Mini News

Green is not just a theme at Geneva. Like chocolate and watches, the Swiss are turning an automotive fad into a phenomenon at this year’s Geneva Motor Show.It is one of the first international motor shows to dedicate a “green pavilion” that is allowing carmakers and specialist automotive environment companies to exhibit their wares under one roof.Production ready hybrids, electric concept cars, the electric Mini, the battery powered HydroGen 4 from Opel, a Kia hybrid electric and natural gas car and a city car powered by the latest generation batteries developed by Croatian company Doking are on display. Other companies and some Swiss universities are exhibiting high-tech refueling and recharging stations for tomorrow’s cars.It is the type of ingenuity that is attracting mainstream carmakers too.Two sportscars, the Twenty-4 Le Mans race developed by the same Swiss company, which built the GreenGT electric racer, and the 3.3-litre V6 Quaranta hybrid sportscar developed in 2008 by Italdesign-Giugiaro are also on show. The Twenty-4 Le Mans racer is powered by two electric motors with around 298kW and 2000Nm and weighs less than 900kg. It is expected to hit 100km/h in less than four seconds and has a top speed close to 300km/h.But the green theme is not isolated to one pavilion.Apart from its Quaranta, Italdesign Giugiaro has introduced a family of low environmental impact cars created with Malaysian carmaker Proton. The first Proton concept, uses a hybrid drive system. It is designed to maximise available interior space and ergonomics in a four-seater, five-door hatchback that is just 3.5m long.“This is the outcome of several years of study,” Italdesign chief Giorgetto Giugiaro says. “The solution allows interior spaciousness on a par with that of a D segment car despite maintaining the exterior dimensions of an A segment car.”Finnish electric carmaker Valmet is showing off its Eva 2+2, which it claims can travel up to 160km on one charge and Swiss specialist electric company, Protoscar has the Lampo 2 sportscar. Based on the General Motors Saturn Sky and Opel GT, the Lampo 2 uses two electric motors and a lithium-ion battery pack that deliver 300kW/640Nm that enable the light-weight two-seater to hit 100km/h in just 5 seconds and top speed of 200km/h. The car has a range of 200km.Apart from the Europeans, Japan is also showing off some quirky concepts.The Honda 3R-C is a revolutionary one-person battery electric vehicle concept that is making its world debut alongside the EV-N concept, being displayed for the first time in Europe. The three-wheeled 3R-C concept looks to a future when consumers want commuter vehicle for one with zero emissions. The 3R-C uses a battery electric drivetrain mounted low in the three-wheeled chassis. Honda says this allows a low centre of gravity and improved stability.It has a clear canopy that covers the driver’s seat while it is parked and not in use. On the road, the canopy becomes a wind-blocker to protect the driver. The design has a high sided safety shell that provides excellent crash safety as well as protection from the weather. In front of the driver is a lockable boot area, which gives significant secure storage for luggage or other items. The 3R-C study was created by European designers working at Honda’s Research and Design facility in Milan.Despite the green tinge to Geneva, petrol power still reins.Porsche’s new Cayenne made its world debut, along with a hybrid version boasting a V8 with the economy of a V6. The car has a parallel hybrid drive system that can deliver fuel economy of 8.2 litres/100km and CO2 emissions of 193g/km, making it the cleanest Porsche in history. Apart from the hybrid, the new petrol Cayennes are expected to be more than 20 per cent more fuel-efficient than the previous model.BMW and Lotus are also showing off hybrid models, the ActiveHybrid 5 hybrid  - essentially a very lightly disguised new 5-Series - and Evora 414E hybrid. The Evora shares its 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine with the Proton concept. The sportscar also gets two electric motors to drive the rear wheels, delivering 304kW and 800Nm via a single-speed transmission that can mimic upshifts and downshifts of a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. The BMW ActiveHybrid 5 is the third hybrid model unveiled. It follows the ActiveHybrid versions of the X6 and luxury 7 Series sedan.Opel, the European division of General Motors, is showing off its number one prototype of its version of the Chevrolet Volt, called the Opel Ampera.

