Mini News

The arrival of the Mini Crossman will also see production of the British baby moved outside the UK for the first time.BMW Group built an all-new factory in Oxford when it decided to bring Mini back from the dead _ and even held onto it as part of the Mini program when it sold Rover Group _ but now it must switch its focus to Austria because of the all-wheel drive system under the Crossman. And to create extra production capacity.The Crossman will be built by Magna Steyr, a four-wheel drive specialist that has done car making for a number of brands including Jeep.The Crossman is already well into development and should be displayed later this year - possibly at the Frankfurt Motor Show - before it goes on sale in 2010.The all-wheel drive wagon does not look much different from the existing Mini Clubman, apart from slightly improved ground clearance.The Crossman has joined the test team at the Nurburgring racetrack in Germany, where BMW Group has also recently done work on everything from the facelifted X5 - and the M-tweaked X5 and X6 - to the baby X1 wagon.The car was originally known inside BMW as the Colorado but has a new model designation, as the R58.But the aim is just the same, as Mini wants to get more men into its models and believes something with some soft-road ability will be ideal for 20-something males. 

             

They will be making a major contribution to the greening of our new-car fleet as they kill the engine at stoplights instead of wasting fuel and creating pollution as they idle at a red.I first drove a stop/start car around 1994 when Volkswagen brought an evaluation car to Australia to highlight the EcoMatic technology in its then-new Golf III. The greener Golf never got past the evaluation stage here, and only lasted about 18 months in Europe because of very slow sales, but it was the start of something special.I can still remember the horror of pulling up to a red light in Sydney's city centre and having the engine die. My instinct was to re-start it immediately, but I resisted the temptation and it fired when I selected a gear as the light turned green.I had the same mild panic when I drove a stop/start Land Rover Freelander in Britain a couple of weeks ago. As I selected neutral the engine died, but when I dipped the clutch to select first on the green it fired immediately with no drama.We are all going to have to overcome the same panic in future years as stop/start leads us into a generation of cars with all sorts of new systems. Some will have 'active' alternators which only charge on demand, others will have electric water pumps to cut engine drag, and there will be cars with all sorts of new controls for the power steering and airconditioning. Some will have the lot.We've already seen cylinder deactivation systems in cars from GM Holden and Honda, which effectively cut the size of the engine in low-load situations, and they will also be commonplace.Land Rover had hoped to be first in Australia with stop-start technology but is going to be pipped by Mini.The Cooper D will be in showrooms on May 1 with stop/start and the claim that it is the most fuel-efficient car sold in Australia.Other makers are likely to follow Land Rover, although Fiat and Citroen have already looked at stop/start for Australia and ruled it out because of the cost.But the price of fuel is creeping back up again and no-one is going backwards on emissions.So stop/start is definitely coming, although it is currently only available on manual cars because of the complication of re-starting an automatic which is stopped at the lights in drive. Many companies are already working on a stop/start system for their autos, but it usually involves some sort of special starter-alternator pack and American brands are calling theirs a new form of mild hybrid.Once the stop/start automatics start to land we are really going to see the dominos beginning to fall.

