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Recharge Wrap-up: Mini Superleggera decision delayed, Denza begins production

A decision on whether or not to build the Mini Superleggera has been pushed back. Earlier this year, Mini's Peter Schwarzenbauer hinted that the electric roadster concept could eventually make its way to production. Now, Schwarzenbauer is saying that a possible call is still at least six months away. "To really investigate seriously," Schwarzenbauer says, "you look into several different options, you come to the question: do we produce it ourselves, do we give it to somebody else?" Mini is considering whether or not to expand its seven-car lineup to 10 models, or scale it back to five "superheroes," which still wouldn't rule out more models. Read more at Reuters. The first EV from Daimler and BYD's joint venture, Denza, is set to go on sale this month, with production already starting. The 50/50 partnership said earlier that it was "well on track" to begin sales in September 2014. Now, Daimler has announced that the first Denza has rolled off the production line. According to Daimler, the cars will be sold through an independent dealer network. The Denza, which has a range of about 186 miles, will start at about $60,000. China's generous subsidies could help bring that cost down quite a bit (by nearly $20,000) for customers. Read more at Want China Times, or in the press release from Daimler, below. Local Motion wants to help organizations pool their transportation resources through fleet-sharing, with a focus on EVs. The company uses software to manage and track vehicle use, diagnostics, energy consumption, vehicle reservations and the like. The keyless technology allows employees to reserve and use the right vehicle for the job, and allows companies to save on vehicle ownership and maintenance. Local Motion is working with companies like Nissan to encourage the adoption of emissions-free driving, as well. Read more in the press release below, or at the Local Motion's website. DENZA rolls off production lines in China marking another key milestone for Daimler - Daimler's joint venture with Chinese partner BYD is the first Sino-German joint venture dedicated to electric vehicles in China. - Hubertus Troska: "DENZA is by far the most serious local electric vehicle effort in China, and a key pillar of our electric vehicle strategy in the country." - DENZA is manufactured at a modern production line that follows Daimler's proven production management system.

New Mini Countryman shows its big bones

The latest crop of Mini models are larger than their predecessors, and these spy shots let us check out the upcoming Countryman, which could be the biggest vehicle from the diminutively named brand yet. This test car drops some camouflage from the previously spied examples, which gives us a much better look at the new design. Up front, the swirling camo panels do nothing to hide the Countryman's broad, mesh grille, and you can easily make out the shape of the oval headlights. These shots offer a clear look at the lower air dam, with round foglights flanking the central intake. At the rear, the Countryman gets Mini's traditional big taillights, and the exhausts poke out from each corner of the bumper. The next-generation Countryman grows longer and wider to increase interior volume, but the crossover rides on BMW's UKL platform like the rest of Mini's latest vehicles. We also anticipate it to share the same choices of three- and four-cylinder turbocharged engines. Like the recently revealed Clubman All4, expect all-wheel drive as an additional option. After the launch of the standard version, which could happen at the Paris Motor Show in October, the brand likely plans to fill out the Countryman range with a performance-oriented John Cooper Works variant and a greener plug-in hybrid model.

Mini might build a sedan because it's running out of shapes

Rumors suggest we could soon see a Mini with a trunk to haul your junk. Autocar cites unnamed insiders who claim the sedan is part of the brand's plan for upmarket growth. There's even a possibility the new model could use the Riley moniker in reference to the Elf (pictured above) from the 1960s, which was a Mini with a tiny trunk. The Mini sedan would use BMW's front-wheel-drive platform that underpins the X1 and Clubman and might share the wheelbase and frontend styling with the Clubman as well, according to Autocar. Mini's execs think the four-door would perform especially well in North America and China, where there's less demand for hatchbacks. Ralph Mahler, vice president of Mini's product management, hinted at the possibility of the four-door to Autocar. "For example, in Asia and the US, the sedan segment is very big. This is very interesting to us, of course," he said. Mahler admits that many people don't know about the Mini-based vehicles with trunks from the '60s, like the Riley Elf, so it would be hard to market the new model on that heritage. This could be the perfect time to add a Mini sedan to the lineup, and it might not be a completely new idea for the brand under its BMW stewardship; a rumor from 2012 shows that Mini's bosses considered a four-door at least once before. The company launched new versions of its Hardtop, Convertible, and Clubman, and even added four-door and all-wheel-drive versions of the Hardtop to further blur the lines between that car, the Clubman, and the Countryman. The next-generation Countryman crossover should debut later this year, and the brand reportedly cancelled the Superleggera Vision roadster and Rocketman compact, as Mini has chosen to go big with its new models and its lineup breadth. There are only so many versions of a hatchback a company can make, and the short-lived Mini Coupe wasn't exactly a huge success. If Mini is going to try a new body style, a sedan actually makes some sense, even if we'll probably prefer the look and practicality of the hatches. Related Video: