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MINI Folding Bike
 
What’s the deal with all these automakers each coming out with their own set of new bicycles? In the last two months, we’ve seen something new from Audi, McLaren, Range Rover, and Maserati, none of which can be described as anything close to being a four-wheeled vehicle. Bicycles. That’s been the ‘in’ thing these days, and lo and behold, another brand has decided to jump on the bandwagon with the launch of their new – and collapsible – bicycle. The irony of the bicycle’s uninspiring name given by a brand that’s usually the most creative of the lot isn’t lost on us. But nonetheless, here it is: the MINI Folding Bike. The bicycle is built around a lightweight aluminum frame that can be folded in mere seconds to be stowed inside the car’s trunk – preferably a MINI, we suppose. In addition to the frame, the bicycle’s crossbar, handlebars, and pedals also fold up while the gel seat retracts to save up even more space for when the bicycle is ready to be stored in the trunk. To add to the convenience of it all, the bike only weighs around 11 kilos, which is somewhere around 24 lbs, making it extremely lightweight even relative to the other new bikes we’ve seen in recent months. And to top it off, the MINI Folding Bike also comes with eight gears, a pair of 20-inch wheels with mud guards, an under-seat pouch, and a Teflon-coated chain. We’ve seen some nicer looking bicycles, particularly the Audi Duo. But in terms of overall style, performance, and ease-of-use, this MINI Folding Bike is one that’s definitely right up our alley. 2011 MINI Countryman KISS Edition
The New York Auto Show was treated to quite a surprise when rock music legends KISS made a surprise appearance to officially introduce four MINI Countryman vehicles, each wearing one of the band member’s world-famous face paints. Each of the cars were dressed up with their own unique paint finishes bearing the face paint of each of the four members of the rock band. While the cars aren’t going to be sold to the public, all four special edition Countrymans will be auctioned off during a special Father’s Day eBay charity auction to raise money for UNICEF and its attempts to assist the children of Japan. The auction is scheduled for May 29th, 2011, which, incidentally, is Father’s Day. The tie-up between MINI and KISS is a joined effort in providing assistance to the people of Japan who were struck with a devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami last month. "Our hearts go out to the people of Japan in this time of great tragedy. We wanted to help and also to provide a real way for the KISS Army to get involved," said Gene Simmons, the frontman of KISS. "UNICEF raises money to help children who are still coping with the effects of these disasters, and also supports other very important emergency relief efforts around the world. Join the KISS Army in giving." While the cars are set up to be auctioned off on Father’s Day, fans of the both MINI and KISS who won’t be able to buy the cars will get a chance to dress up their MINIs with KISS-inspired wraps, which MINI USA introduced on April 21, 2011. Just like the special edition cars themselves, all proceeds from the sales of these wraps will be given to UNICEF. UPDATE 06/01/11: The four special edition MINI Countryman KISS Edition is now up on eBay and is currently being auctioned off. Here’s your chance to post your bids and if you want it bad enough, you can own any one of these four special edition MINIs. Keep the bids coming, people! It’s for a great cause! Video and Press Release after the jump Full story 2011 MINI Countryman ’Wanderlust’ by Magda Sayegis
With so many auto brands going the way of producing art cars over the years, it certainly doesn’t surprise us that somebody would do something with a MINI. So when the German automaker decided to commission renowned artist, Magda Sayegis, to put her talents to good use on a MINI Countryman, we weren’t exactly shocked. As part of the company’s ‘Wanderlust’ campaign, MINI enlisted the services of Sayegis, a noted artist that became famous for wrapping public spaces around the world with custom yarn knitting. This time around, her subject isn’t a public park or the outside of a museum, but a live MINI Countryman. Jim McDowell, Vice President MINI USA, said in a statement: "The MINI Countryman embodies the Wanderlust feeling like no other MINI model and the company is launching this interactive campaign to demonstrate how anyone, not just MINI Marketing, can take part in the fun and express what Wanderlust means to them." Mayegis yarned up the Countryman pretty good at her Wanderlust-inspired event in Austin, Texas. After finishing up the final touches of the yarn-bombed Countryman, Sayegis and her friends celebrated the occasion with a picnic where the car was officially displayed for all the participants to see. 2011 MINI Cooper John Cooper Works S2000
Mini and BMW have been up to a lot lately and much of it is coming out this week in Geneva. With an onslaught of new models in recent years, Mini is now a larger brand than ever. They feel it is the perfect time to enter the racing world and the World Rally Car Championship is where they are going to take their chance. At the show, Mini unveiled the John Cooper Works S2000 which is the predecessor to the WRC car that will come out soon. The main difference between the two cars is that the S2000 will be for private teams to purchase and race while the WRC car will be for the Mini Team. 2011 FIA racing regulations have instated a rule change thus allowing private teams to race head-to-head with the factory teams, hoping to derive more excitement from the sport. The two cars will have several differences, but the S2000 debut shows the collaboration between Mini and BMW Motorsports. Dr. Wolfgang Armbrecht, Senior Vice President Brand Management MINI said, “When you add the turbocharged MINI engine and the BLW Group’s expertise in the world of motor sport to the mix, you can see we have an exceptional blend of attributes that will take us quickly to the next stage.” Let’s hope it’s extremely quick, because races start at Rally Italy on May 8, 2011. Hit the jump for more details on the Mini John Cooper Works S2000. 2011 Geneva Motor Show Preview
The biggest international auto show of the 2011 calendar year is getting closer and closer to opening its doors when the event kicks off on March 1st, 2011. Unlike recently concluded auto shows we’ve had since the calendar turned to 2011, the Geneva Motor Show is always the one that gets our juices flowing. Not that those other events weren’t any good, but Geneva brings out all the goods. All the big boys come out to play at this event, so much so that making this preview took more days than we expected because everyday, a new model was being announced as attending the event. Now that the Geneva Motor Show is less than two weeks away, we feel like it’s time to give you a sneak peek on what cars to expect at the event. A lot of brands that routinely skip other auto shows will all be in attendance at the Geneva Motor Show, proving that without a shadow of a doubt, this Swiss spectacle is one of the most important - if not the most important - events in the automotive calendar. Hit the jump to check out just who will be in attendance when the show opens its doors on March 1st, 2011. Full story 2011 MINI Rocketman Concept
