Mini Cooper 2008 News

It‘s business as usual for two of Australia's biggest racing series, despite being for sale. The Porsche Carrera Cup and the Mini Challenge are on the market after current owner Ian Sherrin decided he was too busy to run them.Sherrin's company, Motorsport Event Management (MEM), owns the category management rights for both series.After a rapid expansion into motorsport in recent years, including running cars in both series and Targa Tasmania, Sherrin says he has too much on his plate.He runs six cars in the Mini Challenge and two in the Carrera Cup.“After owning a category and a multiple-car race team in the same category for the past two years, it's time to concentrate on one or the other. I think this is the right decision to make,” he says.MEM will run both series for the rest of the year while a buyer is found.Porsche Cars Australia managing director Michael Winkler will help.“We'll work with Ian to have an arrangement in place by the end of this season to ensure a seamless and smooth transition into 2009. Until then, it's racing and business as usual,” Winkler says.The news is abrupt for Mini, with the series only three rounds old. But the company confirmed it remains committed.“Mini is confident that any sale of MEM will be to a suitable purchaser who will continue to manage the increasingly popular Mini Challenge series exactly in line with the arrangements Mini put in place with MEM,” Mini national manager Justin Hocevar says. 

The new Mini Challenge will hit Australian racetracks in style with a spectacular opening race next year, probably at the Australian Grand Prix.Though Mini Australia spokesman Alexander Corne can't reveal details of the new series calendar, he says it will have a big beginning.“I can't confirm anything specific but we want to start things off with a bang,” Corne says. “We want to put the Mini Challenge in front of the widest possible audience.”Mini already has a history at the Australian Grand Prix, it provided the cars for the Celebrity Challenge in 2002.Negotiations about next year's calendar are taking place with several key stakeholders. It is likely to support the V8 Supercar Championship and run alongside the Porsche Carrera Cup. According to Corne several parties have already shown interest in the category.Mini will unveil the new-for-2008 Challenge racer at the Frankfurt Motor Show in October. The new cars will be built at the company's English factory and be race-prepared in Germany before coming here. The plan is to try to have a race car here later in the year to help promote the new series to competitors and fans.Next year, cars will use a turbocharged version of the engine, replacing the previous supercharged model. They will produce the same amount of power, 154kW but the turbo engine delivers better torque and mid-range performance.Another addition is a limited-slip differential to improve traction in tight corners.The company has also improved the cars' aerodynamics to improve performance and keep the racing close.The Challenge racers will do 0-100km/h in 6.1 seconds and have a top of 240km/h. 

It has been a long and painfully infuriating search, but I have finally, blessedly found it, it's the world’s most pointless button. It lurks on the roof of the new Mini Cooper S and if it wasn’t designed by a woman, or perhaps a committee of women, I’ll eat a beach towel. Amazingly, I very nearly missed out on finding this simpering switch altogether. I had merely made a mental note to moan endlessly about the fact that the interior lighting was far too bright, and an annoying shade of blue to boot. But then I went on a stupidly long drive to the snow from Sydney, entirely in the dark. By the time I got to Goulburn I was so annoyed at being bathed in the sort of light you normally only find in tanning salons that I decided there had to be adjustment available to me. After playing with all the available and beautifully funky feeling toggles and buttons I found the right one, flicked it and nearly crashed the car. Far from dimming this blithering blue light, the switch merely changed it to a pinky hue I can only