2006 Mini Cooper 2dr Convertible S on 2040-cars

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Next-gen Mini could sire 10 different models including PHEV

The first generation of the reimagined, BMW-backed Mini was a simple things, confined to two body styles - hatchback and four-seat convertible. It wasn't until the second-generation platform came along that Mini began truly expanding, offering a long-wheelbase model, a roadster, a coupe, a five-door crossover, and a three-door, um, thing?
BMW is aiming for 10 to 12 different vehicles from just two brands off one platform.
According to an interview between Automotive News Europe and the BMW board member that oversees Mini, Peter Schwarzenbauer, the funky British brand will be expanding far beyond the seven body styles it currently offers. "With the new ULK architecture, we currently have in mind eight to 10 models," Schwarzenbauer told ANE. That architecture he mentions, will also underpin the BMW 1 Series GT and the BMW X1, meaning that BMW is aiming for 10 to 12 different vehicles from just two brands off one platform (and that's only what we know about).

2014 Mini Cooper

If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone from Mini refer to 'go-kart-like handling,' I'd be retired, living on a beautiful piece of coastline somewhere in the Caribbean. Perhaps even on the shores of Puerto Rico, where Mini chose to launch its latest Cooper and Cooper S hatchbacks. As with so many frequently used phrases, though, there is indeed some truth to the cliché - while the Mini Cooper has never actually handled quite like a go kart, it has always had a certain directness in its movements, reacting to steering inputs with an immediacy and fervor unlike most any other automobile meant primarily for the street.
Combine those unique driving dynamics with a sense of fun that permeates the entire brand from pre-sales marketing to the actual sales process itself and you end up with a marketplace success. As an ex-Mini owner myself (a 2009 Cooper S Convertible), I can attest to the kinship felt between fellow Mini drivers who share in the knowledge that they are having more fun than the poor appliance-driving masses sharing the highways and byways of these United States. It's no surprise that the style-conscious US continues to be the marque's single largest market year after year.
This enviable brand perception hasn't been attained without its own fair share of flaws, however. Though the quirky design and massively customizable bits and pieces that have made up the Mini brand's interior philosophy since it was reborn in 2001 have proven somewhat endearing, the Cooper Hardtop's ergonomics have always been an unmitigated disaster. Plus, this is a very small car, with a rear seat that's practically uninhabitable by adult-size occupants. While that adjective seemingly goes hand-in-hand with the brand's name, the modern Cooper has never been as ingeniously packaged as its 1959 forbearer, which offered up as much interior space as possible through innovative engineering and minimalist design. Further, parent company BMW has positioned Mini as a premium brand, so the Cooper's diminutive size has never equated to low prices. And for being such a small car, the Cooper historically hasn't been well-known for its fuel efficiency.

2025 Mini Cooper and Cooper S hit the gas, raise the price

Mini's "Power of Choice" smorgasbord — its mix of gas, diesel, PHEV, and battery-electric powertrains — grows with these, the gas-powered 2025 Mini Cooper and Mini Cooper S. For the U.S. market S trim, we'll get a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making 201 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque, able to get the hotter hatch from zero to 60 miles per hour in 6.3 seconds. These numbers represent improvements of 21 hp and 15 lb-ft over today's Cooper S, and a 60-mph sprint that's 0.1 second faster. Mini's refusing to share output figures for the standard Cooper that will use the same engine with lower gumption, preferring to wait until closer to launch. Other markets will slot a base turbocharged three-cylinder engine into the lineup, that mill making 154 hp and 170 lb-ft of torque. The current turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder in the base U.S.-market Mini makes 134 hp and 162 lb-ft, so buyers are in for improvements no matter what market they're in and which engines they get. Outside of powertrain, the primary points line up with what we saw on the 2025 Mini Cooper E and SE, albeit with a touch more ornamentation because this hatch doesn't pray to the god of ultimate aero. That's how you get tweaks like curved door handles, a hem of black cladding that trims the wheel arches, and more texture applied to the rear bumper insert. The LED headlights and LED matrix taillights feature three customizable signatures called Classic, Favoured, and JCW, so you can choose your own adventure for your carÂ’s outward appearance and welcome illumination. Those are the three theme names for configuration, too. There will be three available roof colors, the Favoured theme adding the option of a multi-hued roof with a three-color gradient. Down low, Mini plans to offer 17- and 18-inch aero wheels in the U.S. Our 16-inch wheels, like the three-cylinder, won't make it to the new model year, although other markets will get them. The cabin in the photo car possesses a little less razzle dazzle than the bright or patterned multi-tone textures seen in other reveal models. That can be addressed in the configurator with colors or with the optional Mini Experience Modes. The Modes use two projector units in the cabin ceiling to flash designs onto the instrument panel, as seen here. Relocating the gear selector to a steering column stalk has opened up space for the Wireless Charging Shelf 2.0 for smartphone charging.