BMW will work with French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroën to produce a new family of small four-cylinder gasoline engines that will power the next-generation Minis as well as future Peugeot and Citroën models.

Engine parts will be machined exclusively at PSA's Douvrin plant in northern France, and assembled at each partner's facilities — Douvrin for Peugeot Citroën and Hams Hall in central England for Mini — to make it easier to supply each manufacturer's car plants. PSA is spending $400 million at Douvrin on a new modular production system that will produce 2,500 engines a day — an engine every 26 seconds.

The Hams Hall engines will replace the Mini's current gasoline engines, which come from a joint BMW-DaimlerChrysler plant in Brazil. The future of this factory will now be in serious doubt following the switch.

BMW hasn't confirmed yet whether the next-generation Mini, due in 2008, will also have PSA-developed diesel engines, but it looks increasingly likely that will be the case. Diesel Minis are powered by Toyota engines at present, but these are shipped to Britain from Japan — hardly the most cost-effective way of making cars.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=106167

 

The next-generation Mini range will have six distinct body styles, according to leaked documents.

The new Mini is due in 2007, and as well as straight replacements for the existing three-door hatch and two-door cabrio versions, there will be five-door, roadster, pickup and wagon derivatives.

The new Mini will come in two wheelbase lengths, allowing the development of three new versions. The long-wheelbase versions will be a Clubman five-door, with rear-hinged rear passenger doors like the Mazda RX-8 and van-style twin rear doors, reminiscent of the 1960s original Mini Countryman wagon.

There will also be a three-door wagon with flexible cargo space, and a two-door pickup, which would see a revival of the Mini Moke name. The original Moke was a utilitarian, stripped-down Mini off-roader.

In addition, there will be a new short-wheelbase roadster derivative, which will have a removable hardtop in place of the cabrio's canvas roof.

The new models are designed to broaden the appeal of the Mini, while using a common platform and not making radical changes to the Mini's looks. The biggest mechanical changes will be new engines: BMW diesels made in England rather than Brazil, and Peugeot diesels in place of Toyota motors used at present.

The new Mini should debut at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show, with the first of the new variants, the Clubman, arriving in 2008.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=106925

 

wtf, 6 body styles?! mini pickup = :reechy:

 

nothing new really. just about all of those variations were also made with the classic mini.

 

looks like higher scale with Navi and lower model without navi.

 

I count seven variations if this is correct. A five door with suicide doors and a five door with sliders.

I can't help thinking that apart from the four-door models, these variations will not broaden the appeal of MINI. I can however see existing mini buyers going for them as second cars.

 

considering when the new MINI was launched it wasn't projected to make back the money spent until the very last year of the model cycle but it has been profitable since this year, I'd say it will continue to broaden the appeal of the MINI.

very likely many people held off buying one because it was 2 door only. this will increase the number of potential buyers.

 

I agree with you completely there. It's the other models I'm unsure of, they just sound too nich.

Don't get me wrong, I love minis, and I have an '06 S on order, so perhapse I'm just being overly pessimistic.

 

I'd be interested in the mini pickup. Now if only Subaru could make a new 2-door Brat Sti...

 

i was ready to order one myself... until they dropped liquid yellow