MINI News
-
Mini plans to revive its electric hatchback as a sporty electric model for the 60th anniversary of the original. New charging agreements aim to make charging easier and greener. And Toyota will build 10 more hydrogen fuel-cell powered semi-trucks for Los Angeles. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Nissan plans to introduce the 2019 Nissan Leaf Plus this spring with more power for sportier driving, as well as a longer, 226-mile electric range. Mini revealed details of its upcoming 2020 Mini Cooper S E, which it envisions as a reborn hot-hatchback, powered by electricity. The car is...
-
2020 Mini Cooper S E: Speedy electric hatchback due for Mini's 60th birthday
As one of the pioneers of electric cars, Mini isn't content to build a more efficient, emissions-free version of its basic hatchback when it develops its first production electric car. Instead, it hopes to reimagine the electric car as a life-sized slot car that takes advantage of the electric...
Eric C. Evarts -
BMW readies battery factory for wave of coming electric vehicles
BMW announced last month it will significantly expand and overhaul a facility to produce batteries for electric cars at its factory in Dingolfing, Germany. The factory currently builds several BMW sedans and coupes, including plug-in versions of the 5- and 7-Series. The new battery assembly line in...
Eric C. Evarts -
Classic Mini converted to electric previews 2019 Mini E to come
With a new, all-electric Mini E set to arrive in dealerships in a year or less, BMW wants to highlight the idea of a Mini Cooper powered by batteries. That's what led it to display an "old Mini" converted to electric power at a reception before last week's New York auto show. Sadly, the car wasn't...
John Voelcker -
Who sold 10,000 plug-in vehicles last month? (Not Tesla, Nissan, or Chevy)
When consumers think of battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars, most likely conjure thoughts of Tesla, or perhaps Nissan with its Leaf and Chevrolet with its Volt and Bolt EV. However, none of those three brands managed to sell 10,000 plug-in cars during the month of September. That sales honor...
Sean Szymkowski -
Mini Electric Concept revealed in Frankfurt auto show debut (updated)
We've known since last July that an all-electric Mini Cooper will go into production in 2019. Now, we can see the first renderings of the car that will make its official debut at the Frankfurt auto show in two weeks. The Mini Electric Concept is recognizable as the three-door hardtop version of the...
John Voelcker -
Although a handful of automakers have opted to skip the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, there are still plenty of new green concept cars and production models confirmed to make their debut. Leading up to the media days of the 2017 Frankfurt show, we will continue to update this running list of what is confirmed and what potentially may make its debut in Germany. For now, here's what we expect to see under the bright lights at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. DON'T MISS: Mini Electric Concept revealed before Frankfurt auto show debut To start, Mini officially revealed its Electric Concept ahead of...
-
All-electric Mini E for 2019 to appear at Frankfurt show in concept form
The first Mini E, cobbled together by putting a battery pack where the rear seat used to be, was BMW's very first attempt at building a modern electric car. Only a few hundred were built, back in 2009, but the quick project gave the German company real-world experience on how electric-car drivers...
Zach Bowman -
Electric Mini to be made in U.K., despite BMW's Brexit worries (updated)
Mini, despite being owned by BMW since 1994, has long been a decidedly British brand. But both employees and fans worried that its British roots might be overlooked as a decision on where Mini's electric car is to be built closed in. Most Mini production takes place at the brand's Oxford plant in...
Sean Szymkowski -
2018 Mini Cooper S E Countryman All4 review of plug-in hybrid
The makers of the 2018 Mini Coooper S E Countryman All4, the unwieldy name for its first plug-in hybrid small crossover utility vehicle, aren't going to make any friends among electric-car fans. That's because the company has included in its marketing the notion that the car's hybrid powertrain...
John Voelcker -
BMW's plug-in car sales rise, keeping it in same class as Tesla, Nissan, GM
Tesla may garner much of the buzz surrounding electric cars, but BMW has quietly become a significant challenger in the electric-vehicle sales race. Nissan, General Motors, and Tesla have all 100,000 to 300,000 plug-in vehicles globally, but this year, BMW and its Mini brand are on track to deliver...
Sean Szymkowski -
New 2017 Mini Countryman, including plug-in hybrid: 'biggest Mini yet'
The 2017 Mini Countryman is the first Mini model with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Stephen Edelstein -
The next-generation Mini Countryman will include a plug-in hybrid powertrain option.
-
Electric Mini officially confirmed by BMW CEO, also electric BMW X3
BMW will build all-electric versions of the X3 crossover and an unnamed Mini model.
Stephen Edelstein -
The 12 most influential green cars in history
The automobile has been with us since 1885, but only over the last 50 years have governments started to face up to its ill effects on the environment. The world's major car markets have mostly now legislated increasing levels of fuel economy and reduced tailpipe emissions not only of gases directly...
John Voelcker -
2016 BMW X1 quick drive review
It looks like a BMW, offers relatively sporty roadholding for an SUV, and delivers a quiet, solid ride. The 2016 BMW X1 is so cleverly proportioned, in fact, that many buyers will never noticed that it's actually a transverse-engined car with a front-wheel-drive base—the company's first. And...
John Voelcker -
How big is a new Mini? Big enough to fit the old one inside
A modern Mini Countryman isn't very mini at all.
Stephen Edelstein -
2016 Mini Cooper Clubman gas mileage review
We're fond of Mini Coopers around here. The little British cars are fun to drive, often produce smiles from others, and in their latest incarnation, are considerably more fuel-efficient than they used to be. We've already tested the third-generation Mini hardtop in both its three-door and the new...
John Voelcker -
The MINI Rocketman concept may go into production with an electric powertrain.
-
Next MINI Countryman SUV To Offer Plug-In Hybrid Version
The next MINI Countryman could borrow a plug-in hybrid powertrain from the BMW 225xe.
Stephen Edelstein -
2016 MINI Cooper Clubman Grows Up Into More Maxi Wagon With Six Doors
The 2016 MINI Clubman gains conventional rear doors and more interior space.
Stephen Edelstein -
2015 MINI Cooper S Hardtop 4-Door: Gas Mileage Review
In various forms, the MINI has been with us for more than half a century--but its image has always been shaped by the two-door model. The original BMC Mini had two doors and a small trunk; the BMW MINI from 2002 is a more conventional three-door hatchback. Now there's a five-door hatchback model as...
John Voelcker -
How Big Is The 'Little' MINI Cooper Countryman? It's THAT Big
Size is relative, and what counts as a small car today would have been viewed as much larger 50 years ago. Nowhere is that more obvious than in the case of perhaps the definitive front-wheel-drive economy car, the British Mini. DON'T MISS: New 2015 MINI Cooper With Five Doors Confuses...Well...
John Voelcker -
MINI Hardtop 4-Door Appears At Los Angeles Auto Show
The five-door MINI Cooper makes its North American debut at the 2014 LA Auto Show.
Stephen Edelstein