Saab and BMW Team Up for Upcoming Audi A1 Fighter

Auto Express apparently has it on good word that Saab has officially inked a deal with BMW to build its upcoming sub-compact 9-2.  Rumour also has it that BMW will lend a helping hand with the next generation 9-3.

The 9-2, however, will use the Mini chasis along with other technologies from the lovable little Cooper.

According a Spyker exec: “We could build the 9-2 on our own, but that wouldn’t make sense. Thanks to the crisis in the industry, everyone is willing to share everything. So Spyker couldn’t have bought Saab at a better time.”

Oh Hi: 2011 Mini Cooper Lineup

When BMW isn’t prodding Porsche to race, they’re hard at work refreshing the Mini lineup for the 2011 model year. We’ve pretty much seen what the refresh is going to look like through spy shots, but BMW has released official photos of the Cooper lineup.

The biggest news is that both engines get a boost in power. The regular Cooper gets a bump from 115 horsepower to 122, while the spicier Cooper S gets its power boosted from 172 to 180. Mini is still going to stick to turbocharging the Cooper S models, mostly to keep fuel efficiency numbers in check.

On top of that, the Coopers will all get LED tail lights, a slightly refreshed front facia and the Camden edition will be optional on every Cooper trim level, not just limited to the Cooper S like it is now.

Click here to check out an aray of pics, courtesy of Autoblog.

[Mini via Autoblog]

And The Winner Is…

…Porsche!

That’s right, after all that back and fourth between Mini and Porsche, the 911 Carrera S came out on top. See Porsche? You should’ve just accepted the challenge, there was nothing to be scared of.

The race was held as scheduled at Road Atlanta, though not on the actual course. It was on the course’s paddocks and was laid out in an autocross style by Mini, which clearly helped the lil’ Cooper gain some advantage. Apparently not enough advantage though.

The end result was the 911 Carrera S being a full two seconds faster despite being almost 500 pounds heavier and much larger overall compared to the Mini. Mini was quick to point out that even though the Porsche won, it boiled down to $38,000 per additional second. Again, Mini is touting the value of the Cooper S.

But the folks at Mini aren’t sore losers at all. They said CEO McDowell will wear a “Porsche beat us” t-shirt for a week. They said it was all in good fun and they are the only car company not taking everything so seriously all the time, and I have to say, they are right. All this really brought out some friendly fun competition and everyone ended up having fun in the end. It was a brilliant strategy by Mini (even though they lost) because it got them lots of free press, maintained the Mini’s image as being fun and playful and it helped them to point out an extra 2 seconds on your lap time will cost you plenty.

Now, to make things even more interesting, take Hyundai up on their offer, Mini!

Check out the race above and check out the pre-interviews of the Mini and Porsche drivers after the jump.

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The Race Will Go On

Just a few posts down I wondered aloud if Mini would just bring their own Porsche 911 Carrera S to the big race. If you don’t know what the big race is, then you really need to start reading this blog more (or any other automotive blogs for that matter). Therefore I’m not going to get into it.

But even though Mini has the Porsche they’d like to race, they’re still in need of someone to drive it. Clearly Mini does not follow this blog either because if they did, they would know that I would likely skip out my own wedding to take an opportunity behind the wheel of a 911 Carrera S (okay not really, but I would definitely ask about postponing the wedding an extra day so that I could – yup, I have a problem).

The race is scheduled for today, so I’m likely too late, but they only put this ad up yesterday so who knows. Porsche should just suck it up and do it themselves, already. If they win at least it will shut Mini up and if they don’t, I’m sure they could cry trickery from the skies since Mini clearly designed the course to their advantage.

Or just let someone who actually wants to race, race you, Mini (*cough* Hyundai). Or do you not want to associate yourselves with a brand beneath you? Isn’t that what Porsche is doing to you? Okay, I’m going to stop talking to you as if you are a person Mini, but think about it! A Genesis coupe vs. Cooper S would be sweet! And I honestly think the Cooper S would win.

There is no news yet from Road Atlanta, but you can be sure that I will report on any further updates.

[Mini USA via Top Speed]

Mini Reveals “Track” For Porsche Duel

Despite being shut down by Porsche, Mini still intends on having a race of some sort on June 21st (aka tomorrow). They have just revealed the track and, well, it isn’t so much a track as it is a autocross event. This is a bit disappointing.

