Autoblog

BMW and Fiat have already announced their intentions to collaborate on a new small car platform that will underpin the next MINI, due in 2012 or 2013, along with the successor to the Fiat Grande Punto and Alfa Romeo MiTo. However, a new platform developed by Fiat and dubbed the C-Evo will be used as the basis for a larger MINI, due out in 2015.

It's unclear whether the C-Evo architecture will underpin the MINI AWD compact utility vehicle, but according to Automotive News, the platform will be capable of housing both front-wheel- and all-wheel-drive powertrains, and will serve as the platform for the new Alfa Romeo 147, which will be released sometime next year.

Fiat and BMW are also in talks to co-develop a new range of new gasoline and diesel engines, including a 1.6-liter four-pot and 1.2-liter, three-cylinder that will be used on FWD vehicles.

The decision to share platforms and engines has reportedly been in the works since 2007, and BMW and Fiat stand to save between 150 to 200 million euros in the process.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

After nearly three years of rumors and speculation, the new jacked-up MINI SAV will finally make its debut, according to Autocar. The Brit pub is reporting that the MINI 'ute is bound for Paris, with an on-sale date sometime in 2010 and sporting a five-door design.

Questions still remain about what platform the new all-wheel-drive model will be based on, with sources suggesting it will either be based around the Clubman's architecture, making use of a new upper-body structure, or the current Cooper's chassis, using the front end and employing a new floorpan to accommodate the AWD system and new seating positions. Regardless of what's underpinning the SAV, MINI has to justify the R&D, so if the biggie-sized MINI proves successful, there's a possibility that a front-wheel-drive variant will be offered on the same chassis, oxymoronically dubbed the MINI "Maxi."

Production is expected to begin late next year at Magna's factory in Graz, which currently produces the X3. And with BMW shifting production of its entry-level SUV to the U.S. sometime next year, MINI will have the manufacturing capacity to bring its sales over the 340,000 mark.

[Source: Autocar]

With last week's news that BMW will begin producing the new X1 at its Leipzig facility, it was just a matter of time before the Bavarian boys gave us an indication as to when its compact CUV would be unveiled. As suspected, the wraps will be pulled off an X1 concept at the Paris Motor Show this September, but as is often the case with BMW, the "concept" is almost exactly what we'll see when it goes on sale in the fourth quarter of 2009. The new model will be built off the 1-series platform (a shortened 3-series) and according to an unnamed source quoted by Automotive News, "will use the two highest spec gasoline and the two highest spec diesel engines from the 1-series."

The source also confirmed earlier reports that the MINI SUV/CUV will debut in Paris with power provided by the Cooper S' turbocharged 1.4-liter or the Cooper D's oilburner. Sales of the MINI 'ute will begin in the second quarter of 2010.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Common sense says that MINI is gearing up to unveil its convertible Cooper before the end of the year, but according to AutoTelegraaf, the purveyors of everyone's favorite retromobile is planning to debut its new SUV in Paris. The Dutch site claims that the cabrio version of the Cooper and Cooper S won't make an appearance until the Spring of 2009, but the jacked-up Crossman CUV could launch around the same time.

The "Crossman" is slated to be produced by Magna Steyr, riding 80 mm higher than standard MINIs and will be powered by the same 1.6-liter naturally aspirated and turbocharged mills found in the Cooper and Clubman, and their S-badged counterparts. Magna says that it will be producing 80,000 Crossmans (Crossmen?) each year on an entirely new platform that allows the use of both AWD and FWD drivetrains.

[Source: AutoTelegraaf via Motor Authority]

Seemingly a rolling contradiction in terms, the upcoming MINI SUV model, previously (but probably not officially) known as the Crossman, has been seen out in the wild again. Like before, the little SUV wears very little clothing, leaving almost all of its altered-bits out in the open. After looking at the previous set of spy shots and the newest one here, we just can't see the not-a-Crossman doing any off-roading. Soft-roading... maybe, but we honestly think this is a vehicle that will never see anything worse than bad weather.

Naming and classification reservations aside, MINI may not have much trouble moving curb-busting Coopers off of dealers' lots, as many enthusiasts will likely be drawn to the availability of all-wheel drive on a MINI for the first time. Not only that, this vehicle could be one of the most fuel-efficient all-wheel-drive vehicles on the market in the U.S., save for hte Suzuki SX-5, and there's something to be said for that.

[Source: Autoweek]

Sure, the title is oxymoronic, but it's just a matter of time before MINI unveils its beefed-up 'ute. CAR put its crack team of 3D modeling wizards on the job to show what a mud-plugging MINI could look like, and surprising, it's not all that bad.

