MINI Hardtop News

BMW is recalling 6,073 examples of the i3 and Mini Hardtops because of a manufacturing error with their passenger's side airbag modules. The parts need to be replaced.

Mini is recalling 30,000 examples of the two-door Hardtop models to improve their side-impact protection. The problem was discovered after safety compliance tests by the government.

The Mini John Cooper Works Hardtop used to be wild, unruly, and raucous. This new car gives all of that up for more power, more composure, and a Baby BMW vibe.

The new Mini Cooper Hardtop only recently reached the market, but already BMW is having to recall a limited number of the hatchbacks.

We've seen it in super high-res glory, and we can even build one on the automaker's website, but the Paris Motor Show marks the official coming out party for the new Mini Hardtop 4 Door (which is what it's called in the US, despite this Euro car having "5 Door" badging).

One of the big challenges as an automotive journalist is reviewing cars that you have a personal connection to. I have a strong passion for Minis. My first new car was a 2004 Cooper S, and I still own a 2006 model. It's this affinity that's left me with a general disdain of the 2007 to 2013 model relative to my first-gen.

UPDATE: Information on US availability, specification and nomenclature added to the updated text below.

Is Mini constricting its staggering array of model variants or expanding it? That depends largely on which way you look at it. Because while some models may not make the cut as the second-generation family is gradually replaced with the third, others appear to be joining the fold. They just might not bear different model names.

Driving a Mini is most definitely an individualistic choice – one that not everyone would get on board with. So if you're going to go with such a fashion statement, you might as well give it your own sense of style. That's where Mini's new line of accessories come in.

There's not really any way around it - the new Mini Hardtop isn't all that mini. Considering its supposed to be the smallest model in the brand's lineup, this is hardly desirable. It's good news, then, that rumors are cropping up of a smaller Mini, based on the well-received Rocketman Concept that debuted in 2011 at the Geneva Motor Show

Remember the Mini Rocketman concept from 2011? While we were really, really hoping for a production version – a properly mini Mini – that never happened. And it won't. But what we are getting is a whole lot of that showcar's styling cue

There are occasions in life when something happens in the outside world and I think, "Damn. I wish Dad was here so we could talk about this."

As we approach the November 18 debut of the new Mini Hardtop, the trickle of news is starting to increase. We've already shown you the exterior of the new hatchback, and now we can show you the interior. These images, captured by

Miniacs, note November 18 on your calendar. That's when the all-new Mini Hardtop will debut. Now, this might not be a great deal of news, after all, we already showed you the car, codenamed F56, a few weeks ago. But this full unveiling should bring with it even more detailed exterior images, a full look at the cabin and if we're lucky, performance numbers.

Mini will be ending custom orders of the current R56 Cooper Hardtop ahead of the retooling process for the new F56 Mini. That means owners who aren't enamored with what they've seen of the model's new look (shown in the gallery bel

Mini is preparing to launch the third-generation of its trademark three-door hatch, and while we've already shown you that car mostly devoid of camouflage in spy shots, the BMW-owned brand has still seen fit to release a concept that previews the new design. Called the Mini Vision, it looks broadly similar to th

Location, Location, Location

During an event in Ponce, Puerto Rico last week where Mini introduced members of the media to the 2013 Paceman and John Cooper Works GP, product planners discussed that the brand's lineup could expand to eventually include up to 10 bodystyles. Currently, the Mini range consists of seven models: the Steven J. Ewing

With 11 variants available, it's easy to think Mini has already covered almost every possible automotive segment it could. Almost. There's still no Mini pickup truck, no Mini cement mixer, no Mini minivan. And, until now, no seafaring Mini.

Spy shots pretty much said it's coming, and here it is: the new Mini John Cooper Works GP. It's making an appearance at the Mini United Festival in France this weekend, and while Mini has yet to detail specific power numbers or show off the car's interior, it has produced a Nurburgring time: 8 minutes, 23 seconds, which, Alex Nunez

Click above for high-res image gallery of the 2010 BMW Z4