynamics are questionable”, Robertson told Australia’s Drive magazine at this week’s 6 Series coupe launch in Germany.

And true enough, he does have a point there as the Mini is one of the most fun to drive hatchbacks on the market. Robertson is confident about the new direction his company is taking:

“I think we are very, very capable of developing a front-wheel-drive platform that has certain advantages in terms of design and the use of space, and at the same time will be a BMW as you always expected it to be,” said Robertson.

“Take the badge and the heritage out of it and put the capability into it. Capability is what is important. The whole essence of what you experience from a rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive or front-wheel drive, customers expect it to be a BMW … and that is what is driving us,” he added.

The reasons behind the change of heart, at least for smaller models in the range, are the obvious advantages of FWD vs RWD in packaging, interior space and, of course, cost. Besides, even Mercedes-Benz and Audi, with their A-Class and A1 respectively, insist on the benefits of this layout.

Therefore, the recently launched second generation of the 1-Series may well be the last small BMW with RWD, as its successor will most likely adopt the firm’s new FWD platform architecture.

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