Mini News

...with camouflaged bodywork reflecting a longer and wide body than today's car.Carparazzi expects big changes in the cabin, including a dash that ditches the centre-mounted speedometer for a more traditional instrument cluster.

High performance versions of the Mini Cooper are being recalled worldwide to fix an engine problem that could potentially start a fire.More than 235,000 of the turbocharged Cooper S models built between 2006 and last year are being recalled worldwide to remedy a secondary water pump fitted to cool down the turbocharger.The company has global reports of just over 80 water pump failures and four fires as a result, but BMW Australia and local authorities have deemed the program here to be a technical service campaign,Mini Australia spokesman Piers Scott says just over 3700 Cooper S (of which one may have experienced the smoldering engine bay issue) and John Cooper Works vehicles built between 2006 and 2011 are effected in Australia."This was deemed to be a technical campaign, in-line with similar campaigns conducted in the past," he said.Mr Scott said the use of the term `recall' overseas to describe the issue."It is the Department of Infrastructure and Transport that we liaise with locally and they would advise us if it were to be a safety Recall.""There is no less urgency under a technical campaign - replacement parts are now in the country and Mini Australia has already begun contacting affected customers," he said.The worldwide recall of 235,000 cars includes 29,868 in the UK and 89,000 in the US and involves replacing the water pump free of charge.The company head office said that the turbocharged engines are fitted with an additional water pump to remove residual heat from the turbocharger after the engine was switched off."Under high operating temperatures an electro-migration can occur at the circuit board installed in the additional water pump," it said."This can lead to a failure of the additional water pump or smoldering and even a fire cannot be excluded."More than 200,000 Minis are built each year at the company's Oxford plant, where production started in 2001and recently passed two million vehicles built - the car is exported to more than 90 countries.The turbocharged engine is shared with Citroen and Peugeot, but both French companies said there engines employed different electrical systems.

