MINI mulling diesel option for future US models

In the pantheon of automotive journalism, USA Today rarely comes to mind. Yet today, MINI vice president Jim McDowell confirmed to the perennial paper that parent company BMW is actively considering adding a diesel engine for US - bound Coopers and Clubmans.


MINI already offers a diesel option for the Mini Cooper in Europe, but the current diesel engines do not meet EPA emissions. Hence any US-bound diesel MINI will be based on a new generation motor rather than a retrofit of the current European model, said McDowell.

As reported last fall, BMW has begun selling diesel versions of the 3-series sports sedan as well as the X5-series sport utility vehicle. Both vehicles use an ammonia-reduction catalyst to cut down on harmful nitrogen emissions.

Ultimately, it's a question of cost versus buyer-perceived benefit. The gasoline-powered Mini Cooper and Mini Cooper S are gas-sippers. The 2009 Mini Cooper delivers 28 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway. "If we add a diesel," McDowell said, "it has to really get high mileage ratings to appeal to buyers."

German automotive supplier Bosch AG has been spotted testing a modified Mini Cooper D in the United States. Leaked reports of its 60-plus miles per gallon fuel economy have whetted appetites, but they may have also lead to unrealistic buyer expectations.

Not all car-makers have found success with diesel models. Mercedes-Benz and VW have successfully sold diesels here for years. But Honda made an abrupt about-face in December when CEO Takeo Fukui announced the company would drop their plans to build a diesel motor for the US market.

The bottom line:
As car sales go, 2008 was one of America's worst years on record. The smart money would lead most to cut their costs and focus on sales. But if BMW plays their cards right, a diesel MINI Cooper would knock the eco-weenie Prius off its smug-shrouded perch.

GM, Chrysler lead horrific month as October sales plunge

Falling gas prices and rising inventories weren't enough to offset a tight credit market, leading to another awful month of sales for all automakers.

On average, October sales were down 32 percent from a year ago, with General Motors hit the hardest. Not only did GM's HUMMER brand lead the industry with sales off by 64 percent, but the rest of the GM portfolio followed closely behind.

Cadillac and Saturn sales fell about 55 percent, GMC trucks were down 52 percent, followed by Pontiac, Buick and Chevrolet, which were all down by at least 40 percent.

The decline is largely due to tighter lending policies adopted by GMAC Auto Finance. With GM's in-house lending unit refusing loans to buyers with credit scores below 700, a large percentage of prospective customers were unable to qualify for a loan.

Possibly the worst month since World War II
"If you adjust for population growth, this is probably the worst industry sales month in the post-WWII era," said Mark LaNeve, GM's vice president for sales and marketing, speaking with Automotive News. "Until the credit markets open up and consumer confidence improves, the entire U.S. economy, and any industry like autos that relies on financing, will suffer."

To spur sales, GM said today it will start its annual Red Tag Sale early this year. The event - which normally runs from Thanksgiving weekend to January 5, will instead start tomorrow, with some GM vehicles carrying up to $7,250 in cash incentives.

Chrysler sales fell 50 percent, trailed by Jeep and Dodge, down 32 and 27 percent respectively. Ford sales were off 28 percent from a year ago.

So far only two automakers have reported monthly sales increases this year: Toyota in April and GM in January. This month, Toyota's decline was lead by its Lexus unit, down 35 percent. The Toyota brand retained its position as the nation's best-selling brand, ahead of Ford and Chevrolet.

MINI posts gain, Audi bucks the downward spiral
Among the few to post gains were BMW's MINI brand, up 56 percent. Audi, whose sales were up by less than one percent were weighed by parent company Volkswagen AG, whose sales fell by nearly 8 percent.

"This is the toughest economy we've seen in a long time," Mark Barnes, COO of VW Group of America, said in a statement.
[AN]

[Photo: Flickr.com; Original by Broken Wing Productions. Post-processing by David Moll.]

204-hp electric MINI E to debut at LA Auto Show

Late last spring, MINI’s parent company BMW announced plans to build and lease a fleet of 500 MINI Cooper-based electric vehicles starting in the spring of 2009.

After many months of highly secretive R&D, BMW has released photos and full specifications on the MINI E, the company’s first pure-electric vehicle.

Based on the 2009 Mini Cooper, the Mini E ditches the stock 1.6-liter 118 horsepower DOHC four for an electric motor producing 204 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque.

