2009 Mini John Cooper Works Convertible Premium Parking Sensors Fl on 2040-cars

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More stick shift models added to MINI's 2024 lineup

While automotive journalists have called in recent years for their industry and consumers to “save the manuals," their campaigns for manual transmissions have fallen mostly on deaf ears. Except at MINI. No surprise. The take rate for a stick shift in a Mini is said to be 18% to 20%, and in John Cooper Works models, it's more like 40%. The figure for the auto industry in general is 1.4%, meaning that driving stick is all but a lost art — unless you're driving a Mini, or say, a VW GTI or Golf R. In a presentation this week detailing the changes and specifications of MINIs for the 2024 model year, one revelation stands out: additional hardtop and convertible models that can be ordered with stick shifts. Specifically, the list includes MINI Cooper convertible, the Cooper S ragtop, the Cooper four-door hardtop and four-door Cooper S. Production of those cars is scheduled to begin in March. In November, MINI USA, which is part of the BMW organization, announced the return of manuals in its Cooper, Cooper S and John Cooper Works 2-door hardtops. Here's a pricing breakdown: Regarding other updates announced, MINI will continue to offer “special” editions — Untamed, Untold and Resolute — that launched a year ago and received additional enhancements in November that included new body colors, interior upholsteries, and engine variants. These three editions can be had on the respective models equipped with the Iconic Trim. MINI also says it will reintroduce the base Classic Trim to all Hardtop, Clubman, and Countryman models, and the Signature Trim will feature MINI Navigation as included equipment, with Advanced Real Time Traffic Information built in. In December, the company introduced a pair of tricked-out convertibles named the "Seaside Edition" that can be optioned in Nanuq White or Caribbean Aqua colors. Those models should be hitting dealers right about now, MINI says. 

David Brown's Mini eMastered puts an electric spin on a British icon

England-based David Brown Automotive specializes in giving classic Mini models the resto-mod treatment; it's to the British icon what Singer is to Porsche. The firm has primarily worked on gasoline-powered cars, but it's branching out into electric vehicles with the Mini eMastered. Starting with a classic Mini shell, David Brown Automotive rips out the four-cylinder engine and the transmission it sits over — this clever layout is part of how Sir Alec Issigonis packaged four seats and a trunk in just 120 inches — and replaces it with an electric motor. The motor draws electricity from an 18.8-kilowatt-hour battery pack to zap the front wheels with about 97 horsepower and 129 pound-feet of torque. Like most modern electric cars, the Mini eMastered features a regenerative braking system that converts kinetic energy into electricity that gets sent back to the battery pack. David Brown quotes an 8.5-second zero-to-60-mph time and a top speed that's electronically limited to 92 mph. Driving range checks in at up to 110 miles, which won't earn the coveted "long-range" label but should be enough considering the eMastered was envisioned primarily as a city car, and charging the battery pack takes about three hours. The little EV weighs 1,410 pounds; using a small battery helps keeps that figure in check. For context, the original Mini released in 1959 weighed approximately 1,279 pounds. The model shown in David Brown's pictures features an updated exterior design characterized by beige paint with a contrasting brown roof, an aftermarket grille, LED headlights, and new-look rear lights. Inside, it's 100% modern: the brand adds a touchscreen-based infotainment system, air conditioning, and a surround-sound system made up of four speakers, which underlines just how small these cars. However, the sky is the limit when it comes to customization options. Well, realistically, your wallet is the limit: anything is possible if you can pay for it. On sale now, the David Brown Automotive Mini eMastered starts at GBP125,000 excluding taxes and shipping, which represents approximately $155,000 at the current conversion rate. In comparison, the gasoline-powered Mini Remastered carries a base price of under $100,000. Related Video This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Chinese ministry uploads Mini Aceman pictures and info

Next up for photo day at the China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Mini Aceman. The Aceman can be seen as a replacement for the Mini Clubman, the four-door version of the two-door Cooper (or five-door depending on your nationality) sized below the Countryman that Mini killed after its third generation. The Chinese data declares the Aceman either 160.5 or 161.2 inches long depending on base or S trim, 69.1 inches wide and 59.6 inches high on a 102.6-inch wheelbase. The Clubman of yore was 168.5 inches long, 70.9 inches wide, and 56.7 inches high on a 105.1-inch wheelbase. Before a debut that we've been told isn't far off, we'll guess much of the difference between the two length has been cut from the hood and cargo areas, not the passenger compartment.  In China, the four-door will only be offered with electric powertrains, sidestepping Mini's "Power of Choice" mantra applied to other models with their hybrid and diesel options. The Aceman for other international markets will be produced in the UK; it's not clear yet if they'll be restricted to EV power as well. This means a base version (the darker car in the gallery above) powered by a 40.7-kilowatt-hour battery turning a motor on the front axle making 181 horsepower and 213 pound-feet of torque, or a 54.2-kWh pack turning a motor with 214 hp and 243 lb-ft in Aceman S guise. These are the same outputs we'll get in the U.S.-spec Cooper E and Cooper SE. Put through China's CLTC fuel economy test, the base Aceman is estimated to go 300 kilometers (186 miles) on a charge, the more powerful Aceman S about 400 km (249 miles). As for the looks, they're the chunkiest we've seen on the new, modern range of Minis. The photo cars also suggest the merest hint of clunky, too, but we're going to put that down to the drab paint schemes and lighting. The form should perk up dressed in Mini standards like Blazing Blue, Legend Grey, Melting Silver III, Nanuq White and Smokey Green under a color-contrasted roof and the numerous chances to brighten up various bits inside and outside the car. Different to other Mini models, headlights and size aren't the only tells, the Aceman fitting some unmissable, squared-off wheel arch cladding. Beyond that, the polygonal DRL shape surrounding round projectors gives the Aceman more anthropomorphic character than its siblings. The S is distinguished by yellow trim and a yellow "S" placed around the body, plus LED headlights and a silver skid plate up front.