The born-again British bombshell has already grown from a city- friendly hatchback to a convertible and a Mini Clubman wagon _ with the all-wheel drive Countryman finally going public this week _ but the man driving Mini says there are more models to come."It's three at the moment and it will be six in the next two years, and it doesn't stop there," says Ian Robertson, the sales and marketing chief for BMW Group, which includes Mini.  "We've got lots of ideas, some of which won't come to production, but I think there is a lot more potential within a small-size car."One of those ideas is the Beachcomber concept displayed at the Detroit Motor Show, where Robertson talks about the success of a car that has become a brand."In this case size really does matter," he says.  "Four metres is about the bandwidth. But there are some interesting concepts that could be there if you look at the Beachcomber."If you look back in Mini history, there were even more concepts of mini around. There were tuners, but there were other concepts done by the company.  Now, we're not going to make a Mini-van, but I think there are enough ideas to keep the brand moving forward and continue growing, which is what we want."Robertson will not talk about the potential for a Mini coupe, one idea floated in the past six months, but he is happy to chat about the Beachcomber.  "This is the first time it's been seen. The reception has been very positive . . . but, like all things, we need to create a business case for it," he says."At the end of the day there are a number of factors on that car that are not easy to resolve. There is side crash, for example. The fact is that Mini Mokes of the past were not burdened by any of this, so if you look at actual crash situations you have to do some very smart stuff to make that a viable proposition. It's not a matter of whipping the doors out and saying that's ok."Robertson is convinced Mini has a big future because of its widespread appeal.  "It's huge. Seventy-year-olds buy Minis, with big smiles on their faces."From the young kids through to the aging pensioners, it is a car for all ages and all social sets as well. So for people who have a lot of money, and people who are scrambling to get money, it's appropriate for all of them."It's a really unique proposition. And when I talk to some potential competitors of Mini they all say 'Yes, but Mini is really different and really special'. Because it is different and characterful."We've taken a car that was small and cute and had a nice history, and turned it into a brand. And I think that's a major achievement. And in a relatively short period of time."Here we are in Detroit, and if you'd asked me three or four years ago if America would be the largest market for Mini I'd have said 'Unlikely, with a small car and a small engine' . . . but for the second year running it's the biggest market in the world.  "And it came from a standing start in America as well. There was no real history of Mini here in America."

The car is the fourth model in the line-up, but the first of them to have four doors plus a rear hatch.  Tipped to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March, the Mini Countryman will offer optional ‘ALL4’ all-wheel drive.It sits higher than the rest of the family and has greater ground clearance, but has similar short overhangs and styling cues: hexagon grille, large headlights integrated into the bonnet and vertical rear light clusters.Coloured bezels accent the interior, which is divided front to rear by the centre rail console that can be adapted to a range of bolt-on storage options and additions.  In Europe the Countryman will come with four seats or with a three-seat rear bench as a no-cost option.  Luggage capacity of 350 litres can be increased to an impressive 1170 litres by folding the rear seatbacks, which in the bench version split 40:20:40.Like the front-driver, the all-paw version is expected to have three petrol and two diesel engines, with at least one of the latter being turbocharged.  The European outputs will range from the 66kW Mini One D Countryman up to the 135kW Mini Cooper S Countryman.The ALL4 system uses an electrohydraulic diff on the final drive that varies the torque from front to rear, sending from 50 to 100 per cent to the rear wheels as needed.  The suspension system comprises front MacPherson spring struts and forged track control arms, with a multi-arm rear axle.The Countryman will come with servotronic electric power steering and stability control, with dynamic traction control being offered as standard on the Cooper S and D ALL4 versions, and optional on the others.The car is expected to go on sale in Europe later this year and possibly Australia early next year.

Photos of the production car, which is expected to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March, show a connection with the Mini Beachcomber concept shown at the recent Detroit show.Apart from the high-riding stance, the car has “All4” badging to indicate that it’s all-wheel drive.  Unlike the barn-style rear doors in the Clubman, the four-wheel drive appears to have a conventional rear opening hatch.Like the front-driver, the all-paw version is expected to have petrol and turbo-diesel engines.  The car is expected to go on sale in Europe later this year and possibly Australia early next year.

Back in 1999, the only diesel-powered vehicles on the Australian market were sports utility vehicles, light commercials and trucks.

