MINI Cooper S JCW

Mini Cooper S JCW from Erik Ie on Vimeo.

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MINI Cooper Vertigo-Director's Cut

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MINI Delays Production of the JCW Exterior Pack

This just in from MINI USA. We’ve got news that the JCW Exterior Package will be delayed. Originally scheduled to be part of the various production changes scheduled for July 2014, the exterior package is set to include wheels, badging and most importantly the JCW aero-kit.

MINI is now telling us to expect production to begin in November. Interestingly MINI’s original plan was to release the full JCW model via the internet in December, publicly debut it January and start production in March. There’s no word on whether that will also be delayed.

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MINI Superleggera Vision retro concept car revealed

MINI has unveiled the Superleggera Vision at this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on the shores of Lake Como. This sports car concept was produced in conjunction with Italian coachbuilders, Touring Superleggera, and adds weight to our exclusive story that MINI is planning to ditch the Coupe and Roadster models in favour of a sports car with unique styling.
The Superleggera clearly features a design inspired by the latest MINI hatch, including the LED-ringed headlights, gaping grille and short overhangs. Even the bonnet stripes are present and accounted for – though here they’re subtly embossed in to the metal, flowing in to polished aluminium on the nose.
But there are plenty of sports car flourishes to distinguish this as a model that’s separate from the rest of the MINI line-up, such as the raked windscreen, the low-slung body and the flowing ‘Touring’ line that runs from ahead of the front wheels all the way to the rears. The body was handcrafted from sheets of aluminium by stylists at Touring Superleggera, allowing for crisp lines that MINI says would be virtually impossible using machines.
At the rear, the elegant fin is a sports car throwback, while the Union Jack-inspired rear lights have the air of classic MINI quirkiness about them. Despite the retro styling cues the side sills and rear diffuser are built from the same hi-tech carbon fibre-reinforced plastic used in BMW’s all-electric and hybrid i3 and i8 models.

There’s a definite link to those futuristic BMWs, too, thanks to the Superleggera’s all-electric powertrain. MINI has already experimented with battery power, in the MINI E prototype and its return in this concept reveals it’s still on the table for future models. The UKL1 platform that will underpin all members of the MINI family can definitely take plug-in hybrid technology and MINI believes that all-electric tech is also a great fit for the brand.
MINI bosses have previously told Auto Express that there are between eight and ten potential members of the MINI family. That’s the three and five-door hatches, the Convertible, the two SUVs and the Clubman plus up to four more. The sports car – available as a soft-top and a hardtop – is expected to account for two of them as it replaces the slow-selling Coupe and Roadster models. A MINI insider told Auto Express: “If we are only going to sell 15,000 a year of a certain model, we should make more of an effort to ensure it jumps off the road as something different, but still identifiably a MINI.”
As for what will complete the rest of the MINI line-up, a saloon for China is possible along with a practical MPV-style model.
We’re expecting the new sports car to be introduced in late 2015, where it will be looking to take on models like the new Mazda MX-5. Engines will be borrowed from the standard MINI line-up, with the 189bhp 2.0-litre turbo from the Cooper S almost certain to feature. Three-cylinder petrols and diesels could also be offered, along with a flagship JCW variant boasting around 220bhp.

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MINI tops list of brands with best residual car values

MINIs are the best cars at holding on to their value, while models made by Chrysler are the worst, Auto Express can exclusively reveal.
Figures analysed by pricing expert Glass’s found cars from Chrysler dropped an average 26.6 per cent every year. They were closely followed by those from another US maker, Chevrolet, with an annual depreciation figure of just 26.3 per cent.
Meanwhile, MINI models lost just 16.4 per cent of their average value annually. In second place was Land Rover, which saw its models fall in value by an average of just 17 per cent per year.
To ensure the values were truly comparable, Glass’s analysed each model at four “milestone” ages (one, three, five and seven years). MINI – which sells cars in a class with traditionally strong residuals – was helped by its desirable image. A strong brand also aided Land Rovers’ resistance to depreciation, as did the increasing refinement of luxury off-roaders in general, plus improved fuel efficiency.
Glass’s blamed the poor performance by the US manufacturers on a number of things, including their public perception. It put Chrysler’s poor peformance down to a disjointed model line-up, containing a mixture of large, inefficient saloons and smaller cars, such as the Ypsilon, that haven’t sold well.
At the supermini and hatchback ends of the market, Glass’s found that Volkswagen was the best performing manufacturer. Its Polo and Golf were found to have lost just 16.3 and 17.8 per cent of their values respectively each year. Despite its desirable name, Jaguar placed in the bottom 10.

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