MINI News
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MINI is now in its second decade under the BMW aegis, and apparently, it's time for some soul-searching. Breathe easy, now. The Cooper is fine. Even though it's bigger than ever, it's also a pretty nimble, fun-loving hatchback, even with a three-cylinder engine. It's unscathed by the reshaping going on further up the family tree. The rest of the MINI range, well, it's being pruned like so much privet. The helmet-headed Cooper Coupe and its concomitant Roadster? Axed. The two-door Paceman? Can't be long for this world, can it? ALSO SEE: Bugatti Chiron Spied Testing With Veyron, Porsche 918...
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Brit Sets Two Tightest Parallel Park Records: VideoAlastair Moffatt is better at parking than you. Much better, in fact. He has the certification to prove it. You see, Moffatt is the Guinness World Records holder of the title "Tightest Parallel Parker." Now he's added a new title with the addition of "Tightest Reverse Parallel Parker." Yes, he is...
Jeff Glucker -
2016 MINI John Cooper Works Clubman Spy ShotsMINI’s second-generation Clubman goes on sale in January, priced from about $25k. However, at launch only the Cooper and Cooper S variants will be available. The one we’re most keen on is the high-performance John Cooper Works, which comes later in 2016. A prototype for the new John...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2016 Mini Convertible debuts at 2015 Tokyo auto showSet to join the latest Hardtop and Clubman in MINI showrooms next year is a new Convertible, revealed in full today at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show. The pint-sized drop-top is confirmed to go on sale in the United States next March, meaning it will most likely arrive as a 2016 model. At launch there...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2016 Mini John Cooper Works Convertible spy shotsA new generation of the MINI Convertible is just around the corner, and once again there will be all the separate variants such as the base Cooper, sporty Cooper S and high-performance John Cooper Works. It’s the latter that’s featured in our latest round of spy shots, with the car...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2016 MINI Clubman Priced From $24,950MINI’s bigger, more premium second-generation Clubman goes on sale in January and we can confirm that it will be priced from $24,950 for the base Cooper, including an $850 destination charge. That’s almost $2k higher than the starting price of the outgoing model, but the new Clubman...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Remember that very un-MINI MINI concept? It seems the automaker is examining the idea of creating a production version. MINI recently confirmed it was moving to a lineup of five core models, and one of these is to be a sports car-like offering to fill the void left by the discontinued Coupe and Roadster models. Based on the latest comments from MINI chief Peter Schwarzenbauer, that sports car-like offering will most likely be a production version of the stylish Superleggera Vision concept that we first saw at the 2014 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. “The interest was...
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MINI Confirms Five Core Models, Announces Radical Car Sharing ProgramCoinciding with this week’s unveiling of its new, much more premium second-generation Clubman, MINI made a few additional significant announcements. One of these was confirmation of the oft-mentioned move to a lineup consisting of five core models, which will allow MINI to focus on building...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2016 MINI Clubman Is Bigger, More PremiumMINI’s new Clubman is finally here, and as hinted at by last year’s Clubman concept the second-generation model is both bigger than the one it replaces and much more premium. The move makes sense as there’s now the Hardtop 4 occupying the spot where the former Clubman sat...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2016 MINI Convertible Spy ShotsMINI’s third-generation Hardtop has been on sale for more than a year now, but those hoping to order the convertible version have a little while longer to wait. Engineers are still fine-tuning the car ahead of its auto show debut later this year. We expect the new MINI Convertible to...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2016 MINI Clubman Spy ShotsDespite the introduction of the Hardtop 4 Door (a 5 Door for other markets), there are no plans to phase out MINI's existing extra-versatile variant, the Clubman. Our latest spy shots show a prototype for the second-generation MINI Clubman, which is expected to make its debut in the coming months...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2017 MINI Countryman Spy VideoThe third-generation MINI Cooper (now called a Hardtop) based on the BMW Group’s UKL platform made its debut last year and was followed quickly by a new four-door variant dubbed the Hardtop 4. Later this year we should see a new MINI Convertible as well as a new Clubman, and looking further...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Augmented Reality, where your normal view is ‘augmented’ by computer-generated sensory input, typically via a headset- or glasses-type device, hasn’t quite caught on in the mainstream just yet, but we’re starting to see more and more companies dabble in the field. One of these is MINI, which has revealed a new Augmented Vision concept that's set to be presented at the upcoming 2015 Shanghai Auto Show. The concept is basically a set of glasses that aims to make driving easier, though the device can also be used outside the car. Using see-through technology, the AR...