describe as “dawn at the beach”. Intrigued, yet revolted, I kept flicking and found that the car’s mood lighting can be changed to vermillion, purple, a Midori green, a yellow-and-brown Austin Powers kind of motif and, thankfully, orange. I say thankfully because at least the orange choice blends in with the rest of the dash lighting, although the combined effect is so bright you feel like you’re driving around in a ’70s kitchen. Of course a little bit of kitsch is to be expected when an idea like the Mini is recooked, as this one was recently, gaining a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine and exterior tweaks so subtle that they’re like the effect of ageing on Elle McPherson’s body. You know they must be there, but they’re not really noticeable, and the overall effect is still so darn pretty. The shame about this shameful mood-lighting switch (surely it would make more sense in a 7 Series, where you can stretch out a bit) is that it taints what is otherwise an excellent, and much-improved, interior. The last Cooper S had a grey plastic finish that looked like it had been set upon by a whole childcare centre full of greasy fingered little fiends. It was supposed to look like brushed aluminium, I think, but it just looked liked rushed ab-libbing by the designers. Our test vehicle was all red leather and funky fake-wood plastic, but it all felt pleasant and of BMW build quality. And the dash just might be the coolest in the whole car world. The centrally mounted speedo has an indicator arrow whizzing around the outside, like one of those old-style weighing scales you used to find outside chemists, leaving space in the middle for a groovy little screen. This screen displays functions that can be selected with a very simple but still slightly iDrive- like controller, or the satellite navigation map. On the steering binnacle in front of you is a rev counter which can, if you like, also display a digital readout of your speed. When the Mini was first launched here, they couldn’t get away with that arrangement, due to ADRs, and we were the only country in the world with the speedo stuck to the steering wheel, but this time they’ve got around it. Looking at your speed on the massive central dial is totally impractical and no one likes having that information displayed where your passenger can see it so clearly anyway, but you put up with it because, as I say, the dash just looks so cool (even in vermillion-bathed light). While the old Cooper S was supercharged, and had a wondrous whine to go with that, the new engine, shared with the PSA Peugeot-Citroen group, is an award-winning turbo unit and offers more lowdown punch and usable torque than before. You get 128kW of power at a joyous 5500rpm and 240Nm of torque from 1600rpm to 5000rpm, which blips up to 260Nm via an overboost function when you really boot it. The result is a lot more fun than 128 kilowatts should be, and a 0 to 100km/h time of 7.1 seconds. The turbo doesn’t sound as good as the engine it replaces, but the performance more than makes up for that. Not many people can engineer fun into a car as cleverly as BMW/Mini and, much like its parent company’s cars, the best thing about the new Cooper is the steering. It really is go-kart like in that it needs so little lock wound on and it responds so pointedly. The great thing about the Mini is that it can make even the boredom of the urban commute fun, the bends on and off the Anzac Bridge every day were a particular joy. The ride isn’t too bad, for a car with such a short wheelbase, until you hit an expansion joint and it feels like you’ve run over a sequoia trunk. Not only do your teeth rattle, your ribs do. In short, and sweet, form, there’s a lot to love about the new Mini Cooper S, even with its stupid interior lighting system. It is, of course, entirely impractical if you’re ever going to carry more than one friend. And it is, undeniably, very expensive for a small car, prices start at $39,900 in standard trim and rise to very nearly $50k. But it’s not meant to be a practical car, it’s meant to be a fun one and on that basis it’s worth every cent.  