...some of the highest and most rugged mountains and temperatures ranging from 50C to freezing.In the end, the mighty Mini, loosely based on the All4 Countryman, conquered the 2012 Dakar Rally which began on January 1 and finished last Sunday. Five Minis started and incredibly five finished in the top 10, including first and second.Mini was the favourite before the event with its entries prepared by the successful Frankfurt-based X-Raid company, and a collection of champion drivers, including the victorious Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel who has now won four car titles and six times on a motorcycle.The Minis cost $1.1m each and, although based on the road going Countryman costing about $40,000-$60,000, they are much higher and wider, with 16-inch wheels and a carbon body. And instead of 1.9-litre four-cylinder engine, they have a three-litre, six-cylinder turbo diesel.The only standard parts are the lights, windscreen door handles taillights. The rest is pure prototype. VW pulled out this year after winning the past three rallies, including a trifecta last year, paving the way for another manufacturer to take over.Prior to VW, Mitsubishi dominated from 2001-07 for a combined total of 12 wins over 33 years with the 2008 rally cancelled due to terrorist threats. The following year the event shifted from North Africa to South America where it has retained "the spirit of Dakar" with its rugged terrain.This year's course was claimed to be the toughest yet with man and machine tackling high temperatures of 50C and stage six cancelled because of persistent snow storms over the Andes.Entry to this gruelling event is costly with some teams spending millions on car preparation and millions more with back-up crew, trucks and spares.VW made the most of its expensive victories with substantial advertising campaigns, in particular its promotion of the Amarok pick-up which was merely a back-up vehicle for last year's rally. But don't expect the same from Mini after its win at its second attempt.BMW Group Australia head of corporate communications Piers Scott points out that the five cars were part of a private team entry, not a factory team."Aside from the car, and obvious technical assistance, I don't think there is too much in the way of an official connection to the X-raid team, besides the fact that it is led by Sven Quandt, who obviously is a son of Herbert Quandt," he said.(Quandt was a German industrialist lauded for turning BMW from bankruptcy to profit.) "Therefore, I don't think there are any plans to shout about it too loudly, but it certainly sets the tone nicely for Mini's increasing involvement in motorsport."Mini was pushed throughout this year's rally by the Hummers of Nascar legend Robby Gordon and last year's winner Nasser Al-Attiyah, and single private entry of 2009 winner Giniel De Villiers in a Toyota Hi-Lux.While the big-money Mini entry caught all the headlines, the De Villiers entry gave Toyota a surprising and much-needed boost after a tough 2011 when it slipped from the world's top sellers in the wake of the tsunami in Japan and floods in Thailand.He finished third behind the Minis, even though his machine was made to comply with next year's Dakar engine specifications. Another surprisingly successful entry was the Great Wall SUV driven Portugal's Carlos Souza, who has raced for Mitsubishi, Nissan and Volkswagen. Over a 10-year period, except for a disappointing 2010 rally, Souza has never finished outside the top 10, with a best of fourth in 2003.He finished an amazing seventh and 4.5 hours behind. The result gives the Chinese manufacturer something to smile about after the disappointing two-star safety rating it scored in the Australia New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) last year for its utilities.Dakar officials this year limited the entries to 171 cars, 185 bikes, 33 quad bikes and 76 trucks. However, only 97 motorcycles, 12 quads, 78 cars and 60 trucks made it to the finishing line. Among those was Team Latvia's OSCar eO, the event's first electric vehicle.The OSCar eO has an "engine" bay filled with 52.5kWh of batteries and is powered by an electric motor nominally rated at 210kW with a top speed of 140km/h and range of 800km. Like GM's Volt, which will be available for sale in Australia later this year as a Holden, the OSCar eO has a back-up petrol generator that charges the batteries to extend the electric vehicle's range.In this case it's a 3.5-litre V6 Nissan engine. The vehicle finished 77th or second last, but at least it finished, which is always difficult in the world's toughest motorsport event. Expect to see more electrics vehicles competing in future.The Koreans starred, the Japanese mounted a comeback, and One Ford hit the headlines with an extended family of Focus-based newcomers that it is certain to make a big hit in Australia. But it was one car and the commitment of its company chief that made the most impact as America fought back on the opening day of the 2011 North American International Motor Show.The bike category was an arm wrestle between KTM teammates Cyril Despres of France and Marc Coma of Spain with three wins each. They exchanged lead at almost every stage and when Despres was stuck in the mud late in the rally it looked like Coma's fourth.However, the officials deleted the time delay because other riders were diverted from the obstacle and it came down to a tight finish with Despres the victor. Argentine brothers Alejandro and Marcos Patronelli won the quad section on their Yamahas, while Dutch teams took out the top two truck positions in Ivecos.DAKAR 2012 WINNERSCARS1 Peterhansel (Fra) Cottret (Fra) Mini2 Roma (Spain) Perin (Fra) Mini3 De Villiers (S Af), Von Zitzewitz (Ger) Toyota4 Novitskiy (Rus) Schulz (Ger) Mini5 Gordon (USA) Campbell (USA) Hummer6 Alvarez (Arg) Graue (Arg) Toyota7 Sousa (Por) Garcin (Fra) Great Wall8 Leal Dos Santos (Por) Fiuza (Por) Mini9 Ten Brinke (Hol) Baumel (Fra) Mitsubishi10 Holowczyc (Pol) Fortin (Bel) MiniBIKES1 Despres (Fra) KTM2 Coma (Spa) KTM3 Rodrigues (Por) YamahaQUADS1 Patronelli (Arg) Yamaha2 Patronelli (Arg) Yamaha3 Maffei (Arg) YamahaTRUCKS1 De Rooy (Hol) Iveco2 Stacey (Hol) Iveco3 Ardavichus (Kaz) Kamaz

