Mini News

The front-wheel drive Paceman - due to go on sale early to mid-2013 and likely come here following that - is claimed by Mini to be the world’s first small premium “Sports Activity Coupe”. It’s based on the Mini Countryman SUV, but with two less doors, a sleeker roofline and lowered suspension.Fans of Mini styling will find nothing to shock in the cabin, with the biggest change the window switchgear migrating from the centre dash to the doors. And in signature Mini practice, there’ll be a host of colours combinations to pick for body, roof and side mirrors.The Paceman shares the same four-cylinder engine line-up we get here in the Countryman: a 105kW/305Nm turbodiesel and 90kW/160Nm, 82kW/270Nm and 135kW/240Nm petrol units - the last of those in the Cooper S that Mini says gets to 100km/h in 7.5 seconds and hits a top speed of 217km/h.Transmission choices are six-speed manual and six-speed automatic, with all-wheel drive as an option. A John Cooper Works version is also reportedly on the plan, and is bound to take the performance promise above the opening top-spec Cooper S. 

MINI’s latest effort, the Paceman Coupe, is set to be revealed in production form at this month’s Paris Auto Show. The automaker also featured the upcoming Countryman-based coupe in an online article on the London food scene, inadvertently releasing this particular cat from its bag earlier than intended.Motoringfile, a site dedicated to all things MINI, was the first to (unofficially) post the photos, which it believed were fair game after having been shown on MINI Space, an official MINI site. “Not so fast,” said MINI, requesting that Motoringfile remove the images until it was ready to release them. In turn, MINI Space pulled the article down as well.Since there are no secrets on the internet, the images are now in general distribution, prompting Motoringfile to post them up again. Expect to be flooded with more images as we get closer to the opening of the Paris Auto Show, as the Paceman represents a fairly significant departure from the ordinary for MINI.More than a few people have pointed out the design similarities between the Paceman and Range Rover’s uber-popular Evoque, and it’s easy to see the styling influences on MINI’s latest. The gently falling roof, coupled with a rising beltline and blacked-out A, B and C-pillars, convey a sense of motion on both vehicles, and both are offered in front or all-wheel-drive.We say that’s where the similarities end, especially when it comes to personalities, We (obviously) haven’t driven the Paceman yet, but we expect it will be a much different animal than the Range Rover Evoque.Motor Authority 

Being unveiled at Paris motor show, it is the fastest Mini ever. Just 30 of a limited production run of 2000 worldwide - the current car's swansong before an all-new Mini in 2014 - will roll off boats in Australia, wearing a sub-$60,000 price tag and promising serious performance. Mini product communications manager Scott Croaker says the JCW GP was the current Mini's last hurrah before the new car arrived. “This is the last hurrah of current Mini, given the new Mini is due to premiere next year this would be a similar thing - a limited edition of the R56 as we call it,” he says. Mr Croaker said just 30 out of limited production run of 2000 had been secured for Australian customers to arrive in Australia during the first quarter of next year, and many already had names on them - but if more became available the Australian arm would look to grab them. “There are quite a number with names on them already, there are not too many left at the moment. Getting any more depends on whether other markets take up their allocation.” The 1160kg six-speed manual two-seater wears a fully-functioning aerodynamic body kit and sits on specialist sports suspension and has upgraded brakes beneath 17in Mini Challenge alloy wheels. A Mini first will be adjustable coilover suspension, which will allow the ride height to be dropped by up to 20mm and give owners the ability to tune the suspension for racetrack work. Other track-related changes include the stability and traction control, which has a Sport mode function as well as a GP racing mode. The extra mode deletes any power reduction from the system and gives the GP the ability to brake the inside front wheel in corners to prevent wheelspin. The system loads up the outside wheel in corners to improve drive out of the corner, which is going to be a requirement given these outputs. The 1.6-litre four-cylinder twin-scroll turbo direct-injection powerplant has been upgraded and wound up to 160kW and 260Nm (with 280Nm on offer during overboost), enough to lay claim to a 6.3 second sprint to 100km/h, a 242km/h top speed and an 8m23s time around the northern loop of the Nurburgring - 18 seconds quicker than the previous JCW machine. The JCW GP also lays claim to EU fuel consumption figures around 7.1 litres per 100km. Race-bred brakes will bring it to an eye-watering halt - six-piston fixed-calipers gripping 330mm ventilated front and 280mm solid rear discs - as well as a features list will also include xenon headlights, foglights, air conditioning, Recaro sports seats, a cargo bay guard to keep luggage in place, a JCW thick-rimmed leather-wrapped sports steering wheel and gearshifter knob. Also on the cards for Australia is the Mini Countryman JCW - which will have the same engine outputs as the lighter GP but will be all-wheel drive and have an automatic available. “That will be similar in terms of timing, we'll see that at the start of next year, its performance won't be similar but it gets similar outputs and will be available with an automatic, which will flow through into other models in the JCW range,” Mr Croaker says.  

The mini Mini is designed to shuttle track and field projectiles (like javelins, hammers, shot and discuses) back to competing athletes, saving valuable time during events. With a load capacity of eight kilograms, each car can carry a single hammer, discus or shot, or two javelins back to a competing Olympian.  Sprayed in True Blue paint with the London 2012 Games logo and a white roof, each mini Mini is a 1/4 scale replica of a Mini Cooper hatchback. A removable sunroof panel allows access to the equipment storage area, although we’d imagine that hauling javelins requires the use of an optional roof rack.  Each of the model cars is powered by a 10 horsepower electric motor with 35 minutes of usage time per battery pack. Grass tires, heavy duty shocks and vented disc brakes ensure that Mini's latest electric offering is capable of fielding whatever chores are thrown at it. Literally.  The RC Minis have likely been seeing heavy use throughout the games, with each covering an estimated 6km per four-hour shift. Over the nine days of the Olympic Games, each will rack up some 54km of hard use. There are no plans to put the mini Mini into production, although we’re fairly certain that Mini aficionados have already made generous offers to purchase the three built for the London 2012 Olympic Games.  