Alfa RomeoALFA was assured of plenty of attention in Paris for the production version of its 8C Competizione sportscar, based on a show concept from Frankfurt 2003 and named for a line of famous racers.The 8C is powered by a new 4.7-litre V8 under the bonnet which produces 333kW and 470Nm, driving through a six-speed robot-clutch gearbox at the rear axle.The sumptuously curved carbon-fibre body sits on a donated Maserati platform, with double wishbone suspension all-around and huge 20-inch alloy wheels.Alfa plans to build just 500 examples of this supercar, with sales beginning in 12 months and a price around 160,000 euros ($272,000).Australian sales have been ruled out: the sexy 8C will left-hand drive only. AudiAUDI iced the cake for its ongoing product party with the final version of its R8 mid-engined sportscar, three years after the concept was shown.The R8 pits Audi against the German and Italian supercar makers for the first time."With the launch of the R8... we now address the most demanding group of international customers," chairman Dr Martin Winterkorn said.Wide and squat, the all-aluminium R8 is powered by a 4.2-litre V8 which sits under a glass rear panel, Ferrari-style.It drives all four wheels via a six-speed gated manual gearbox or six-speed sequential based on the Lamborghini Gallardo system.With 309kW of power and 430Nm of torque, claimed 0-100km/h time is 4.6 seconds and top speed 301km/h.Australian deliveries begin late in 2007, and a V10 version is expected in two years. CitroenA FRENCH muscle car sounds an unlikely concept, but the dramatic C-Metisse suggests that Citroen designers don't spend all their time dreaming of people-movers.This futuristically styled "coupe" has four doors, an extra-long bonnet, low sloping cabin and visor-like glass — making it appear like a getaway car from a Gallic version of Blade Runner.Thanks to the long wheelbase, interior space is generous for four and all the doors hinge flamboyantly upwards to open.A 150kW V6 diesel drives the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission while each rear wheel contains an electric motor for extra performance or traction in slippery conditions. ChryslerPLAGUED by overcapacity in its home market, Chrysler hopes it can build on the overseas success of its 300C large sedan with the Sebring, a large-ish mid-size sedan, which launches in Europe early next year and should be confirmed for Australia in the next few weeks."Sleek and sophisticated, the Chrysler Sebring's overall surfacing and details reflect the Chrysler brand's four attributes: expressive, refined, athletic and passionate," said design chief Trevor Creed.With design elements from the Crossfire sportscar — such as bonnet ridges and headlights — but a rather jutting front bumper and less than harmonious proportions, the Sebring will test overseas markets' enthusiasm for American aesthetics.Engine options include a 2.0-litre diesel and 2.7-litre V6. DodgeCHRYSLER'S budget Dodge badge has got off to a strong start in Europe and Australia with the Caliber small car, and its Avenger mid-size sedan — coyly labelled as a "concept" in Paris — will add a mid-size contender to the line-up.Pitched against Japanese models such as the Mazda 6 and Honda Accord, the Avenger strikes a more aggressive note with echoes of the US-market Dodge Charger in its strong haunches and in-your-face grille.The Avenger shares its underpinnings and engines with the Chrysler Sebring, but will undercut it on price when it arrives in Australia late next year.FerrariFOR most people driving any Ferrari is the stuff of fantasy, but for one American collector the regular product from Maranello isn't enough.Jim Glickenhaus commissioned Italian styling house Pininfarina to build a one-off Ferrari inspired by the legendary Le Mans racing cars of the '60s.The P4/5 began with an Enzo and retains the same 485kW 6.0-litre V12 engine and mechanical layout. But the bodywork is all new, with soft curves replacing the Enzo's angular lines and a bubble canopy that swoops rearwards into a louvred section over the engine.The interior uses the Enzo dash but the rest is made-to-measure, with mesh-on-leather seats and a tablet PC added to the instruments.Unveiled at the Pebble Beach concours in California in August, the P4/5 added yet another Ferrari to our list of to-die-for cars. FordFORD stopped importing the Mondeo mid-size sedan into Australia six years ago, and according to spokeswoman Sinead McAlary that isn't about to change soon.But take a good look at the Mondeo wagon Ford of Europe presented in Paris, because its design cues point the way to the next generation Falcon, due in 2008.Ford has dubbed this approach "kinetic design" and debuted it in the Iosis concept at Frankfurt last year."The new Mondeo takes the next major step along our journey towards a more expressive and emotional Ford range," said design director