The original Mini, which debuted in 1959, was the brainchild of Alec Issigonis. Tasked by the British Motor Corporation (BMC was the merging of Austin and Morris) with designing a small family car, Issigonis produced one of the most outstanding design packages in motoring history. The original Mini was an enormous commercial success and its peculiarity was extended by the fact it also had an illustrious racing career, winning the Monte Carlo Rally and Bathurst twice.Even with an overall length of just over 3m the car could accommodate four adults in relative comfort. To achieve this feat Issigonis used a combined transverse four cylinder engine and gearbox, a packaging solution relatively unique for a period of front engined rear wheel drive cars. This configuration allowed a much shorter front as well as less intrusion into the cabin. Issigonis also used his expertise in suspension design with the incorporation of fully independent suspension at each corner, a solution that provider efficient use of space and superior handling.Originally launched with a 848cc engine producing 25 kW, BMC commissioned John Cooper (famous at the time for winning the 1960 Formula One Championship with Jack Brabham) to produce a tuned performance version. Cooper increased engine capacity to just under a litre and increased the power output to 41 kW. Other improvements included the use of two SU carburetors and disc brakes up front. A legend was born.In 1963 John Cooper further developed the Mini with an even more track-focused version. The Cooper S was launched. The S used a larger engine than the Cooper, a BMC A-series unit that Copper used in his Formula Junior single-seaters. Capacity was slightly decreased for the mini as it had to also be suitable for road-use. In competition trim these engines would easily reach 75 kW, road going examples were stated as 52 kW. The racing Mini was a huge hit with race spectators, consistently raising an inside rear wheel while overtaking more powerful V8s through a corner.In 1966, the Mini Cooper S racers gained the top nine places at Bathurst. Mini Cooper S cars were a staple of the Bathurst Great Race through to the mid-1970s, at which time they became no longer eligibile to enter.The original Mini was not just a success on the track though. It also had quite a celebrity following and itslef became somewhat of a movie star in The Michael Cain movie, The Italian Job. and more recently The Bourne Identity as well as many others..The success of the last original Minis and the continued retro-chic status continued which allowed for special editions to be produced through the 1980's and 90's, this kept production going through to 2000, 41 years after its launch. These special editions became fashionable icons and helped keep the name `Mini’ a bankable commodity that BMW seized upon when they gained control of Rover.The highly respected magazine Classic and Sportscar named the original Mini Car of the Century.Here in Australia we started producing Morris Minis under the BMC Australia group in 1960 with the first being sold for the 1961 production year. Australian Minis, which were produced at a plant in Zetland, often had unique features to their European siblings. The Australia Cooper was introduced in October 1962 followed by the Cooper S (imported version) in April 1963, Australian production of the Cooper S commenced in September 1965. In March of 1964 a uniquely Australian variant was introduced – the Morris Mini Deluxe. BMC withdraw factory support from racing in 1970 and British Leyland Australia took up racing development on its own.Local production ceased in October 1978 after producing more than 176, 000 examples.  

The little oil-burner will start at $33,750 and is being spruiked by Mini as the most efficient and cleanest vehicle to go on sale in the Australian market yet.Using stop-start and brake energy regeneration systems, the Cooper D will lay claim to 104 grams of CO2 per kilometre and a thirst of just 3.9 litres per 100km.By comparison, the current number-one is the smart fortwo micro-hybrid, which claims 3.9l/100km and 105g/km of CO2.Toyota's Prius petrol-electric lays claim to a thirst of 4.4l/100km and emissions 106g/km.The company expects the Cooper D won't send the beancounters into a frenzy as it's an unknown segment for diesel.But Mini staffers say the Cooper D will be used as a barometer for diesel variants for other Mini models — but no decision has yet been made on which will be Australia's next Mini diesel model.Make One Degree of difference today by calculating your carbon footprint and finding out what you can do to reduce it.

The biggest is probably the 50th birthday of the original Mini, which will be a huge event around the world, but there are also centenary celebrations for two very different carmakers. Audi and Suzuki are both celebrating 100 years in business in 2009. The Audi brand actually goes back further, to a company founded by August Horch in 1901, but its official history begins when he started making cars under the latin translation of his German name. So Audi has a long history and among the many intesting stories is the use of four interlocked rings as its corporate symbol. They stand for the four individual brands which once made up the Audi company - Audi itself, DWK, NSU and Auto Union. But few people remember that Audi was owned by Daimler-Benz in the 1950s, before becoming part of the Volkswagen empire. Suzuki is a very different story, as it was not a carmaker at all in the early days. Instead, Michio Suzuki founded a loom company in 1909 in the city of Hamamatsu in Japan and it was not until 1937 that he saw the potential to build a small car. After two years and a range of protypes he settled on a tiny car with an 800cc four-cylinder engine. That model was used when Suzuki returned to making cars after World War II and has made the company the largest Japanese makers of compact cars, which it even badges for sale as Nissans. But it was not an easy run, as the loom market collapsed after the war and Suzuki rebuilt his company with a motorised bicycle called the Power Free. Australia was one of the first companies to import Suzukis and a batch of 125cc Colleda bikes arrived in January 1960. But the big breakthrough here came with the arrival of the first Suzuki four-wheel drive, the baby LJ10, in 1968. Since then a range of rugged little off-roaders have done the job, up to the latest Jimny and more luxurious Grand Vitara. Sales have jumped by more than 200 per cent in Australia since 2004, making Suzuki the country's fastest growing brand. Globally, Suzuki is still relatively small with just 50,000 employees, but its products sell in more than 190 countries and its production total of two million vehicles a year - matched by a similar number of motorcycles and a growing number of outboard motors - puts it ahead of Mazda, Mercedes-Benz and BMW on the worldwide sales charts.