See the effort and technology that goes into making that one perfect image. Filmed at the Circuit Paul Ricard in France.

Mini recently gave a global green light to the cute Clubvan concept, and has also cleared the way for full-scale production of the Paceman.The production version of the Paceman should be unveiled at the Paris motor show in September and the first Australian deliveries are likely around April of 2013. Pricing is yet to be set but, since the Paceman body sits over the mechanical package of the Countryman, it's likely to have showroom stickers starting around $45,000."Yes, the Paceman has been give a go-ahead. We'll get it early next year," confirms Piers Scott, spokesman for Mini in Australia. "Production is slightly delayed. So it's end of quarter one, start of quarter two, for us."The Paceman is the latest in a long series of successful motor show teases intended to stretch the Mini brand. But it's not the start of something new on the size or mechanical front, as originally believed, just another stretch of the existing Mini package.It's the seventh individual model in the current Mini family, although there is no chance of the Clubvan making it to Australia because of the cost of 'Australianising' the cargo barrier set permanently into the space behind the rear seats. This has now emerged as the 'homologation' drama blocking any local certification, although dealers were also only prepared to commit to fewer than two-dozen sales."Clubvan is definitely not on the radar for us," Scott repeats to Carsguide. "We believe we would only sell a very small number here. It doesn't warrant the cost associated with local homologation." The Paceman plan is much more aggressive for Australia because of its sporty looks and, thanks to the Countryman chassis, two adult-sized rear seats.It's upscale position means it is only likely to be sold in Australia with the Cooper S and John Cooper Works engine packages, together with sports chassis tuning. "It's a sportier two-door model. It's based on the Countryman, with the longer wheelbase, but with very sporty tuning. "Yes, it will have a slight price premium over an equivalent Countryman," Scott says.He says Range Rover has proven, with its city-focussed Evoque, that there is a strong customer base for two and four-door versions of the same basic body. "In the case of Paceman, there will be greater visual differentiation from the Countryman than is the case with the land Rover models. It's wider and squatter."So, who is a potential Paceman buyer? "Where Mini customers in the past were constrained by size, we're now able to tick all the boxes for driving and the ability to put two people in the back or chuck a surfboard on the top. It meets the lifestyle needs. We're taking it into more sportier territory than the Countryman," says Scott.And what about engine choices? "There will certainly be more than one engine, but the engine line-up is yet to be confirmed. We see the main demand in the sportier models, so in a Cooper S and JCW package, if those are made available." 

The chic new delivery van was inspired by the Morris Mini van from the 1960s and joins a new-age Mini range that continues to expand on all fronts. There are 17 individual Mini models on sale in Australia, from the Ray hatch to the Cooper All4 Countryman, but the Clubvan is not looking good for local deliveries. "With the limited sales potential and some homologation issues we won't be launching in Australia," the global head of sales and marketing for BMW Group, Ian Robertson, reveals to Carsguide during an exclusive interview in Munich. Robertson is still upbeat about the Clubvan and says it is likely to be a sellout in Europe following the successful preview in March. "The reception after Geneva was very positive, particularly in the traditional home in UK where many small business owners saw it as the first premium offer in this type of vehicle as well as looking great," he says. The Clubvan is set for production in 2013 and is firm for the UK, Europe and the USA. It will take on a unique role as a trendy workhorse to fulfil a similar role to the Nissan S-Cargo that starred briefly as an inner-city delivery device through a solid run of 'grey market' imports from Japan that started in the late 1990s. It uses the same body design as the Clubman, which means twin read doors and an extra side-opener behind the driver - fine for Europe but not Australia -with the rear windows blacked out. There are only two seats with a cargo barrier behind them. Surprisingly, at least for a Mini, there are only four body colours available - white, blue, black and... British Racing Green. There are a variety of potential engines for the Clubvan, including one turbo diesel, with three trim levels. The full production version of the Clubvan will be shown at the Paris Motor Show in September, but even another positive reaction is not likely to reverse the no-go decision from BMW Group.  "As we will not be getting the car homologated for the Australian market customers would not be able to order the car," says company spokesman, Piers Scott. "As the only premium offering within a very niche category we didn’t see a strong business case for this car. "Will it be assessed once it's available? We don’t expect to be changing this position."  

They've taken the soberly-coloured Rocketman Concept from the 2011 Geneva motor show and tarted it up in new red, white and blue livery of the British flag. And it doesn't stop at the duco. The glass roof gets red trim to echo the Union Jack, with matching red pinstriping on the polished black 18-in wheels. Red and white bezels accent the air vents, speakers and door pulls, and the 3+1 (+ an extra if needed) seating layout is trimmed in blue leather. To mark parent brand BMW's involvement in the 2012 London Olympics, The centre cubby is inscribed with figures playing that most British of games, basketball. And the door inserts are scribbled with the name of every Olympic city. If it all sounds a bit garish, you only have to think back a few weeks to the Jubilee mugs and tea towels to realise the Rocketman doesn't stack up too badly as a rolling souvenir.    

The new look is dominated by a large flat front with huge headlights on the end of a longer nose for pedestrian protection.Carparazzi says the cabin loses the centre-mounted speedo that has been a retro link since the sixties icon was re-birthed by BMW Group.