Mini is hitting the beach with an open-body, all-wheel drive concept that will star on the brand’s stand at the Detroit motor show in January. While the Mini Beachcomber Concept’s all-paw undercarriage is the main link to the compact SUV Mini will launch late in 2010 and bring here in 2011 as its fourth model, the concept echoes the same outdoor lifestyle approach – and carries it to extremes.Hearking back to the Mini Moke of the 1960s-70s – and up to the 1990s in some countries that persevered with the lowered Jeep-like styling that did its best work as a beach buggy, the Beachcomber is an open-body design. The doorless and roofless four-seater is apparently just the thing to let the outside in for what BMW describes as ‘a spontaneous and active experience of freedom and leisure time’. However BMW says there is the potential to add soft or lightweight plastic coverings for the roof and doors to avoid the spontaneous and active experience of rain, sleet or snow.The four occupants sit high in the rugged looked Beachcomber, which is itself raised on extra-large alloy wheels, enhanced by a suspension set up to allow a ‘generous’ rate of spring travel unknown on the Moke in its natural state. However, the wide sills and squared-off character accents on the body are a strong reminder of the Moke’s hardy ‘ammunition case’ looks, while the vertical lines of the grille are a direct reference.The Mini Moke had a lot of shortcomings in its time, but built a large enough fan club for production to continue in Australia and Portugal long after it ceased in Britain, where just 14,500 cars had been produced. At about four metres in length with short overhangs for better off-bitumen geometry, like the coming compact SUV, the Beachcomber is a metre bigger than the Moke. And with modern materials strengthening the pillars and roof frame, plus up-to-date approaches to crumple zones and load paths, it would be considerably safer as well.The interior has been designed for flexibility, with fold-down seats joining the open roof in allowing the vehicle to carry larger objects than it really has a right to. The interior focus is on active lifestyle features, including a liquid-sprung compass, artificial horizon instrument, and the Centre Rail fastening system — already seen in the Crossover Concept – that allows a range of sporting, lifestyle and communication equipment to be rearranged throughout the cabin.But could this herald the return of the Moke that BMW has mined for the retro references of the Beachcomber? “Possibly,” says BMW spokesman Tim James. “And if it ever did eventuate, you’d think it would have a very strong following in Australia. “Considering we are largely a coastal-populated area, it does suit the Australian market.”However James said nay new version of the Moke would be a vastly safer effort than the original. “I think the automotive market has moved on a fair degree form 1960s in that sense,” he says. “The Beachcomber is largely based on the production model of the compact SUV and carries over its design and safety aspects. “It’s just touching on the heritage of Mini.” 

It is the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic, which re-set the economy benchmark this year at just 3.7L/100km - that is 76.3 miles-per-gallon in pre-decimal currency - and also produces just 98 grams of carbon for

The latest round of official crash tests has given five-star occupant protection ratings to some of the most fuel-frugal small cars sold in Australia, the Mini Cooper diesel, the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic diesel, the Volvo C30 diesel and the Toyota Prius hybrid.On the Global Green Challenge, a 3150km drive from Darwin to Adelaide and with driving in Adelaide last month, the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic averaged just 3.13 litres/100km fuel consumption and the Mini diesel was not far behind.  Transport Department director of road safety, Martin Small, said yesterday (Tuesday 17) the crash test results showed that new-car buyers could save fuel and still get five-star safety."These ratings show that manufacturers can make a range of fuel efficient vehicles which do not compromise safety," Mr Small said.  Other vehicles to score five stars in these tests are the new Subaru Liberty Exiga and the latest Hyundai Sante Fe with four-cylinder engine.  The only car in this round of tests not to get the full five stars is the Honda City sedan which managed four stars.RAA (SA) technical services manager Mark Borlace said this was because that model Honda did not have electronic stability control, a requirement since 2008 before five stars could be awarded.  "It makes the lack of ESC for the Honda City disappointing," Mr Borlace said."All of these five-star models include head-protecting side airbags or curtains, anti-lock brakes with electronic brake distribution and electronic stability control as standard," he said. "And it is pleasing to see the results apply to all models in the various ranges, not just luxury-specified vehicles."In separate testing for pedestrian protection, the Honda City, Subaru Exiga and Fiesta achieved three out of a maximum four stars. The upgraded Sante Fe, previously scoring zero, this time got one star.

It doesn't really matter what you call it, the push is all about sustainability and leaving as much as we can from this generation for the next rather than gobbling up finite resources with no regard

It doesn't really matter what you call it, the push is all about sustainability and leaving as much as we can from this generation for the next rather than gobbling up finite resources with no regard