- You are here:
- Auto News >
- Automobiles >
- Mini
Mini News
Mini is a brand of small cars that began with the Mark I designed by Sir Alec Issigonis in 1959. Originally sold under the Austin and Morris brand names, Mini became the small car's actual name in 1964. Made famous by one of cinema's best car chases in the film "The Italian Job," the car's design remained relatively unchanged except for different front ends until the all-new Mini Cooper was launched by BMW in 2001.
-
0Official: Mini reveals Clubvan Concept ahead of Geneva debut 1329606000
It's a Mini. It's a van. But it's not a minivan. That's because the sort of van we're talking about here is a panel van – think of the Ford Transit Connect or recently departed Chevrolet HHR Panel – a vehicle with two seats up front, a partitian behind the cockpit and nothing but a flat load floor in back. These little workaday runabouts are ...
-
Official: BMW opens 8.6-acre flagship showroom in Abu Dhabi 1329494460
Where would you expect to find the largest BMW dealership in the world? At BMW headquarters in Munich? Somewhere in Texas, perhaps, where everything is bigger? Or maybe in California, a state that represents one of the automaker's largest markets? If you're shouting, "No! It's in Abu Dhabi!," you're (A) good at reading headlines and (B) correct. The ...
-
Long Term: 2011 Mini Countryman: January 2012 1328660940
Literally two days after my last update about our long-term Mini Countryman, I found myself trudging through a snowstorm at 30 miles per hour on Interstate 94 along Michigan's west coast. I guess Mother Nature had heard my cries about not being able to test our Mini in the snow, and decided to reward me with super slippery roads and poor visibility for ...
-
Report: Next Mini to get rear-hinged Clubman doors? 1328641320
Much as we love the Mini Clubman and its rear-hinged, passenger-side door, this would be an incredibly stupid idea. Functionality is one thing, but ruining the design of the fetching Mini Cooper hardtop would be a downright shame. Nevertheless, Autocar reports that a rear-hinged door could be in store for the next Mini. A recent set of spy shots showed a ...
-
Official: Mini changes tracks with Prodrive WRC team 1328626860
The road taken by Mini to the World Rally Championship has been anything but smooth. After contesting a handful of rallies last season, Mini and Prodrive (the outfit running the team on the manufacturer's behalf) was set to contest the full calendar this year. But then the team failed to register in time, and dumped the promising driver it had plucked ...
-
Report: Mini accidentally names deadly European weather front after its cars 1328556540
The naming of a storm seems innocuous enough. After all, when some sort of weather event – be it a hurricane, tropical storm, blizzard or flood – comes along, we as human beings are going to talk about it, and having a name makes that a much easier process. So, the marketing folk at Sassenbach, the ad agency used by Mini in its home country, ...
-
First Drive: 2012 Mini Cooper S Roadster 1328115420
Attractive New Roadster Prepares To Cannibalize Convertible For a brand that's only about 11 years old (since its modern rebirth, anyway), Mini is doing quite well for itself. Since the launch of the 2001 Mini Cooper, the BMW-owned automaker has now sold over two million vehicles in 100 markets, and over the course of the past decade, has expanded one ...
-
Official: Mini claims first international rally win 1328052600
It may not be a World Rally Championship event, but Mini is celebrating its first win at an international rally (at least its first such win of the modern era). The event in question was the Qatar International Rally, a fully FIA-sanctioned event that kicks off the 2012 Middle East Rally Championship (MERC). Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (with his brother Nasser ...
-
Official: 2012 Mini Roadster priced from $24,350* 1327705200
Mini has officially announced pricing for the company's new Cooper Roadster. The tiny droptop will carry a base MSRP of $24,350 in the U.S., while the Cooper S Roadster will set you back $27,350. The top-of-the-line John Cooper Works Roadster, meanwhile, will command a sticker of $34,500 (*pricing exclude a $700 destination and handling fee). Should ...
-
Report: Mini wants to make JCW its BMW M, bring diesel models Stateside 1327692600
As far as the Mini lineup goes, the John Cooper Works models sit at the very top of the performance spectrum. But that's not enough for Mini's (relatively) new chief Kay Segler. The German auto exec came to the post from the M division of parent company BMW, and that's what Segler wants for the Mini brand as well. So what does a further differentiated ...
