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Mini is a brand of small cars that began with the Mark I designed by Sir Alec Issigonis in 1959. Originally sold under the Austin and Morris brand names, Mini became the small car's actual name in 1964. Made famous by one of cinema's best car chases in the film "The Italian Job," the car's design remained relatively unchanged except for different front ends until the all-new Mini Cooper was launched by BMW in 2001.
Mini Vehicles:
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0Report: Mini phasing out Coupe, Roadster next year 1417033800
With its previous generation, Mini went for a maximalist strategy, expanding its lineup to include seven derivatives. But with the new generation, BMW's retro Anglo-Saxon brand is shifting gears to a "superhero strategy" focusing on core models with volume sales potential rather than small niches. That, according to the latest reports, will spell the end ...
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Video: Watch this Chinese stunt driver parallel park with only 3 inches to spare 1416787200
Whenever this writer thinks of fancy parking jobs, we go straight to Buddy Love singing Strokin' in a red Dodge Viper he slides into a tiny space in The Nutty Professor. But after watching the video above, we might have to start thinking about Han Yue, who broke the world record for getting into the tightest parallel parking space. The previous record was ...
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Official: Mini forgets to bring car to LA, shows Citysurfer concept scooter 1416445500
See that red thing? It's the Mini Citysurfer Concept. It is not, in case you were wondering, an automobile. Yet despite this apparent shortcoming, Mini has placed it on a plinth at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. The electric scooter weighs in at 40 pounds, can hit 15 miles per hour, cover 10 to 15 miles and can be folded up and charged in the trunk of a ...
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Spy Shots: Mini John Cooper Works gets ready to rumble 1415995200
Mini gave us our first taste of its next-generation John Cooper Works Hardtop in concept form at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show. And in fact, we already know that the production version will make its debut at the 2015 Detroit show in January. Fitting, then, that this most recent round of spy shots shows a JCW that's pretty much ready to roll – peel back ...
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Report: Mini battling sales slump again, is it becoming cliché? 1415745840
Things aren't looking good for Mini this year. The diminutive BMW brand has shown falling sales every month in 2014 in our By the Numbers wrap-ups. If that weren't bad enough, the latest Cooper Hardtop suffered fuel economy issues upon arriving to the US. First, there was a delay getting some versions certified, and then several models had to have their ...
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EPA: Four 2014 Mini Cooper models need to drop mpg numbers 1413991680
After the huge problems that Hyundai/Kia experienced with its mislabeled fuel economy labels, you'd think that any time an automaker has to adjust its mpg numbers, heralds would be shouting from the rooftops. But, after Ford admitted to three big mistakes with its numbers for the 2013 C-Max Hybrid and Mercedes-Benz had to lower the fuel economy rating for ...
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Report: New Mini Cooper only just now being delivered due to EPA certification 1412599500
The Mini brand and its products have typically been a runaway success for BMW, but sales of the retro hatchback dropped a drastic 20.5 percent last month, and have been doing such pretty much all year. The reason, according to Jalopnik, is that the new model has been held up due to EPA certification. Mini told our compatriots, "Sales have dropped because ...
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Paris: Mini Superleggera Vision Concept keeps us hangin' on [w/video] 1412350200
Mini's Superleggera Vision Concept may not be a Paris Motor Show debut, but this is the first time we've seen this stunning all-electric roadster in the metal, having been first shown on the tony shores of Lake Como at Villa D'Este in May. While it's small in stature, it's still big on both presence and detail, from its overall stubby yet sleek ...
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Paris: 2015 Mini Hardtop 5-Door isn't for the country, man [w/video] 1412251260
We've seen it in super high-res glory, and we can even build one on the automaker's website, but the Paris Motor Show marks the official coming out party for the new Mini Hardtop 4 Door (which is what it's called in the US, despite this Euro car having "5 Door" badging). It's a stretched version of the third-generation Mini Hardtop, but with an extra set ...
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Report: Mini Rocketman back on the table, might go aluminum 1411046880
Mini just doesn't want its Rocketman concept to die. It unveiled the truly mini model at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, and since then, there have been countless on-again, off-again rumors about the possibility of it going into production. If the latest talk proves true, a smaller vehicle like the Rocketman might make it into the automaker's lineup after ...
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Official: Mini Cooper Hardtop 4-Door configurator is open for all 1410449400
The Mini Cooper five-door hatchback, which the company insists on calling the Mini Hardtop 4 Door, doesn't start arriving at US dealers until January 2015. However, if you dig the latest model's styling but can't live without the two extra doors, you can start speccing one right now in the recently launched configurator. The new five-door hatch isn't ...
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Video: The original Mini Cooper still has universal appeal 1410367500
It sold over five million units. It was voted the second most influential car of the last century, bested only by the pioneering Ford Model T. It counted among its owners Steve McQueen, Enzo Ferrari and Peter Sellers. It is the classic Mini. The tiny, two-box, four-seat hatch is an automotive icon of the first order and it's high time it featured in an ...
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Official: Mini Oxford gives birth to 3-millionth car [w/video] 1410303600
With the latest generation of Minis having only recently launched a few months ago, the company's Plant Oxford has found another reason to celebrate as it reached two major milestones almost simultaneously. Since production of the new, BMW-revived version began there in 2001, the factory has produced 3 million of the retro-looking models and 2 million ...
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Spy Shots: Next Mini Countryman spotted with swirls 1409778000
Mini is continuing to update its models onto its latest UKL front-wheel-drive platform that it shares with parent BMW. Here, our spies caught an early glimpse of the next-gen Countryman testing on the new chassis. Like the rest of the updated Mini lineup, the latest Countryman doesn't exactly show a huge shift in styling from the current version. The ...
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Official: Mini Cooper Countryman only small car to earn good grade in latest IIHS crash tests [w/video] 1406732460
Competitors in the small-car segment didn't do nearly as well. Four vehicles earned "poor" grades. Only one small car out of 12 tested earned a good grade in the latest round of crash-test results compiled by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The Mini Cooper Countryman received a "good" ranking on the organization's small-front overlap ...
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Report: Mini bringing new 230-hp John Cooper Works to Detroit 1404734400
Mini models may keep getting incrementally bigger, but then so do their engines. Or more powerful, anyway – especially when it comes to the John Cooper Works performance models. The JCW version of the first (post-revival) generation R50, which was really more of an upgraded Cooper S than its own model, packed a 1.6-liter supercharged four with 200 ...
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Video: Street Glory Mappers turning cars into dynamic billboards like this 1404500460
A French marketing firm with the impenetrable name of Street Glory Mappers is literally turning cars into billboards. Of course, we've all seen vehicles painted up for promotional use, but this company is taking that concept even further by including video. Street Glory Mappers equips the vehicles with a large video screen behind the windshield to play ...
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Review: 2014 Mini Cooper S Striking The Balance Its Predecessor Never Could 1403884620
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 ...
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Video: Remember that world-record jump crash? Here's every angle, including the human one 1403481000
While there are those who watch automotive exploits hoping (secretly or otherwise) for a spectacular crash, most of us are happy when everything goes smoothly. But at the end of the day, a daring stunt wouldn't be a daring stunt if there weren't some element of danger. And make no mistake about it, Guerlain Chicherit's recent long-jump record attempt was ...
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Report: BMW looking to save billions with cost cuts 1403123400
BMW is planning a fairly extensive overhaul in a bid to recoup some its annual costs, with CEO Norbert Reithofer (pictured above) aiming to save three to four billion euro ($4 to $5.4 billion) per year to help keep the company's profit margins between eight and 10 percent, while also maintaining investments in production expansion and new tech. BMW's ...
