All Original 1974 Austin Mini Cooper 850 on 2040-cars

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Mini John Cooper Works Paceman is a hot hatch crossover coupe

The Mini John Cooper Works Paceman, the seventh in the JCW line and called "the first Sports Activity Coupe in its class," is here. It takes its place at the top of the Paceman food chain with a 1.6-liter, twin-scroll turbocharged engine putting out 218 horsepower, with 201 pound-feet of torque on tap and 221 lb-ft available with overboost. Those numbers get the JCW Paceman from zero to 62 miles per hour in 6.9 seconds with either the six-speed manual or automatic transmission, but top speed with the automatic is one mile per hour shy of the manual's 140 mph. Fuel economy has been rated at a combined 35.8 US mpg on the EU cycle.
It earns its JCW stripes with a suspension that's been lowered by 10 millimeters over 18-inch lightweight alloys, Mini's ALL4 all-wheel drive, an aero kit to beef up its profile, plus a sports exhaust with dual chrome pipes. Inside, a sport steering wheel and plenty of contrasting materials represent the lineage, further emboldened by Chili Red accents to match the exterior.
The Mini JCW Paceman will say "'Allo, guv'nor" to the world at the Detroit Auto Show next month, then hit showrooms in March. The press release just below can tell you all you want to know about it until then.

BMW Group announces an armada of EVs that includes the full Mini range

BMW plans to significantly increase the number of electric cars in its range during the 2020s. It outlined plans to launch several battery-powered models, including M cars, and transform Mini into an EV-only brand by 2030. In the medium-term future, the firm's lineup will include electric variants of the 5 Series, the 7 Series, and the X1, though they will likely be based on the next-generation cars, not on the models currently found in showrooms. They'll join the i4 — a 3 Series-sized sedan with a fastback-like design — and the iX crossover in the lineup. BMW hopes to have at least one electric model representing it in about 90% of its current market segments by 2023, and it realistically expects that EVs will account for approximately 50% of its global sales by 2030. Beyond 2025, the Munich-based firm will align its range with a new strategy it calls Neue Klasse, a name borrowed from a series of enthusiast-friendly sedans and coupes sold during the 1960s and the 1970s; the 2002 is arguably the best-known Neue Klasse model. Fast-forward to the 2020s, and the designation will denote cars built with a new IT and software architecture, powered by new-generation electric technology, and designed to be sustainable. EVs shaped by the Neue Klasse approach to design will be positioned in many market segments, ranging from mass-produced cars (like the 1 Series hatchback sold in Europe) to high-performance M models. Most will be powered exclusively by batteries, but some will be available with a hydrogen-electric powertrain. Highly automated driving technology will be available, too, though BMW stressed its EVs will be enjoyable to drive. Crucially, the firm plans to increase its annual revenue by offering configurable and bookable features available during a car's entire life cycle; think of this system as an a la carte menu for cars. If you buy a used 2027 5 Series in 2031, for example, you'll theoretically have the ability to configure it with many of the options and features you want even if it wasn't ordered new with them. Some might even be enabled for a pre-determined amount of time. You might not need heated seats if you live in Tucson, but you might want them for a weekend if you're going skiing. What about Mini? Confirming a wave of recent rumors, BMW-owned Mini will exclusively sell electric cars in less than a decade.

Mini fini: The Mini Clubman passes into British motoring history

Au revoir, Clubman. The veddy British Mini model that found a loyal following in the UK and elsewhere for more than a half-century has folded its spilt rear “barn doors” for the final time. The ultimate Clubman — assuming there wonÂ’t be another sequel, and Mini says there won't — rolled off the production line Monday at Mini Plant Oxford in England. The Mini “estate” version bows out after 17 years of build at Oxford and more than a half-million units churned out for deliveries to more than 50 countries. The heritage of the Clubman — and of most Minis — is worth recalling because the brand has spawned such affection among its fans. One has to deep-dive back to the early Sixties, when MiniÂ’s owner, British Motor Corporation (BMC), introduced two estate versions of the original Mini: the Austin Seven Countryman and Morris Mini Traveller. In 1967, the characteristics of existing Mini wagons were combined to form the first Clubman. lt was axed in 1982 — after it was once renamed as the 1000HL — and the Clubman wouldn't return until 2007, with the brand then under the auspices of BMW. Modern vehicle safety standards presented a challenge for those rear doors. “We needed to ensure that both doors would always open fully without obscuring the rear lights, which was a legal requirement,” said Guy Elliott, who was part of the development team for the doors at the time. The reborn Clubman was updated in 2015 for a second generation. It adopted Mini's signature circular daytime running lights, a feature still seen today, and ditched the unusual rear doors for a more conventional setup. Last year Mini launched the “Final Edition” of the car, with a special grille and alloys and limited it to a run of 1,969 units, paying homage to the launch year of the original. The BMW Group says it expects to invest about $750 million in the next few years in realigning the Oxford plant to accommodate assembly space for the upcoming electric Aceman crossover and new Cooper variations later this year.