Return of the Mini

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England's Auto Express says that 15 full-scale design studies were produced - five from Germany, four from the UK, one from an independent consultant and five from the US. The production car, they say, falls "somewhere around the middle of the extremes."

The New Mini holds true to the look and wheel-at-each-corner concept laid out for the original by its creator, Alec Issigonis. It's front-wheel drive, of course, and rumor has it that it has retained the rat-wearing-sneakers nimbleness of its predecessor. The new car is a bit larger than the original, but clearly reflects the flavor and character of the classic Mini; and, like its predecessor, there will be higher-performance Cooper and Cooper S variants.

The three versions will use a Brazilian-built 1.6-liter, 16-valve four, which will be produced in differing states of tune. The base car will have 95 hp. The Cooper will have 120, and the supercharged Cooper S will have 160. At some point in the future, there also may be a 1.4-liter economy version.

The plant in which the engine is built began as a joint venture between BMW and Chrysler, and is now jointly owned by BMW and DaimlerChrysler

The New Mini's front suspension uses MacPherson struts, while the rear has a multi-link setup. A five-speed manual transmission will be standard, with a Steptronic automatic optional. Four-wheel discs with ABS and a tire-pressure warning system also will be standard. So will air conditioning and dual front airbags. Side-curtain airbags, stability-control and xenon headlights will be available as options. There are no performance figures yet, but the Mini Millenium Concept car had a claimed 0-60 time of seven seconds, with a top speed of 130 mph.

Automotive News says that, in all markets, the cars will be sold through BMW dealerships, which will have special Mini areas. European sources indicate that the base Mini will start at around £10,000 ($14,000), about the same price as the old Mini that has been produced by Rover. The Mini Cooper will be about £14,000 ($19,600) and the Cooper S, £16,000 ($22,400).

BMW has started installing the New Mini assembly line in their Oxford plant - after removing the former Rover 75 assembly line and shipping it to new Rover owner Phoenix Consortium's Longbridge plant and bringing the Mini equipment from Longbridge to Oxford. This is all part of a $400 million investment to upgrade the Oxford facility.

Production will be in full swing next June, and should ramp up to 100,000 cars per year within two years. The plant has an ultimate capacity of about 200,000 cars per year. Roughly two-thirds its output will be sold in Europe, where sales will begin next year. We'll get about 20,000 cars per year when sales here start, in 2002.

BMW says that they are "looking at" a convertible.

Ed Jacobs, Speedvision
Article Date: Oct 02, 2000
Car Accociations: NEW_MINI,
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