No, this is not a late April Fool's Day joke like the one played this year by those Munich funsters "releasing plans" for a 309kW M3 pick-up truck.This is the real deal. Aussie-made Mini utes built by Motorline BMW in Brisbane from two second-hand promotional cars.Dealer principal Craig Rose has dubbed them the "Mute" for "Mini ute" and plans to make special name badges for the car.Motorline BMW spent more than 700 hours modifying the 2003 Mini Coopers including an engine overhaul, re-trimming the interior, fabricating a fibreglass rear lid with a gas strut, marine-grade ute tray carpeting, fitting 18-inch wheels and adding stainless steel roll bars.The result is immaculate. Almost like a factory product.Rose says all design, fabrication and painting was done in-house, except for the manufacture of the roll bars.He plans to use the vehicles for promotions but says they are also for sale for $30,000 and he intends to make more if there is demand."All the hard work is done now," he says. "A lot of the job was in perfecting the body and smoothing and finishing the product."Rose is confident there will be buyer interest for the vehicle from private customers and businesses."It would make a great promotional vehicle," he says. "When you stop at the traffic lights people think you are going to give something away. It would also be suitable for a couple's weekend getaway. It has a surprising amount of boot space."Rose says he would like to see Mini do their own version, especially for the ute-loving Australian market."Mini has been talking about many different body styles," he says.In the past few years Mini has added several models including the Clubman five-door wagon and Countryman all-wheel-drive model with the strange-looking two-seater Coupe arriving early next year.So, will Mini produce a Mute?"All I can say is, 'never say never'," says Mini Australia spokesman Piers Scott. "After the Roadster, the two-door Mini Countryman Coupe will be the next confirmed Mini to roll off the production line, but there is room for more in the family. Regarding the Coupe, the price isn't yet confirmed but will be less than a $5000 premium over the hatch. Both Coupe and Roadster will land here in the first quarter of next year."

The little Mini will have a starring role at this week’s Frankfurt motor show and will arrive here very early next year, with pricing announced in a few months. The Australian line-up will start with the 135kW MINI Cooper S Coupé and the sports performance of the 155 kW/211 hp MINI John Cooper Works Coupé – both of which will be available with a six-speed manual transmission as standard but a six-speed automatic as an option. A 90kw MINI Cooper Coupé and a 105kW diesel MINI Cooper SD Coupé will be available overseas, but not in the initial range here.“We can’t comment on price at this stage,” Mini spokesperson Lucy McLellan says. We’ll have some idea closer to the Australian launch. It will be arriving at the very beginning of next year so we’ll know more about price towards the end of this year."Acting Australian head of Mini, Matt Schmidt, acknowledges there will be a small premium over similar models in the current range.“As far as pricing goes, locally we will see a small uplift over the current Hatch, Clubman and Cabrio,” he says.That suggests the Cooper S Coupe is likely to be no higher than $45,000, and the John Cooper Works about $10,000 more.  While you don’t often think of two-seater coupes as being ‘practical’ cars, McLellan says the Mini Coupe will fill a practical need for buyers.“Lots of Mini owners never put anybody in the rear seat of the car, so this will appeal to those who want more load space but still want the qualities of a smaller Mini,” she says. The Mini Coupe’s boot space is fantastic and it’s probably the most practical mini yet.”McLellan also says the addition of the Mini Coupe is helping to extend the brand. “We’ve moved from just having an iconic car to having an entire brand,” she says.