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MINI Won't Go Smaller Than Hardtop, Says Top ExecMINI’s top executive Peter Schwarzenbauer has made it clear the brand won’t launch a model smaller than the current Hardtop, ending speculation that a production version of 2011’s Rocketman concept will be launched. Only a couple of months ago there were reports claiming MINI was...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
MINI Cooper ‘Ghosts’ To Save Earth From Rogue Alien Pacman in ‘PIXELS’What if a peaceful, friendly, knowledge-seeking mission went horribly, awfully awry? What if sending a capsule of Earth’s art, science, and culture into space were to lead a killer race of video game characters straight to our homeworld? DON'T MISS: Angry Supercar Hater Throws Rocks At...
Nelson Ireson -
MINI Superleggera Gets The Green Light: ReportHave you ever uttered the phrase "Please be like the concept!"? You might be saying that today if you're a fan of low-slung roadsters because MINI is apparently ready to start production of its Superleggera Vision. This is the rather cool concept machine that sprang to life a year ago, and managed...
Jeff Glucker -
2015 MINI Countryman Park Lane Coming This SummerMINI is working on a new generation of its Countryman crossover, but the current model still has some life left on the shelf. To help keep interest a live, MINI is offering a special edition version for the 2015 model year. Dubbed the “Park Lane”, the latest addition to the Countryman...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2016 MINI Clubman Previewed With Vision Gran Turismo Concept: VideoA new generation of the MINI Clubman is just around the corner, but we’ve been given an early look at the car with the latest addition to the growing family of Vision Gran Turismo concepts. The cars have all been penned as part of the ‘Vision Gran Turismo challenge,’ which...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
MINI has just introduced its new John Cooper Works performance edition of its latest Hardtop but if you want the same sporty look for less than the car’s $31,450 starting price, the British brand is offering a new Sport Pack that adds many of the visual tweaks of the dedicated JCW model. The Sport Pack is designed for both the regular Hardtop as well as the new Hardtop 4 Door, and at present it hasn’t been announced for sale in the U.S. We hope it does come, because in addition to the visual tweaks the pack also adds uprated suspension and some JCW goodies inside. Specific...
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Production MINI Rocketman Back On The Table Due To Possible Tie-Up With Toyota: ReportMINI’s Rocketman concept from 2011 is an odd homage to the brand’s minicar roots. While modern MINIs, like the Countryman crossover, have stretched in both dimensions and weight, the Rocketman concept returns to what the original Alec Issigonis-designed Mini was intended to be: a...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
MINI And X-Raid Team Secure Fourth-Straight Dakar Rally WinThis year’s Dakar Rally is now over, and the winners of the grueling event is none other than MINI, together with its performance partner X-Raid Team. This is the fourth-straight victory for MINI in the Dakar, which took place over the past two weeks in Argentina, Chile and Bolivia. Nasser...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2015 Mini John Cooper Works Hardtop priced from $31,450MINI’s third-generation Hardtop has finally received its John Cooper Works variant, with the sporty hatch making its official debut this week at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. It was at the show where MINI announced that the new JCW Hardtop will go on sale in the spring, priced from $31,450...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Classic Mini crushed by US Customs as part of Operation AtlanticA little over a year ago, a Land Rover Defender privately imported from the U.K. was crushed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection because it wasn’t old enough to be legally imported under classic car rules (i.e. 25 years or older). Now a classic Mini has suffered the same fate. MUST SEE: Car...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2015 MINI John Cooper Works Revealed Ahead Of Detroit Auto ShowMINI’s all-new Hardtop is a lot of fun in Cooper and Cooper S trim but lacking from the lineup is the sporty John Cooper Works variant, which has been revealed today ahead of an official world debut at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. It was at this year’s Detroit event that MINI rolled out...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran