Financing Usb Port Aux Input Cruise Control Cd/mp3 Player Pwr Windows/locks on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mini Hardtop's next generation could be smaller, electric-only

Mini has started developing the fourth-generation Hardtop it will release in the early 2020s. Many aspects of the car aren't set in stone yet, but the company's chief executive revealed his team is considering making the hatchback smaller than the current model by offering it only as an electric car. The cheeky Hardtop has ballooned in size since the first-generation model arrived in 2000. The current, two-door variant of the car (pictured) is eight inches longer, two inches taller, and about 250 pounds heavier than the original BMW-developed hatchback. Company boss Bernd Koerber told British magazine Auto Express that he's pushing his team to make the next Mini small again. Going electric-only would allow engineers to get close to the original Hardtop's footprint. An electric motor is more compact than a comparable gasoline-powered engine, and the battery pack can be cleverly integrated in a part of the car that doesn't extend its length. Whether Mini will manage to integrate a bulky battery pack into the Hardtop while shaving 250 pounds remains to be seen. "I would love to see Mini move back to the essence of clever use of space. That means the outer proportions on the core Mini Hardtop could be reduced. I can see that happening," Koerber explained. He added shrinking the hatchback wouldn't make it less practical. Auto Express speculated Mini might sell the current, third-generation Hardtop alongside its replacement for several years to satisfy motorists not interested in going electric. This strategy will become increasingly common during the 2020s; the Fiat 500 will soldier on in Europe after the launch of its battery-powered successor, and Porsche confirmed it will manufacture the first- and second-generation variants of the Macan side by side to give customers exactly what they're looking for. Going electric-only wouldn't be the cheapest, easiest way to replace the Hardtop. The firm can't use the BMW-sourced platform that underpins the recently-released Cooper SE because it's too big, so it would need to develop a new architecture specifically for it. Engineers would also need to figure out how to develop an electric follow-up to the John Cooper Works-badged hot hatch. None of these problems are insurmountable, but they're expensive to solve, so Mini's executives are giving themselves time to weigh the pros and cons of reinventing the heritage-laced British icon yet again.

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.

2016 April Fools' Day: Morgan digs at Tesla, Mini's scissor doors, more

Every year automakers go out of their way to come up with gags for April Fools' Day. Sometimes the jokes fall flat, but occasionally a company really nails it with an idea that we'd actually love to see. Rather than scouring the Web for all of these stunts, you can find some of our favorites right here. Morgan MOGrod The Morgan Motor Company's MOGrod is one of our favorite April Fools' jokes so far this year because it's a car we wish could be real. The company says on Twitter that the retro hot rod uses a 3.7-liter Ford V6, and there are already 250,000 preorders, which is a play on the huge number of reservations for the Tesla Model 3. Morgan took the joke even further by sketching a landspeed record version for the Bonneville Salt Flats. Mini Scissor Doors The people at Mini apparently have a lot of free time because the company has two gags this year. The first is the scissor door option. The idea cleverly plays on the myriad ways customers can customize their Mini, but this solution doesn't look like anyone could easily enter the car due to the way these doors open. Mini Hipster Hatch There's also the Hipster Mini, which is a much funnier idea. This fictional hatchback would be perfect for fashionable Millennials thanks to features like Instagram-filter windows and a fixed-gear drivetrain, which limits the top speed to 25 miles per hour. The interior uses stonewash denim upholstery and packs a twin-deck cassette player. Skoda Dog Umbrella People love dogs, and owners know that a wet canine can be a mess. Skoda is ready to tackle this problem with an umbrella for your mutt. Made from unobtainium, the gadget hides in the door when not in use, but when raindrops start falling, people can keep their pup dry. Skoda Snowman Skoda's Facebook page also teases us with a very cool vehicle. The Snowman is a 396-horsepower plug-in hybrid snow machine. With its tracks, the company's newest model would never have to worry about getting stuck in the winter. Opel Adam C Sure, electricity and hydrogen are cleaner forms of fuel than gasoline or diesel, but Opel has a way to make your car even more environmentally friendly – muscle power. Wind up the crank at the rear for 15 minutes, and the Opel Adam C is good for 125 miles. GM's European division also claims that owners get a great workout because a full winding session burns 400 calories. You wouldn't feel guilty about picking up that pizza after cranking up this hatchback.