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Mini Hardtop next generation shown in first official photos

Undermining the work of spy photographers around the world, Mini gave us our first official look at the next-generation Hardtop by publishing a series of photos that show the hatchback wearing full camouflage. While the finer design details remain hidden, the shots are revealing enough to provide a very decent idea of what to expect — and what not to expect — from the fourth generation of this British icon. What's immediately clear is that the next Hardtop looks like a Mini; or, at least, like the German reinvention of the Mini. Designers haven't significantly changed the hatchback's proportions, and they kept defining styling cues such as round headlights, a nearly flat roof panel, and vertical rear lights. One interesting detail is that the headlights are no longer integrated into the hood; the Mini seemingly loses its clamshell hood in favor of a more conventional unit that stops at about the same level as the A-pillars. Mini also mounted the door handles flush with the body. We're guessing more details will jump out when the camouflage come off, but we're expecting mostly evolutionary changes. "What you'll see in 2023 is that we've clearly modernized it by taking a big step — the biggest step in the last 20 years — but it will be unmistakably a Mini," said Mini boss Bernd Korber in December 2020. He added that the project's motto was "don't screw with an icon." Mini hopes to become an electric-only brand by the beginning of the 2030s, but we're not there yet. While the Hardtop draped in camouflage runs on batteries, gasoline-powered models will continue to be part of the range in many markets around the world. It's too early to provide technical details, but it's reasonable to assume that both the EV and the gasoline-sipping models will benefit from drivetrain improvements. Front-wheel-drive will continue to come standard, like it always has. Will the stick-shift survive? We're keeping our fingers crossed. More information about the next-generation Mini Hardtop will be released in the coming months, and the model is scheduled to make its debut in 2023. It's one of several new models the BMW-owned brand has in the pipeline. The next-generation Countryman is scheduled to enter production in 2023 as well, an electric high-performance John Cooper Works-branded model is on its way, and Mini pledged to release a crossover it described as "small" (which is highly relative, even for Mini) that will exclusively be offered with an electric powertrain.

BMW profit of $2.7B is down as automaker invests to keep luxury lead

Despite selling 6.6-percent more vehicles - a record by volume - and posting higher revenues in the second quarter of 2013, BMW Group's profit of 2.07 million euros ($2.75 billion) is down 8.8 percent from last year. Investments in new technology (e.g. the new i3) and personnel, in addition to a competitive market, are to blame, BMW states. But the automaker remains committed to its fiscal targets for 2013, which, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Norbert Reithofer, says will be "on a similar scale to 2012."
The BMW brand's sales performance in the first half of the year, which increased by 7.7 percent to 804,258 vehicles delivered, was good enough for it to maintain its lead in the luxury market, narrowly beating Audi, which delivered 780,510 vehicles, Automotive News reports. Mercedes-Benz delivered 694,433 vehicles to cement third place.

The Mini John Cooper Works Rally is set for Dakar

In recent years, there have been convincing Minis tailored for rallying: Dakar wins were accumulated with gusto. Now there is a new version for 2017, named the Mini John Cooper Works Rally. Its debut will be the 2017 Dakar Rally running through Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina. The new rally car has been built with experience gathered from rallying the earlier Mini All4 Racing, and it's based on the Countryman. Key areas reworked were the aerodynamics and the weight distribution to enable a lower center of gravity. As X-raid (Mini's motorsports partner) CEO Sven Quandt puts it: "The center of gravity has gone down substantially – we placed about 50 kilos [110 pounds] downwards by some 50 centimeters [19.7 inches] in the center of the car, which helps the handling and makes the car much more comfortable over all types of terrain, and aids the handling on a rally track with lots of corners." There is a new chassis frame, and the powertrain benefits from an updated engine mapping and thermal management. The interior has also been redone. Speaking of the powertrain, the Cooper Works Rally runs a 3.0-liter straight six from BMW's turbodiesel portfolio. In this guise, the TwinPower unit produces 340 horsepower at 3,250 rpm and a very respectable 590 lb ft of torque from 1,850 rpm. The retained ALL4 four-wheel-drive system has a six-speed SADEV sequential gearbox, together with lockable, oil-cooled Xtrac diffs with a central SADEV unit. The 2017 Dakar Rally runs from January 2-14. Related Video: