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Mini Hardtop Four-Door Carbon Edition breaks cover [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Mini USA sent a announcement with official details and pricing for the Carbon Edition, which is available below. After an $850 destination charge, the models cost $37,100 with a manual gearbox. Mini doesn't offer the John Cooper Works trim on the Hardtop Four-Door, but a handful of US customers can now order the next-best thing. The new Carbon Edition satisfies the needs of enthusiasts wanting extra power to go with the two additional doors, but Mini will only offer 150 of them here. The Carbon Edition starts with the Hardtop Four-Door Cooper S and then layers on the John Cooper Works Pro Tuning Kit to create a 208-horsepower hot hatch. An upgraded exhaust with Sport and Track modes also comes with that package, according to MotoringFile. For extra style, they all wear a JCW body kit in Midnight Black, and there's a heap of carbon-fiber trim to fit the name. Matte black stripes amplify the menacing look and feature a little Carbon emblem cut into the ones on the sides. Additional improvements include LED headlights, a panoramic sunroof, a navigation system, and JCW interior trim. The array of improvements don't quite take the Carbon Edition to the full 228 hp from the JCW Hardtop Two-Door, but Mini spokesperson Mariella Kapsaskis tells Autoblog that the US product team handpicked these parts to get as close as possible. If this limited-edition, four-door hot hatch intrigues you, get on the phone with a dealer soon. According to Kapsaskis, the first examples are already at dealers, and the Carbon Edition might not last long with just 150 of them on the road. Related Video: MINI Carbon Edition: The fastest, loudest, and most powerful MINI Hardtop 4 Door we make. The Carbon Edition combines the already powerful MINI Cooper S Hardtop 4 Door model with the new John Cooper Works Pro Tuning Kit, valve exhaust system and high-grade carbon fiber accessories. The result is 208 horsepower and an ultra-aggressive exhaust note with Sport and Track Mode*. The exhaust flap is operated wirelessly via two clicks of the Bluetooth controller and unleashes devilish backfire pops and crackling sound on the overrun. Genuine carbon fiber mirror caps, air intake trim, and tailpipe finishers are offset against Midnight Black metallic paint and exclusive matte black sport and side stripes accented by a red pinstripe.

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

Thanks to smaller engines, vehicle dependability falls for first time in 16 years

As automakers have made engines smaller and smaller to improve fuel economy, problems in those vehicles have gotten bigger and bigger. That's the synopsis of a J.D. Power vehicle-dependability study, which found that dependability dropped for the first time in 16 years, largely because the proliferation of four-cylinder engines is causing the vehicles to be less reliable. Specifically, the number of problems per 100 vehicles (or what J.D. Power calls PP100) during the past 12 months for 2011 model-year vehicles rose six percent from the year-earlier figures for 2010 model-year cars. Singling out four-cylinder vehicles revealed about a 10-percent increase in problems during the past year. This issues largely related to engine hesitation, rough transmission shifting and lack of power, signaling the inability of vehicle makers to iron out some of the problems in their smaller engines as they strove for better fuel economy. Six- and five-cylinder engines proved far more reliable. Among car brands, BMW's Mini sub-brand came out as least reliable, with 185 problems per 100 vehicles during the past year. Toyota's Lexus badge was easily the most reliable, with just 68 problems per 100 vehicles. Coming in second place was Mercedes-Benz. The overall average was 133. Check out J.D. Power's press release below. J.D. Power Reports: Increased Engine and Transmission Problems Contribute to Decline in Vehicle Dependability for The First Time in More Than 15 Years General Motors Company Receives Eight Segment Awards, While Toyota Motor Corporation Garners Seven and Honda Motor Company Earns Six WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: o Owners of 3-year-old vehicles (2011 model year) report more problems than did owners of 3-year-old vehicles last year, according to the J.D. Power 2014 U.S. Vehicle Dependability StudySM (VDS) released today. The study, now in its 25th year, examines problems experienced during the past 12 months by original owners of 2011 model-year vehicles. Overall dependability is determined by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100), with a lower score reflecting higher quality. The study finds that overall vehicle dependability averages 133 PP100, a 6 percent increase in problems from 126 PP100 in 2013. This marks the first time since the 1998 study that the average number of problems has increased. "Until this year, we have seen a continual improvement in vehicle dependability," said David Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D.