Inside, the rear seat has been displaced by an air-cooled bank of lithium-ion batteries with a total storage capacity of 35 kilowatt-hours, enough to cover about 150 miles on a full charge.

The tradeoffs don’t stop there; as you might expect, the batteries impose a penalty when it comes to weight. Whereas the flyweight MINI Cooper comes in at a scant 2700 pounds, the electric MINI E tips the scales to more than 3,200.

MINI stresses that the MINI E has been designed to preserve the Cooper’s unparalleled agility. The MINI E uses unique dampers and springs tuned to compensate for the extra weight. Also, the E’s battery pack was intentionally moved to the rear seat in order to concentrate the car’s mass near the center of the wheelbase. Even with the batteries for ballast, the MINI E can scoot quite well. MINI quotes a 0-62 mph time of 8.5 seconds, roughly on par with the naturally-aspirated MINI Cooper.

The E uses a single-speed transmission in lieu of the Cooper’s six-speed box, a decision made to simply production. Since electric motors produce maximum torque at zero rpm, the added gears are superfluous for a city car. Accelerating is simply a matter of stomping on the “gas” pedal and steering.

While the MINI E features regenerative braking to help sustain the batteries, the car doesn’t have an on-board generator. Once the batteries are depleted, the car must be recharged by plugging into a wall socket.

Those who lease the MINI E next spring will also receive a high-current charging station to speed the recharging process. Using the station, MINI claims it can fully recharge the MINI E’s battery pack in two and one-half hours.

Instantly a MINI, yet unmistakably unique
From the outside, the MINI E carries all the visual cues to associate it with it’s petrol-burning brothers. A small stylized “E” badge is mounted to the front grille. Where the standard Cooper features ornamental grilles on each front fender, the MINI E receives a pair of numbered plaques.

All MINI E will wear the show car’s metallic Dark Silver paint, offset by the roof, which is painted in Pure Silver.

Most of the iconic MINI design cues remain inside as well. The most readily apparent change is the E’s exclusive yellow interior trim. A large battery charge and regenerative braking gauge replaces the standard Cooper’s steering column-mounted tachometer.

Both the speedometer and charge / regen meter use yellow lettering on a charcoal grey background. Even with the battery back replacing the rear seat, the E still offers a generous amount of space for cargo.

500 MINI E up for lease in Spring 2009
Production of the E fleet has already begun.

500 MINI E’s will begin life on the main MINI production line in Oxford, England. There, the Es will be fully assembled aside from their engines, transmissions and related wiring. Each E will then be whisked away to a special assembly line at the BMW plant in Munich, Germany, where they will receive their electric motor, transmission and battery pack and drivetrain wiring.

And starting early next year in California, New York and New Jersey, BMW will start leasing the fleet of 500 MINI Es to the public through the MINI dealer network.

Lessees will be asked to provide feedback to BMW on a regular basis to gauge real-world performance and driver satisfaction. In addition to making a capital investment in gas-free motoring, BMW is using the MINI E program to learn more about future electric vehicles and how driver behavior will influence their design.

In each market, BMW will establish a set of specially-staffed and custom-equipped service centers to handle maintenance on the MINI E, which includes an early inspection at 3,000 miles and a battery (pardon the pun) of tests once the customer's lease term is up. We'll have more details on the lease term and cost as they become available. Stay tuned.

2009 MINI E: FULL SPECS
Type: Three door, two seat compact hatchback
Length: 3.714 mm (146.2")
Width: 1.683 mm (66.3")
Height: 1.407 mm (55.4")
Curb weight: 3,230 lbs
Weight dist. F/R: 1,651 lbs/ 1,575 lbs

Wheelbase: 97.1"
Track F/R: 57.2" / 57.5"
Turning circle: 35.1 feet

Suspension
Front: Single-joint McPherson spring strut axle with anti-dive control
Rear: Longitudinal link with centrally mounted control arms.
Steering: Rack and pinion with electric power steering assist, total ratio 14.1:1

Brakes:
Front: Vented disc, 11.6" dia.
Rear: Solid Disc, 10.2" dia.

