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Mini moving away from leather as it shifts to recycled interiors

In the midst of a far-reaching transformation, Mini announced that it will gradually phase leather upholstery out of its range in the coming years. It plans to fully adopt recycled fabrics in a bid to make its cars more eco-friendly. "We don't need leather any more in the future, because we don't believe it's sustainable. We're totally convinced that we will have modern and high-value products without leather," affirmed Oliver Heilmer, the firm's design boss, in an interview with British magazine Autocar. He didn't reveal when leather will disappear completely, however. Demand for real hides nonetheless remains relatively high; Autocar pointed out that about 54% of the new cars that Mini sells in the United Kingdom are ordered with leather upholstery, which is generally either sold at an extra cost or made standard on upmarket trim levels that come with a price premium. We've asked the company's American division to provide us with the take rate on our shores, and we'll update this story if we learn more. Mini's shift towards recycled materials is ongoing. As of writing, 100% of the fabric it uses to upholster seats is recycled, according to the same report, and 70% of the material underneath the cloth is, too. Looking ahead, it will make interior trim pieces with recycled materials. Cork was used in the Urbanaut concept, for example. Heilmer's comments add another piece to the next-generation Hardtop puzzle. Tentatively due out in 2023, so possibly as a 2024 model, it will embody the nameplate's biggest evolution since BMW rebooted it in 2000. It will likely still be offered with two or four doors, though the convertible is allegedly living on borrowed time, and both will be smaller than their respective predecessors. It will also showcase a purer approach to design. Heritage will continue to shape the exterior design. Inside, the theme will come "more from a home perspective rather than an automotive one," Heilmer noted, which partially explains why stylists want to incorporate different materials. His team is still debating whether features like the toggle switches need to come back, or if they're outdated. Most can be replaced with a menu in the infotainment system, but tapping a screen is not as satisfying and a lot more anodyne than flipping a switch. Designing a new Mini requires balancing the past and the future. "We're looking to create a timeless design.

Mini goes zany with latest accessories catalog

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.
Available for the new third-gen Mini hardtop, the accessories offer buyers the opportunity to customize their retro hatchback as best they see fit. There are roof graphics, accessory lighting, wheel upgrades and mirror caps (like the cartoonish ones pictured at right) just like you would have found in the parts catalog for previous iterations of the Mini, but now the brand is offering four appearance kits it's calling Mini Design Lines.
The kits are color coordinated in either Vivid Green, Speedwell Blue, John Cooper Works Pro (in black, red and grey) and Essential Black and include everything from the interior trim to exterior graphics. They might not be to everyone's taste, but that kinda strikes us as the point. Scope 'em out in the extensive high-res image gallery above and the details in the press release below.

BMW restores classic Mini as it revives production in Netherlands

Mini will be kicking off production in the Netherlands, a country that hasn't built a Mini-badged machine since 1966. In honor of this event, BMW Group Classic, the team responsible for all the cars in the BMW Museum, as well as being a spare parts and restoration company in its own right, revived a classic 1959 Austin Seven. That particular car, number 983, was one of the first Minis to be built in the Netherlands.
The Netherlands' JJ Molenaar's Car Companies built 4,000 Austin Sevens and Morris Mini-Minors between 1959 and 1966, although we imagine Dutch Mini production will be much bigger when it starts up again in summer 2014. A five-person team from VDL Nedcar, the group handling production of new Minis, took to the job of restoring the diminutive British car from nose to tail.
The 34-horsepower engine and the transmission were both completely rebuilt, while the door panels were redone by hand. Help from the Mini community aided the VDL Nedcar team in finding authentic replicas or original parts where possible. All told, the new classic Mini is a striking example of what a good restoration can do to a car. The Seven was repainted in its original Farina Gray, adding to the car's sense of authenticity.