Its first all-wheel drive, which will become one of the world's smallest crossovers, looks set to go sale in Australia late in 2011.The yet-to-be-named crossover, which is nearly production-ready, is likely to be launched at the Detroit Motor Show in January and go on sale in Europe and the United States late next year. It should arrive in Australia six to nine months after that.It had been tipped that the wagon would be shown at the Geneva motor show in March, but Mini has reserved that spotlight to launch a JCW version of its sexy new cabrio which is coming to Australia next year.Mini is still remaining coy about the crossover, the first Mini not to be built at its traditional home in Oxford, England. Instead it will come off the same production line as the existing BMW X3 at the Magna Steyr plant in Austria.The X3 will soon shift to Spartanburg to make way for the crossover which will be built on an all new and larger 4.1-metre platform. It had been tipped Mini would use BMWs new X1 platform but Mini insiders say this has been discounted as not practical.What we do know is the crossover will use a modified version of BMW's full time xDrive system which proportions drive between front and rear axles. Mini engineers have had to convert it from having a rear-wheel drive bias as in BMWs X3 and X5 to fit Mini's primarily front-wheel drive layout.As for the name: forget Crossman, as widely reported by German media. It definitely won't be called that.“We had issues with MAN trucks over the Clubman name so we won't go there,” says Andreas Hofmann, the head of Mini's marketing communications.“We are still working on the name and choice of engines."The engine range is expected to match those under the bonnet of the existing Mini line-up but Hofmann hinted a diesel was more than likely for selected markets including Australia.Production costs will mean the crossover will come as a conventional four-door wagon which is cheaper to build, although the design of the tailgate whether a single door, two barn doors or a split lift up, drop down design still has to be signed off.Mini has been studying several tailgates on the crossover test mule which has kept the media guessing."We will be making a final decision on the design within three months," Hofman says.The crossover concept, shown at the last Paris Motor Show, had a sliding rear passenger door on one side and a conventional door on the other.And while the third generation Mini hatch will be launched in 2012, Mini traditionalists can relax — it won’t be stretched any further to fit on the longer crossover platform.Mini insiders say there won’t be a maxi Mini. The current hatch will not grow any more in size as it would be out of proportion on the crossover’s 4.1-metre long platform.If you’re hanging out for a hot hatch Mini with all-wheel drive, you will be waiting for a long time.Mini will fit a BMW-sourced xDrive system to its upcoming crossover wagon but the system won’t be fitted to any other model just yet.A Mini all-wheel drive JCW hatch or cabriolet would be desirable as a flagship, but Mini says it would be far too expensive. 

One of the biggest users (and spruikers) of run-flats – BMW – is changing back to conventional tyres on some of its models.BMW will later this year switch to normal tyres on popular variants of its Mini for international markets.For Australian Minis, the standard 15-inch wheel will continue to be fitted with a conventional tyre. The larger 16-inch wheel, currently shod with run-flat rubber and selected by more than 90 percent of buyers, will also change to a conventional tyre. Run-flat rubber will now be offered as a $200 option.The 17-inch wheel will remain with run-flats.Models with conventional tyres will come with BMW's mobility pack, consisting of an air compressor and glue kit to make temporary puncture repairs.The move appears to be a cost saving measure by Mini's parent as the world-wide economic crisis hits home. Sources within Mini in Germany say BMW, which has been promoting the virtues of run-flats for years, has been disappointed that rival manufacturers Mercedes-Benz and Audi had not adopted the technology. Their added volume would have reduced the production cost of the controversial tyre for the motoring industry.Run-flats are essentially a tyre with stiffer sidewalls which allows the car to be driven if the tyre is punctured. They have been widely criticised for their harsh and unforgiving ride, especially if combined with sports suspension set ups.The lack of a spare wheel however offers substantial weight savings and wins back extra boot space.At this stage the switch back to conventional tyres has not affected BMW models, sold in Australia, most of which use run-flat tyres. 