While the design stays true to MINI's traditional cues, the larger front fascia, ribbed roofline and increased ride height gives the 4x4 a more rugged appearance. It all seems plausible, but the extra set of doors remain complete theoretical since MINI still hasn't released any specifics. Power is supposedly provided by the Cooper S' 175 hp turbocharged 1.6-liter four cylinder, but if the SUV/CUV packs on the pounds, the forced induction mill might not be able to provide the necessary get-up-and-go. A diesel is likely to be available and it's rumored that Getrag has been tapped to provide the transmission and all-wheel-drive system.

The 'ute is expected to be unveiled sometime next year, but it's name is still open to speculation. However, CAR quizzed a MINI manager who assured them that it wouldn't go by the name "Crossman." Good call.

[Source: CAR]

Motoring File is reporting that the upcoming MINI CUV dubbed Crossman will share elements with the BMW X1 SUV that itself is based on the 1-Series. You heard that right: the MINI Crossman will have parts from the 1-Series, although we don't know which ones will be crossing over just yet. The cross-use of components will save time to market and production costs for both brands. Hopefully the strategy will also keep both new utility vehicles around the same price as their competitors, unlike the BMW 1-series.

Recent spy shots show the Crossman to have the appearance of a raised Clubman, but while the test vehicle only contains two doors, the production version is actually expected to sport four. It will also be larger in every dimension over a standard Clubman, so the pics we keep seeing of a raised Clubman like the one above don't really tell the whole story. Also, don't worry, as the component sharing does entail the inclusion of an AWD system adapted especially for the MINI's configuration.

[Source: Motoring File]

The MINI Monte (as in "Carlo") might not be arriving on our shores in 2009. Instead, it could actually be built on our shores. Most MINIs are made at BMW's plant in Oxford, but that factory is already at capacity. It has been rumored before that Magna might be contracted to build the MINI SUV at its plant in Austria, but the latest top secret word has BMW looking at the Spartanburg, SC plant where the X5 is built.

Of course, if the MINI's fabrication costs were dollar denominated, and if the dollar/euro exchange rate continues to go where predicted, a U.S. build would make sense for BMW's coffers and could make purchasing one a little easier for U.S. buyers.

[Source: Auto Express]

Spy shooters were able to capture one of the first pics of MINI's fabled pseudo-SUV undergoing testing, and according to the Brits over at AutoExpress, it will carry a 'Monte' moniker when it arrives in showrooms sometime in 2009. While we're equally perplexed by both the notion of a biggie-sized MINI and the name 'Monte', at least the latter rolls off the tongue nicely.

The shots show what is essentially a stretched Clubman with a slightly jacked-up ride height, but the added length won't include the addition of another set of doors. Instead, MINI's engineers have apparently decided to keep the "Clubdoor" for passengers relegated to the rear confines. Motivation will be provided by a variety of gasoline- and diesel-powered engines, ranging from 1.4- to 1.6-liters, although there's no word on whether AWD will be part of the package.

MINI insists that, much like its other offerings, the Monte will be an environmentally-friendly 'ute (if you can call it that), since it will include a start-stop engine system, regenerative braking and a host of other fuel-saving technologies pilfered from BMW's Efficient Dynamics program.

[Source: AutoExpress]

click above image for gallery of the BMW CS Concept, which is destined for production

BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer revealed the automaker's plans for the future, all the way up to 2020. There's lots of stuff in works, but we'll try to hit each point here. First off, the company's got a short-term five-year plan of achieving annual sales of 1.8 million vehicles by 2012. After that, it will have another eight years to reach annual sales of 2 million by 2020. Those are big jumps from today, but BMW plans to reach them by increasing production at its Spartanburg plant in the U.S., as well as the MINI plant in Oxford. Of course, the growing Chinese market will also demand more BMWs, and the automaker will be happy to oblige.

Increasing production of what's currently offered in BMW dealerships won't get the automaker all that far, so a slew of new vehicles were also announced by Reithofer. These include expanding BMW's range of SUVs with a small X1 model, as well as producing a four-door Gran Turismo car based off of the CS Concept that debuted in Shanghai this year. The BMW brand will also debut what it calls a Progressive Activity Sedan, or PAS, about which it divulged little, so we'll have to wait for more details on exactly what makes it different from a standard sedan.

Find out the rest of BMW's new models after the jump, as well as the very long speech from BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer in its entirety.

[Source: BMW]