Drivetrain
Asynchronous electric motor: 204 hp, 162 lb-ft @ 0 rpm; 12,500 rpm maximum speed.
Transmission: Single-stage helical gearbox, derived from the Cooper S helical gearbox

Electrical System
Battery: Lithium ion, 5,088 cells. Air cooled via temperature-, load- and speed-sensitive fans
Peak current: 900A
Battery capacity: 35kWh
Battery weight: 573 lbs
Charge time: 2.9h @ 240V/48A

Performance
Power-to-weight ratio: 9.76 kg/kW
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph): 8.5s
Top speed: 152 km/h (95 mph)
Range: 240 km (150 miles)

Energy use: 0.12kWh/km (0.19 kWh/mls)
CO2 Emissions: 0 g/km

[BMW USA]

2010 Mini Cooper Convertible pics, JCW tuning details leaked

Thanks to a tipster at Mini enthusiast site MotoringFile.com, we've got an early preview of the 2010 Mini Cooper Convertible. The new ragtop convertible is set to debut at the Detroit Motor Show in January and go on sale in Spring 2009.

The styling changes are subtle and evolutionary, taking their lead from the tin-top Mini Cooper and Cooper S which went on sale in 2007. Among the changes are a new gloss black trim option for the Mini's headlights and window line trim, both of which have historically been chromed.

The old convertible's prominent (and view blocking) fixed roll bar has been replaced by an integrated pop-up roll bar system similar to those found on the BMW 1 and 3 series convertibles. The new convertible top also has a larger glass rear window with integrated rear defroster.

All of these changes should improve visibility behind the car, but the broad swaths of fabric at each corner will still make lane changes a tense proposition when the top is up.

New "Always Open" Gauge
Another new development is the addition of a new "Always Open" gauge. Unique to the new Mini Cooper Convertible, the new gauge indicates the number of miles driven with the top open. Positioned to the left of the Cooper's tachometer, the new gauge is intended to encourage drivers to drop the top whenever possible.

New colors; JCW kit on sale at launch
New color choices will also debut when the new convertible hits the streets next spring. Interchange Yellow (top left) and Horizon Blue (bottom left) will be available, along with the Hot Chocolate canvas top color. A denim blue top will also be offered, but we don't have pictures of it just yet.

According to MotoringFile, the new Mini Cooper S convertible will be offered from launch day with the factory optional John Cooper Works tuning kit.

The JCW kit includes an upgraded intake and exhaust along with a reprogrammed ECU with a more aggressive boost curve and higher peak boost. The kit is expected to cost about $2000; a JCW-tuned Cooper S will churn out 192 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, with 200 pound-feet of torque available on a limited basis when the factory overboost setting is engaged.

The JCW kit can also be installed after at the dealer for those who either buy off the lot or wish to add power to their Cooper ragtop after purchase.

Early rumors coming from MotoringFile say that March 2009 is the projected on-sale date. As the Detroit show draws near, we'll have more details on pricing and trim updates as well. Stay tuned.

[Source: MotoringFile.com]

EDITORIAL: 2010 Mini Crossman SUV Concept set to ruin brand heritage, defy logic at Paris debut

At nearly 14 feet long with a 11 foot long wheelbase, any pretense of an SUV being sold as a MINI borders on the clinically insane.

But that hasn't stopped BMW — the parent company of MINI — from applying horrid marketing groupthink to a world-renowned brand.

And thus, lipsticked pigs like the Mini Crossman Concept are born.

Since the first Morris Mini rolled off the line at Longbridge, Birmingham in 1959, the Mini has been known for exceptional space efficiency combined with world-beating handling and — in the hands of rally pilots like Timo Maakinen — world championship caliber performance.

All of which make the forthcoming Crossman SUV an insipid, overwrought creation that — judging by recent sales figures — is completely out of touch with the rest of the market.

As Dodge and Chrysler have shown by virtue of their flirtations with bankruptcy, the SUV market has all but collapsed. And now that Sin City has given up on the Hummer, it doesn't take an economist to realize that the demand for poseur trucklets of all sizes has taken a serious — and likely permanent — beating.

Furthermore, Mini will be the latecomer to an already overbooked party.

While the official MSRP has yet to be set, the production version of the all-wheel-drive Crossman will likely sell for about $2000 to $3000 more than the front-wheel-drive only Mini Clubman S, which offers nearly the same amount of space and sells for $24,100.

So, at $26,000 for a base Crossman, Mini's new trucklet will compete with everything from the Jeep Patriot to the lease-returned BMW X3 3.0i. When there are a dozen or so products all trying to survive in a shrinking market, the future doesn't bode well for newcomers.

No matter how much faux Britannia blush BMW decides to smear on its off-roading porcine plunker, it will still squeal under the strain of a fading and cliched niche.

Think I'm wrong?
Give me an earful in the comments.

Sueeey...!

[Photo Credit: BMW AG]