A new diesel-powered Mini will arrive in Australia later this year to claim the title of Australia's cleanest new car, soundly beating the high-profile Toyota hybrid Prius.Australian Mini models will start coming off the production line in Oxford, England, in March and are expected to be in the showrooms by late May, early June.Pricing is yet to be finalised, but it is expected the base Mini D will come with a $34,000 price tag which is $700 more than the existing 1.6-litre entry level petrol model, the three-door Mini Cooper.A better equipped Chilli version is expected to be priced at just under $38,000, about $1000 more than the petrol version.The turbocharged 1.6-litre diesel will come with two big drawcards - frugal fuel economy and boasting rights, being greenest engine of any new car sold here.Mini says the Cooper D's fuel consumption is a claimed 3.9 litres per 100km, while CO2 emissions will be just 104g/km. The fuel consumption, in theory, gives the four-seater a range of 1025km from its 40-litre tank.The engine is sourced by Mini from Peugeot. It's the same engine which powers the Peugeot 207 HDi, but the Mini beats its French rival in fuel consumption bragging right because it is almost 240kg lighter in kerb weight.The cleanest car sold in Australia at present is the tiny tot 1-litre smart fortwo cabrio. Its CO2 level is 105g/km and achieves a claimed 4.4l/100km.Other green-friendly fuel misers include the 1.5-litre petrol/electric Prius (106g/km, 4.4l/100km) and the 1.3-litre diesel Fiat 500 (111g/km, 4.2l/100km).Australia's small car favourite, the 1.8-litre Toyota Corolla can only manage 172g/km and an average fuel consumption of 7.3l/100km.Mini says the new D will feature fuel saving technology borrowed from parent company BMW including automatically switching off the engine when the car is stopped as well as brake energy regeneration and a dashboard display prompting the driver when to shift up a gear for maximum efficiency.Other fuel-saving measures include a water pump for cooling and electric assistance for the power steering which are only switched on when needed.The Cooper D will come with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard and a six-speed auto as an option.The common-rail 1.6-litre diesel with variable turbo boost produces 80kW and 240Nm of torque between 1750rpm and 2000rpm, but 70 per cent of maximum torque is on tap at 1250rpm. Torque can be boosted to 260Nm using maximum throttle for swifter overtaking.On full boost, the Mini D takes a leisurely 9.9 seconds to hit 100km/h from a standing start, two tenths of a second quicker than the 207 HDi.On the styling front, the D comes with an aerodynamic undertray, a slightly larger power dome on the bonnet and a slightly different grille to the air intake below the bumper.On sale: Mid yearHow much: $34,000 to $38,000Power: 1.6-litre turbo diesel, 80kW at 4000rpm, 240Nm at 1750rpm (260Nm under full boost).Fuel consumption: 3.9l/10km claimed, CO2 104g/kmTransmission: Six-speed manual, six speed auto optionalKerb weight: 1090kg

They are not toys. And the batteries are included.The Mini E is the first solid sign that the BMW Group is getting serious about electric motoring, promising a workable battery-powered range of more than 200 kilometres and running costs of less than five cents a kilometre.The funky plug-in is already up and testing in Europe ahead of a public unveiling at the Los Angeles Motor Show in the second week of November.A full fleet of 500 cars will be ready for action early next year, and will be sold into key US cities including LA and New York.The Mini E loses its conventional petrol or diesel engine in favour of a high-tech Lithium-Ion battery pack which powers a 150 kiloWatt electric motor.It is claimed to have a top speed of 150km/h, 0-100km/h time of 8.5 seconds and a re-charge time of less than three hours.The Mini move comes quickly after American officialdom demanded a percentage of each carmaker's fleet must be zero-emission by 2012, but not as quickly as Mercedes-Benz or Mitsubishi.Benz already has a 100-strong fleet of Smart electric cars under test in London and Mitsubishi plans to have its i-Miev electric minicar in full-scale production in 2009.The Mini E is being introduced as a test vehicle with government departments and a small number of private owners on a least system.There are no plans yet to bring the car to Australia, although Mercedes and Mitsubishi are both committed to local sales of their plug-ins and the i-Miev should be on the road locally in 2009.