Martin Smith.The new family look features an inverted trapezoidal lower grille, swept-back headlamps, full surfaces and a strong shoulder line. HondaHONDA unveiled an all-new version of its popular compact SUV, the CR-V.The third-generation evolves a concept that has chalked up nearly 2.5 million total sales and is built at eight factories around the globe."CR-V is now a true world car — just like Civic and Accord," said Honda president and chief executive Takeo Fukui.A new 2.0-litre petrol engine now develops 110kW/190Nm and delivers better acceleration and fuel economy, while Europe also carries over a 2.2-litre diesel.The four-wheel drive system has been revised but retains its front-drive philosophy, calling upon the rear wheels only when required.The body is more rigid, centre of gravity lower and standard wheels are now 17-inch.Honda says it all adds up to improved dynamics for "the ultimate sedan-like driving feeling".This CR-V also introduces two features to the segment previously confined to premium models: active cruise control and collision mitigation braking.Australian sales begin in the first quarter next year. HyundaiHYUNDAI continues its tradition of phonetically challenging nameplates with a concept called Arnejs, pronounced Ar-nez, and intended as a tempter for the upcoming hatchback version of its Elantra small car.In sedan form, the car goes on sale this month, replacing the third generation model.Designed by Hyundai's studio in Germany, the Arnejs is described as another "milestone" in the development of brand identity for the Korean maker, which will launch the production version in Europe in mid-2007 and in Australia later next year. KiaKIA's small car offering has been christened cee'd and debuted at Paris in three forms: as a production-ready sedan, pre-production wagon and concept called pro—cee'd, which was designed as a teaser to the eventual hatchback.The sedan goes on sale in Europe in December with other variants arriving towards the end of next year.As well as being the first Kia designed in Europe it will be the first one built there, at a new factory in Slovakia."The new cee'd really is a great car ... it is certain to revolutionise Kia's fortunes in this sector throughout Europe," said the senior vice-president of Kia Motors Europe, Jean-Charles Lievens. Mercedes-BenzTHE German stalwart revealed its anxiety about retaining number one status in luxury cars with some impressive, but selective, sales figures: the new S-Class luxury sedan has gone to the top of its segment.Overall brand numbers, which see Mercedes suffering next to a rampant BMW, didn't rate a mention and the display centred on a special edition of Stuttgart's slow-selling supercar, the SLR, and the exclusive large coupe based on the S-Class, the CL.Undeniably desirable, but neither can do much to salvage Mercedes numbers.The CL comes with two V8s, including a 386kW naturally aspirated 6.3-litre AMG tuned unit and a 5.5-litre twin-turbocharged V12.The SLR McLaren 722 commemorates the winning number of a 300 SLR Stirling Moss drove to victory in the 1955 Mille Miglia.Its supercharged 5.5-litre V8 develops 478kW and gets the supercar to 100km/h in 3.6 seconds. MiniMEET the new Mini, same as the old Mini. BMW can barely conceal its delight at how well marketing has worked for its Brit classic revival, with styling that has successfully remoulded the original into a winning premium package.It has now expanded the Oxford factory in England to pump out 240,000 a year of the second generation, revealed in Paris last week.The new Mini takes an evolutionary approach to the design that shows "how unique Mini really is".Mini customers definitely do not want change, said BMW board member Michael Ganal.But that hasn't stopped the company making the new Mini "even more fun to drive", with "even more state-of-the-art high-tech features" and improvements across the board to "performance, driving pleasure, design and premium quality as well as safety".New engines, six airbags and even more possibilities for customisation will also be part of the recipe when it arrives here next year.No, we couldn't tell the difference either. Plus ca change ... NissanSMALL crossovers are the new must-have for every car-maker and Nissan can claim to be one of the first with its Qashqai, which appeared in concept form at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show.Bigger than a small car but smaller than a small SUV, Nissan says this is the wagon for buyers who are not attracted to the "large, aggressive nature" of an off-roader.Nissan's design centre in London has come up with a vehicle that has a car-like top half and SUV-like bottom. The Qashqai will also be built in England, at Nissan's efficient Sunderland factory. Beginning next year in Europe, two diesel and two petrol four-cylinders will be offered along with both manual, CVT and automatic gearboxes. All-wheel