Without trying to sound macabre - which we are - here's some of the famous people no longer with us because of the car. On a brighter note, lots of people are still with us because of the car - or more specifically, the ambulance.1. James Dean (Porsche 550 Spyder): Dean's status soared to cult levels after his untimely death in September 1955. In fact, so did the status of the car he was driving, a Porsche 550 Spyder that was the predecessor to today's Boxster. Dean died while driving when an approaching car turned in front of him. His passenger, mechanic Rolf Wutherich, survived that accident but died in a car crash in 1981.2. Diana, Princess of Wales (Mercedes-Benz S280): On August 31, 1997, the world woke to the shocking news that Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed in a car accident in Paris. Her partner Dodi and driver were also killed. The accident is alleged to have been caused when the Mercedes was avoiding pursuing paparazzi.3. Princess Grace Kelly (Rover SD1): The former American actress and princess of Monaco died in 1982 after suffering a mild stroke at the wheel of her car, causing it to roll down a mountain in Monaco. Coincidentally, revered British motorcycle racer Mike Hailwood (1940-1981) was killed in a car accident a year earlier driving a similar car.4. Marc Bolan (Mini GT): Bolan, lead singer of glam rock group T-Rex, was killed instantly in 1977 when the purple Austin Mini GT in which he was a passenger failed to negotiate a bridge and hit a tree. Ironically, Bolan never learned to drive, fearing his untimely death in a car. The driver was his girlfriend, Gloria Jones.5. Peter "Possum" Bourne (Subaru Forester): Amiable New Zealand rally driver Possum Bourne was on a course inspection in 2003 on the "Race to the Sky" track at Cardrona in NZ's South Island when he collided head on with a Jeep Cherokee. He never regained consciousness. A statue of Possum is set on the mountain on an isolated rock overlooking the Cardrona village.6. Jackson Pollack (Oldsmobile 88): The reclusive artist crashed his 1950 Oldsmobile convertible while under the influence of alcohol, killing both himself and his passenger instantly in 1956. Pollock was aged 44.7. Jayne Mansfield (Buick Electra): In the early hours of June 29, 1967, Hollywood sex symbol Jayne Mansfield, died after the 1966 Buick Electra 255 in which she was a passenger smashed under the back of a slowing semi-trailer. Mansfield, her boyfriend Sam Brody and the driver were killed instantly. Her three children including Mariska, all in the rear of the car, survived with minor injuries.8. Desmond Llewelyn (Renault Megane): In 1999, one of the UK's most recognisable figures; Desmond Llewelyn, better known as Q in the James Bond films, died in a car crash aged 85. He was driving home from a book signing when his car collided head on with a Fiat.9. Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez (Mitsubishi SUV): In 2002, Lopez - singer with popular RnB group TLC - was thrown from the vehicle and died from injuries. The Mitsubishi was forced off the road by an oncoming truck that was trying to overtake a car on a Honduras road.10. George S. Patton (Cadillac Series 75): The famous United States general died from complications 12 days after a car accident near Mannheim, Germany. He was aged 60 years.

Mini is trying to 'manual up' the US with a cheeky ad campaign aiming to lure people away from automatic transmissions.Urging drivers to 'Get your shift together', the BMW-owned brand is offering $500 off any manual-transmission Mini in the US dealererships.It's all in praise of Manualhood, the campaign says, going on to declare that 'Stick Happens'.There's a more serious side to the campaign, which points out that a manual transmission means better fuel economy, more control over the car, boosted response from the engine and – perhaps most importantly – a cheaper price to start with.Dealerships will also be offering training on the spot, teaching novices how to shift for themselves. Sorry ... but if Mini can resort to bad puns, so can we.But with the US even more auto-nomous than Australia (and manuals are rapidly becoming an endangered species here too), there may not be many takers for that $500 discount.Do you prefer a manual to an automatic? Take our poll ...

... and now we see the Countryman with John Cooper Works tweaking for the first time.The bodywork looks much more aggressive, with a body kit, venting in the bonnet, beefier brakes and bigger wheels. It should be on the road before the end of the year.

That's one possible story reflected in a go-faster Mini lapping at the Nurburgring with the usual JCW upgrades to the body, engine and suspension. Carparazzi believes it could be a Challenge Edition, based on the lowered suspension, changes to the nose and the centre-mounted dual exhaust system.

The Pinocchio nose on this prototype is proof that the next makeover of the Mini is a complete change for the British baby. The camouflaged Cooper is way longer from the windscreen to the bumper and it's not just for pedestrian protection.Carparazzi believes the change points to a bigger car with more cabin space, while Mini is also expected to ditch the car's centre-mounted speedo. The all-new Mini should be around in 2013 but is unlikely in Australia until early the following year, perhaps even with a three-cylinder TwinPower engine in the base model.