January 17, 2014. Copyright 2014, Graphic News. All rights reserved

New Mini grows a bit, and adds hot John Cooper Works version
By Neil Winton

LONDON, January 17, Graphic News:  If you take a quick glance, the new Mini looks quite a bit like the 1959 original, but as befits the latest and more senior version now starring at the Detroit Car Show, the new versions are quite a bit chubbier than the first one.

And the latest iterations not only boast the technology of a luxury car, this time there is a race-bred version, called the John Cooper Works concept.

The first Minis were cheap and cheerful, although they did show-case ground-breaking transverse mounted engines with front-wheel drive. This allowed an unprecedented amount of space for passengers in such a small vehicle, and with its cute looks and go-kart like handling, Mini soon became a cult car for the Swinging Sixties.

There's nothing basic about the new Mini, now owned by BMW of Germany. It offers high-tech options like a head-up display, which projects the car's speed and satellite navigation information into the driver's field of view, internet connectivity, and stop-start technology. There are various computerised safety aids including radar cruise control which maintains distance from the vehicle in front, or a system which intervenes and slows the car if it senses trouble ahead, or pedestrians in the way.

And there's the promise of incredible performance from the John Cooper Works version. Mini calls this 217hp top of the range version extremely sporty and it was developed with extensive race track expertise.

The original Mini was updated in 2001 by new owners BMW, and the latest version incorporates engineering that will make a big difference to the company's small car production. It goes on sale in the U.S. and Europe in the spring of 2014. The mini is the only front-wheel drive car in the BMW stable, but its technology is expected to be used for future small BMWs, promising big economies of scale. 

According to LMC Automotive analyst Jonathon Poskitt, Mini produced about 310,000 cars in 2012, with 208,000 made at its British plant and the rest at a Magna Steyr plant in Austria. By 2018, LMC-Automotive expects Mini output to reach 400,000, and this will include production from another plant in Holland.

Currently there are seven Mini variants including a 4x4 and a convertible. Between eight and 10 variations are expected from the new car, including a plug-in hybrid and perhaps a battery-only vehicle. The first new Minis will be powered by a choice of petrol engines and a diesel. The basic Mini comes with a 132hp, three-cylinder petrol engine, with six speed manual or automatic transmissions. There will be a tepid Mini Cooper, a warmer Mini Cooper S, and the hot John Cooper Works version.

The Detroit Car Show opens to the public January 18 through January 26.
/ENDS