Firstly, Mini said the race would be at Road Atlanta, but this isn’t Road Atlanta at all. Mini designed this course themselves and frankly that’s not exactly fair is it. Would you want to race someone who laid out the course themselves? There’s probably tons of little factors that gives the edge to Mini.

Secondly, Mini promised a race, not an autocross event. While the 911 is undoubtedly a fantastic handler, the fact of the matter is Mini can do just as well on an autocross course thanks to its small size.

Even though Mini promises “No tricks. No gimmicks. No jokes”, after seeing the track, I’m positive Porsche won’t show up. That begs the question, who will Mini be racing tomorrow then? Will they bring a 911 themselves?

I’m thinking they should take up Hyundai’s offer below.

[Mini USA via Facebook]

The Saga Continues: Hyundai Wants To Take Porsche’s Place

Well looky here. It looks like the saga between Mini and Porsche has caught the eye of some in the business. Specifically, Hyundai.

Even though Porsche won’t take on the challenge, Hyundai is happy to step in for the German giant with its Genesis coupe. I’ve driven the Genesis Coupe before, and I must say, it certainly is a credible challenger. The question is, was Hyundai thinking of running their 2.0T or their 3.8 litre GT.

In the challenge above, Hyundai almost defends Porsche by calling the 911 “legendary” and calling Mini’s challenge “bold”. They also point out that the Genesis coupe welcomes any challenge. They even point out that they had an “epic lap” at Road Atlanta, precisely where Mini wants the location of the race to be. Hyundai then relates to Mini by saying that they know all about punching well above their weight, but are so over it now that they have the Genesis coupe. Cocky, yet compassionate.

This puts the ball squarely in Mini’s court. The only exception to the challenge is the Hyundai can’t race until July (as opposed to Mini’s set date of June 21st) because their driver is “preparing to set the record at Pikes Peak”.

Do you think Mini will dignify Hyundai with a response?

[Hyundai via Youtube]

Not Giving Up: Mini Training 80′s Style For Porsche Race

Mini Re-Challenges Porsche

Mini is obviously smelling much promotional success with their challenge to race Porsche. Either they are really confident that they will win, or more likely, they want to continue to ride the promotional train.

Jim McDowell, CEO of Mini USA, has just re-challenged Porsche via a homemade video to a race on June 21st. Porsche claimed it didn’t race for fame and would only to it if more was at stake than “t-shirts and parking spaces”. So, McDowell upped the ante.

Now at stake is two Justin Beiber tickets including backstage passes, a lifetime membership to the Salami Of The Month Club and a slightly used gym set. Obviously Mini hasn’t lost their sense of humour about the situation.

I’m willing to bet that Porsche actually won’t respond to this one, but if they do, I hope it’s with their 911 Carrera S!

[Mini USA via Youtube]

Boo! Porsche Turns Down Mini’s Challenge

As it turns out, Mini might be developing an attitude that it likely inherited from its parent, BMW. Just days ago, Mini took a fairly substantial jab at Porsche and challenged them to a race to see who made the better performance car: the Cooper S or the 911 Carrera S. In an open letter, Mini took a few swipes at the image that Porsche portrays and claimed that the extremely less pricey Mini could do what the 911 could do, and do it better without the snobby image. Apparently there was a catch of the race being on the track’s paddocks and not the actual tarmac. Something to give the advantage to Mini?

The challenge was dealt by Mini USA’s CEO Jim McDowell. Oddly enough, McDowell used to be a former employee of Porsche USA. So since a CEO challenged, a CEO responded. Detlev Von Platon, CEO for Porsche USA wrote this open letter back to McDowell:

Mini Challenges Porsche to A Race!

Oh no they didn’t!

But seriously, that’s quite a ballsy jab at Porsche. At first thought it seems like a ridiculous match up, but those fortunate enough to have driven a Mini Cooper S know that it is quite the tasty performance recipe.

Still, Porsche’s got over 200 horses on the lil’ Mini in its 911 Carrera S, but it is also quite a lot heavier with the Cooper S weighing about 450 pounds less. It’s classic light weight vs. horsepower battle and I loves it.

The big race, should Porsche accept the challenge, will take place on June 21st. Do it, Porsche! You’re not gonna let Mini talk to you like that, are you?
Check out the rather cheeky open letter to Porsche above

[Mini USA]

Very Very Minor Mini Face Lift For 2011

Quick, name the differences between the current 2010 Mini Cooper and the face lifted 2011 Mini Cooper you see above!