Straight from the minds of the masters of cutting-edge quirkiness comes another concept that’s headed for the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. With so many concepts already scheduled to be unveiled at the event, MINI’s not the type to miss out on all the action. So they decided to join in on the fun with the Rocketman Concept. The vehicle, which is being positioned as a “3+1”-seater, is in its concept and design stages, so we’re going to hold our breaths to see if the reception in Geneva is good enough to warrant a production version. As far as aesthetics are concerned, MINI gave the Rocketman quite a doozy of unique features, including doors that open by having the entire sill come out together with the door. There’s also the obligatory full LED headlights and tail lights, doses of carbon fiber on the front and rear, a waistline line strip, a wraparound greenhouse, a cool glass roof configuration that features the Union Jack, and a set of 18” alloy wheels that have aerodynamically active surfaces. And that’s not to mention the fact that the whole concept is built with a carbon spaceframe, giving it a light and stiff underpinning. UPDATE 12/27/11: Is the MINI Rocketman headed to the production line? MINI’s Head of Design, Anders Warming, has made it known that the car is on his "Christmas wish list" and the reception towards the concept from customers has been nothing short of positive. With that said, we’re not going to jump excitedly until a confirmation is made. But it is pretty exciting to know that discussions are already in place to have the Rocketman Concept green-lighted for production. More details on the MINI Rocketman Concept after the jump. Full story 2011 Mini Cooper Works by CoverEFX
CoverEFX revealed early last year an impressive tuning package for the Volkswagen Touareg. But now the tuner turned their attention to a much smaller model, a Mini Cooper Works. The package starts with an impressive exterior updates that includes a fully foil-finished body in black leather style with thousands of small gold specimens glued individually by hand on the dark leather. The car sits on a new set of wheel in combination of matte black and matte gold metallic OZ LM rims called Wave 7x17 ET37. For the engine updates the tuner is offering two different stages. Stage 1 includes software optimization, 2.5-inch exhaust system with Milltek downpipe, sports catalyst and extra large sports air filter. The result is a total output of 236 HP and 350 NM of torque (up from 211 HP and 280 NM of torque). Stage 2 adds new software optimization and gets an output increase to 252 HP and 382 Nm of torque. 2011 MINI Clubman Hampton Edition
Another MINI special edition model rolled out of the block recently as part of the MINI Yours program, further cementing the BMW-owned as one of the most fan-appealing brands out on the market these days. This particular model is called the MINI Clubman Hampton Edition and it’s going to come with some rather unique and peculiar features that speaks volumes of MINI’s image as a hip and vibrant automaker. For the Clubman Hampton Edition, a host of exterior and interior factory options have become available, including a Reef Blue metallic shade with the roof and rear door surrounds being dressed in silver. Other optional exterior colors are being made available, including Pepper White, Midnight Black and Eclipse Grey. These colors can be contrasted with either a Black or Reef Blue color for the Clubman’s roof and C-pillars. On top of the color dress-up options available for the Clubman Hampton, the special edition MINI will also come with black reflectors on the headlights, engraved sills on the doors, and a set of Twin Blade Spoke light-alloy wheels in silver or black and goes with a dark red trim ring. Over at the interior, the MINI Clubman Hampton Edition will come with black Lounge Leather seats with red edging and orange contrast stitching, as well as an anthracite-decked roof line and dials. As far as performance specs are concerned, the Clubman Hampton Edition will come with a number of engine options, including a 1.6-liter naturally-aspirated engine that produces 121 horsepower, a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine with 181 horsepower, a 1.6-liter diesel engine with 110 horsepower, and a 2.0-liter diesel engine with 141 horsepower. Needless to say, MINI’s new special edition Clubman Hampton has all the workings, at least as far as aesthetics are concerned, to become a MINI that’s going to attract more than its usual share of attention. And for a brand like MINI, that’s saying something. 2011 Chicago Auto Show Preview
Fresh off of the 2011 North American International Auto Show, the next major auto event is ready to kick off in a little over a week’s time at the Windy City in Chicago. From February 9th-20th, the Chicago Auto Show will be the center of the automotive universe - in the US, at least - and is expected to draw a sizable number of manufacturers from all over the world. Here at Topspeed, we make sure that you’re on top of everything as it pertains to these type of shows and just like Detroit, we’re here to give you a low-down on what cars to expect at the Chicago Auto Show. We’ve compiled a list of cars that are scheduled to make their production debuts in Chicago, and to give you a better idea of what models to expect, we have the full low-down on all attending brands and the respective models that they’re expected to unveil next week. Details after the jump. Full story
2011 Mini Cooper & Cooper S
Mini has released many new models in the past two years, but its bread and butter has always been the Cooper and it still remains a high priority. Updates to the Mini Cooper have been coming steadily every year since day one. The R50 Cooper that started the revival for the company in the United States was utilitarian compared to these new models and had left much to be desired. For 2011, the car receives some minor updates that will help keep it viable until a replacement model is introduced. Refinement is the one word that we would use to describe the new model and that does not mean it is as refined as its BMW cousins, just refined enough for a Mini. The refresh may only be minor, but it is helpful to this car in every way. Hit the jump for more details on the 2011 Mini Cooper. Full story | featured reviews:Mini cars reviews2014 2013 2012
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