drive will also be available with the larger 2.0-litre engines."We expect Qashqai will sell more than 100,000 units a year on average across Europe with 80 per cent of those customers buying a Nissan for the first time," said Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn."We're very interested," said spokeswoman for Nissan Australia Lenore Taylor."However, it hasn't been launched in Europe yet so it's still some way off." PeugeotFRANCE'S biggest car-maker set an ominous tone on the eve of its hometown event by declaring it would shed 10,000 jobs in Europe and cut capital spending by more than $800 million a year as it struggles to reverse falling profits."We are going through a difficult period for our sales in western Europe but we're responding in the only way that works — by bringing new models to market faster," said outgoing chief executive Jean-Martin Folz.The production centrepiece on the stand was the new 207 small car range, which will run in parallel with the outgoing 206.With a bigger, more gaping grille, the new car looks a little like it's wearing braces but it will hope to repeat the smash-hit success of the 206, Peugeot's best-seller.The 207 Epure convertible concept previewed what the next 207 CC will look like.Meanwhile, the 908 RC showed an altogether more daring face of Peugeot.This dramatic and unconventional concept has an unusual powerplant and the air of a limousine-racer.Its 5.5-litre V12 diesel develops 515kW and 1200Nm of torque, drives through a six-speed sequential manual gearbox and is transversely mid-mounted.The wraparound front windscreen stretches back over the cabin, where there is generous seating for four.The engine will be used in next year's Le Mans series cars, but the 908 RC itself looks unlikely for production. RenaultTHE second French car-maker is feeling the heat of having the energetic Carlos Ghosn in charge.In Paris, he restated a determination to launch 26 new or revised vehicles by 2009, reduce problems by 40 per cent and increase sales to 800,000 a year.The highlights of a large stand included the Nepta concept car, which "expresses our determination to have a high-end line" Ghosn said, and the Koleos SUV concept, which will enter production in the first half of 2008 for sale in Europe.Built on a new 4WD platform, the Koleos joins the growing ranks of compact crossovers and was developed with the help of partner brand Nissan.The concept is powered by a 130kW 2.0-litre petrol engine driving through a six-speed manual and has styling that echoes the new Clio small car.The Nepta features dramatic gull wing doors which open to reveal both the futuristic cabin and the 3.5-litre V6 engine. SuzukiSUZUKI is on a roll with the success of its Swift small car, Grand Vitara off-roader and a compact SUV, the SX4, on the way.Project Splash, its Paris exhibit, suggests a loss of focus though with a concept designed to "deliver satisfaction to all customers regardless of lifestyle, age and gender in driving situations ranging from relatively short shopping trips to cross-country excursions".Based on the Swift platform, Splash aims for a light and airy interior using a glass roof and relatively tall body within its short dimensions.The concept is powered by a new 1.2-litre four-cylinder driving the front wheels via a four-speed automatic.ToyotaTOYOTA described its show centrepiece as the "Auris Space Concept" but fooled no-one about its intentions for a design destined to be a variant of the next Corolla.Apparently the Auris name — pronounced "A-oris" according to Toyota Europe's executive vice-president Thierry Dombreval — will become the official moniker for the car, although confusingly he assured the large crowd the "Corolla" badge will live on.The tall-body Auris was designed from the inside out, Toyota says, with the goal of "maximising interior space while promising an engaging drive".Few other details were available about the car, although Toyota Australia spokesman Mike Breen yesterday revealed it would go on sale here in hatch and sedan forms in March or April next year and would definitely retain the Corolla badge.With Toyota poised to outstrip General Motors as the world's biggest car-maker, it claimed to be running ahead of target in Europe and on track to break the million-sales mark in a single year. VolkswagenVOLKSWAGEN'S Iroc sportscar concept is a modern interpretation of a successful nameplate from the 1970s.The Scirocco was a compact and affordable four-seat coupe that sold more than half-a-million during its first generation.The Iroc aims to revive the idea while charting some fresh design territory for the German giant.In striking viper green, the Iroc has a distinctive grille and crisp lines powered by an innovative powertrain, already employed in European models of the Golf, which combines a turbocharger and supercharger with a small-capacity four-cylinder engine.In