Times up. Come up with anything?  They are so similar that hiding the Mini badge really wasn’t needed. In fact, there’s no mistaking it for anything by a Mini.

The first thing I noticed right away was the chrome lining on the intakes up front. The rear snap reveals more chrome lined intakes in the back. And uh, yeah that’s pretty much it. The light clusters are slightly refreshed as well. The rear tail lamp refresh is more obvious with a more pronounced circular theme all while keeping the classic Cooper shape.

The interior is expected to get an equally minor refresh as well. Some new rim styles would be nice.

Check out the rear snap after the jump.

[AutoExpress]

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Mini Coupe & Roadster Engines Revealed

Yes, Mini is planning on building them and they are expected to offer an even sportier driving experience than any Mini before it. Considering how good the Cooper S is, that’s a very tall order.

Along with a much sportier look the coupe will be more powerful than the Roadster. The engine that will help the Coupe get its juice will be 1.6 litre twin scrolled turbocharged engine taken from the John Cooper Works Edition. This can only mean that the next iteration of the John Cooper Works will likely have more power. The 1.6 is capable of producing 211 horsepower and 192 pound foot torque. Sweet!

The Roadster will get the same engine from the Cooper S – also a 1.6 litre making a healthy 175 horsepower and 177 pound foot torque.

No word on pricing and/or options yet, but right now consider us to be very intrigued. The pictures you see above are technically concepts, however they look very much production ready so expect what you see to be very similar to what will actually be sold in dealerships. Speaking of, an official unveiling of the Coupe & Roadster is expected in 2011.

Mini Cooper Profiling: OPP Not Impressed With Charity Drive

I try not to bash the police on this site because they have one of the toughest jobs on the planet, but this is a pretty dick move no matter how you look at it.

As it turns out the Southern Ontario Mini Club likes to get all the local Mini Cooper owners together to share their common love for the little British German go-kart. These get together’s inevitably turn into spirited drives around the area. The drives then got turned into ‘charity drives’ and I’m sure you can insinuate by the name what that means. These charity drives only happen twice a year, and this year the Mini Club was excited for charity drive number one because they had 30 Mini owners sign up for it.

To ensure everything went smoothly, the Club notified the local Ontario police department as a courtesy to let them know that 30 Minis would be driving around town so that they wouldn’t think something suspicious was happening.

The first drive went smoothly, as they only encountered one OPP officer who seemingly was cool with everything and let the Mini brigade continue on. He even commented how there was only one OPP officer up the road and that he would let the other officer know so there would be no incident.

But that didn’t happen.

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BMW Will Build Megacity Electric Vehicle in 2013

BMW has been promising us a `Megacity`electric vehicle and they will be delivering that promise in 2013.

The biggest news is that it actually won`t be badged as a BMW. It`s going to be a part of a new sub-brand much in the same way that Mini is built by BMW but is its own brand. It`s unclear whether this new brand will be exclusively for electric vehicles or perhaps just for EfficientDynamics type of vehicles.

BMW is claiming that the new Megacity will be mostly made up of carbon fiber which helps to keep weight down, improving performance and efficiency. The only downside is carbon fiber is pretty expensive, so the hope of a cheap city EV isn`t too likely. BMW is hoping to get valuable information from the Mini E, an all electric Mini, which is currently in the pilot stage in selected states down south.

Also noteworthy is the expected appearance of an electric version of the new 5-series which is supposedly going to debut in Beijing. It will be called the `Echo`. BMW isn`t planning on producing the 5-series Echo, so Toyota likely won`t be up in arms about the name. It`s more of a experiment with the help of students from Tongji University in China.

BMW claims the Megacity will have a range of 257 kms before needing to be charged and they are not expected to lease the battery packs seperately like some automakers are doing *cough* Nissan Leaf *cough*

The Kinky Side of Mini

There is a billboard up in Germany that showcases the Mini Cooper’s naughtier side.

The billboard says “A good Mini takes you to heaven. A bad Mini takes you everywhere”. That is sure to ruffle a few feathers amongst religious groups, but the next part of the campaign will likely have them fuming.

Pictured on the billboard is a Mini Cooper with an S&M whip dangling behind the rear. There is also a code. If you text in the code word, the Mini will actually get disciplined via said whip. There is actually whipping sounds to go along with it and the Mini actually honks in pain/appreciation.

Get off  to Checkout the video after the jump.

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