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Mini would still like to make a standalone sports car

The head-turning Superleggera Vision concept Mini unveiled in 2014 will remain a one-off model, but the BMW-owned company affirmed it still has its sights set on a standalone, range-topping sports car. It's understandably not a priority, and there's a chance it won't arrive with a turbo four if it receives the green light for production. Mini's current flagship is the limited-edition John Cooper Works GP, a 301-horsepower hot hatch that sounds as angry as it looks. It's based on the Hardtop, but there's space in the Mini range for an even more hardcore sports car that's not built on an existing architecture. Andreas Lampka, the head of the company's communications department, shared what's on his team's wish list while talking to Australian website Motoring. "If we give our engineers some more spare [time and resources], they'll come up with a mid-engined car," he explained. If launched, it would stand out as the first series-produced mid-engined model in the Mini's 61-year history; every single Mini-badged car built has been front-wheel drive, and we doubt engineers are giving the mid-engined layout a lustful look just to channel the power back to the front wheels. It'd likely be rear-wheel drive. Lampka suggested a range-topping sports car could arrive with an electric powertrain, like the Superleggera Vision (pictured), rather than with an evolution of a gasoline-powered engine currently found in the company's arsenal. While a head-spinning, instant torque-fueled zero-to-60-mph time is difficult to argue against, the executive didn't explain how engineers will offset the weight added by the battery pack. It's too early to provide concrete details. Though this is pure speculation, it could share parts with future electrified JCW models. Similarly, there's no word on when we might see Mini's halo model. The company has more pressing issues to solve; global sales fell by 4.1% in 2019, and executives recently confirmed they've delayed the next-generation Hardtop. If the model does arrive, we don't expect to see it until about halfway through the 2020s at the earliest. Related Video:     Featured Gallery Mini Superleggera Vision Concept View 27 Photos Green MINI Convertible Coupe Electric Performance

Chinese-made electric Mini threatened with highest EV tariff from EU

BERLIN — The new all-electric Mini Cooper made in China is set to be hit by the highest EV tariff of 38.1% under the EU's provisional plans, a Reuters source familiar with the matter said on Friday, a potential terminal blow for the car's sales prospects. Mass production of the roughly 35,000-euro ($37,345) vehicle, produced by a joint venture of BMW and China's Great Wall Motor Co Ltd, began late last year - shortly after the EU launched its probe. With production still in early days, the joint venture was unable to fulfil the European Commission's survey to the level of detail required to be classed as a company cooperating with the investigation, the source said, declining to be named because discussions are private. Companies seen as cooperating with the EU were subject to lower tariffs of 17.4%-21%, according to a European Commission document seen by Reuters. That includes BMW Brilliance Automotive, another BMW joint venture that has produced the electric iX3 for export to Europe from China since 2021. BMW declined to comment. BMW CEO Oliver Zipse said earlier this week the tariffs were the "wrong way to go", echoing concerns from other German carmakers fearful of a trade war which could end in counter-tariffs on cars exported from Germany to China. The European Commission said that joint ventures producing cars in China would be subject to duties, without specifying whether more recently formed ventures might benefit from the lower 21% rate for companies that cooperated with the investigation. A 38.1% price hike on the Mini, which was to be exported from China to Europe, could dent sales at a time when the carmaker is counting on every projected all-electric sale to help meet tightening carbon emissions targets. The deadline for imposing provisional measures is July 4, after which the investigation will continue to late October. That leaves time for Beijing and Brussels to make a deal to soften the blow. Companies can also submit comments and request hearings after the provisional duties are applied.   Green Government/Legal Rumormill BMW MINI China

2014 Mini Cooper S

One of the big challenges as an automotive journalist is reviewing cars that you have a personal connection to. I have a strong passion for Minis. My first new car was a 2004 Cooper S, and I still own a 2006 model. It's this affinity that's left me with a general disdain of the 2007 to 2013 model relative to my first-gen.
The last-generation cars, with their turbocharged engines, softer suspensions, duller steering and homelier looks are, in my mind, inferior to their 2002 to 2006 predecessors. As a car reviewer, though, I couldn't in good conscience argue the same point. The R56, as the last-gen cars were known internally and by enthusiasts, was a better-balanced vehicle that retained the lion's share of the abilities and character of the first-generation, R53 Cooper S, but they were better thought out, better designed, more livable, and felt like more complete products.
Before the third-generation of the reborn Mini Cooper S landed in my driveway, I couldn't help but wonder whether the model would continue its slide towards mass appeal, or if it would re-embrace the enthusiast realm with a stronger driver-focused mission. As I found out during my week with the car, it was a bit of both.