the concept it develops 155kW and claims to eliminate the turbo "lag" of most forced-induction engines.The local VW unit, which is currently on the brink of making it into the top 10 sales chart by displacing Kia, is optimistic about bringing the Skoda brand back to Australia.In Paris, spokesman Matthew Weisner said a proposal was before the German board with a decision due within weeks.If it gets the thumbs up, Skoda will go on sale next year with two models likely at first: the Octavia small car and Roomster compact multi-purpose vehicle, both sold through VW dealers.Although Skoda models will be priced under the equivalent VW, sales are expected to be modest at first with little residual brand awareness, Weisner said. VolvoVOLVO was ready to reveal its smallest car, the C30 three-door hatchback, following a string of concepts which left observers in little doubt about what it was doing. The C30 may be small, but it has a huge responsibility — especially with parent Ford in all sorts of strife."We are aiming for the 600,000 per year mark by 2009," said the president and chief executive of Volvo, Fredrik Arp."To reach that target we will challenge the opposition in segments that are new for us — we will make new customer groups buy into the Volvo brand and we will expand sales rapidly in fast-growing markets like China and Russia."The car arrives in Australia next year and despite Volvo's territorial goals, Europe is expected to account for the vast majority — 75 per cent — of buyers.Engines will comprise four and five-cylinder petrols and diesels, and Volvo expects the car to appeal to everyone from young couples to families with children to old empty-nesters.Safety was still important of course, but designer Steve Mattin was keener to tell the audience that 24 body-bumper colour combinations were possible and the car has a cracking stereo.

You need more than just pictures, and a side-by-side staring match would be best of all, but the 2007 Mini is different from the car that brought the British star back from the dead.This time, BMW - which owns the rights to the Mini name and shape - has made the car bigger, faster and more efficient.And it also has a BMW engine in place of the wheezy DaimlerChrysler four that was fitted to the outgoing car.There will also be a turbocharged motor in the new Cooper S, replacing the previous supercharged engine and continuing the push towards turbos that BMW began with the latest leader in its 3-Series coupe family."Mini hasn't been re-invented, just refined," spokesman for Mini in Australia Alexander Corne says."It proves that Mini has grown up a little bit, but it has not lost any of its cheeky fun. The biggest difference is going to be the new engine and the new interior."We'll be doing two models again. The Cooper and the Cooper S."The car is expected in Australia in the first quarter of 2007, almost exactly five years since the rebirth of the baby boomer.The base motor lifts power from 85kW to 88kW and 150Nm to 160Nm, though the 0-100km/h sprint time is unchanged despite a 10kg weight reduction.But the Cooper S will be one-tenth quicker to 100km/h, at 7.1 seconds, with the BMW turbo-motor good for 128kW and 240Nm against the 125kW and 220Nm on the old car.There is also an overboost feature that lifts it to 260Nm in brief bursts. The Mini will come with six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes, still with front-wheel-drive, with steering wheel buttons for auto change.The package for Australia will still have six airbags, anti-skid brakes and stability control, although the exact specification will not be set until closer to the on-sale date."It will be here next year, around the time of the Melbourne Motor Show. So on sale in March," Corne says."Orders are still very strong for the current car," he says.The plan is already set for the changeover, with Mini pushing hard on the visible changes inside the car and the mechanical overhaul."It's got state-of-the-art engineering in the engines. The Cooper has valvetronic and the S has a turbocharger with direct petrol injection, so it's the same technology as the six-cylinder engine in the BMW 335 Coupe," Corne says."The growth is at the front for improved pedestrian impact safety, and slightly at the rear to balance the proportions. It's pretty minimal, 60mm overall."The interior is new. There is a new dash, new seats, and the effect is more masculine and quite sporty. It retains a central speedo design and toggle switches, which are Mini icons, but everything has been upgraded."Mini has confirmed the base car, but there is no news on a change to the convertible or the introduction of the third model in the lineup, almost certain to be a multi-purpose wagon."There is going to be another model, but it won't be coming for a while. And the Cabrio continues unchanged, with the same body and engines, for the foreseeable future," Corne says.