Mini to Use Rolls Royce-Prepped Goodwood as a Sub-brand for Bespoke Models

In the same way the John Cooper Works moniker designates high-performance models, Mini plans to use the Goodwood name as a sub-brand for high-end luxury versions of its cars. According to British magazine Autocar, which quotes sources from within the company, the Goodwood badge will be used on luxurious, bespoke Minis just like the JCW badge is put on its high-performance models.

The first model of the Goodwood line is the “Mini Inspired by Goodwood”, which made its world premiere at the Shanghai auto show. The car is essentially a Cooper S that sports unique styling cues and trim options designed “in close collaboration” with Rolls-Royce. The name itself pays tribute to Rolls-Royce's headquarters, while the Shanghai unveiling signals the importance of the Chinese market for very expensive Minis.

Set to be built in a limited edition of 1,000 units, the Goodwood is rumored to cost around €47,000 in Europe ($70,000) when it goes on sale in spring 2012. The car uses the same materials and suppliers as Rolls-Royce models and is available either in Rolls Royce's Diamond Black metallic paint or Mini's Reef Blue finish.

The interior is highly personalized, with the entire dashboard, center console and seats finished in Rolls Cornsilk leather and the wood trim coming from Rolls-Royce too. The instruments also get RR fonts, and the car comes equipped as standard with a Harman Kardon hi-fi system. The most expensive Mini is powered by the same 1.6-liter turbocharged petrol engine motivating the Cooper S with 184HP and 240Nm (177 lb-ft) of peak torque. The 0 to 100km/h (62mph) sprint time is 7.0 seconds, while combined fuel consumption is rated at 5.8lt/100km (40.6 mpg US).

By Dan Mihalascu

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CoverEFX Revisits MINI Cooper S R53

The second generation of the new MINI from the BMW Group has been with us since 2007 but the tuning industry has yet to let go of the Mk1 hatch and especially the Cooper S model with the R53 designation.

German tuning house CoverEFX has just launched a new package for the MINI Cooper S Mk1 that includes both cosmetic and performance modifications.

The transformation begins on the outside with a flat gunmetal grey vinyl wrap for the body contrasted by the orange colored roof and front fenders as well as the glossy black trim for the aero package and body trim.

The smoked out lights and the new 17-inch multispoke alloy wheels in black with an orange rim further enhance the car's looks.

Under the hood, the MINI's 1.6-liter turbocharged engine is boosted to 240-horsepower while the three-door hatch rides on a lowered sports suspension.

The total cost of the package is set at €8,000 which comes to around US$11,400.

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All-Time Sales Record for BMW Group in the First Half of 2011

There’s a lot to be happy about in Munich these days. That’s because the BMW Group has had not only its best month ever as far as sales are concerned, but has also achieved an all-time sales record for the first half of the year.

This June, a total of 165,855 BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce cars were delivered, an increase of 15.9% compared to the same month in 2010 (143,156 units) and also a new record for the Group. BMW sold 134,432 cars (+12.3%) and Mini 31,111 (+34.1%).

The BMW Group also enjoyed a record six-month period. From January until June, it sold 833,366 vehicles, 137,000 more than in 2010, which represents an increase of 19.7%. The BMW brand’s sales rose to 689,861 units compared to 585,750 last year, an increase of 12.3%. The X3 doubled its sales, the 5-Series remained the global leader in its class, and the 7-Series had its best-ever six-month period.

Mini’s progress was even better, as the British company witnessed a 29.8% year-to-date increase with 141,913 cars compared to 109,302 in the first half of 2010. Almost 1/3 of the buyers (more than 40,000) opted for the new Countryman and the brand expects even better results after the launch of the Coupe and the upcoming roadster.

But the best performer of the three brands of the BMW Group was Rolls-Royce: it sold a record 1,592 units representing a 64.1% increase compared to the 970 units it sold in the same period of 2010.

The BMW brands achieved a double-digit growth in all continents, with a 12.3% increase in Europe, 18.7%+ in the Americas, and 47.3%+ in Asia. The group’s best markets in the first six months of 2011 was in Germany, with 149,786 sales, followed by the US (143,521) and China (121,614), which showed an impressive increase of 61%.

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BMW Boss Says Front-Wheel Drive Bimmers will be “The Ultimate Driving Machine”

The times, they are a-Changing sang Bob Dylan, and they did. And for the most part, it’s for the better –or we’d still be living in caves. But when one of the staples of the motoring world embraces a new philosophy, be prepared for the purists to cry “FAIL”. The news of BMW adopting front-wheel-drive for its future compact models is the perfect example.

For decades Munich has bombarded us with its naturally aspirated in-line engines, be that with 4, 6, 8 or 10 cylinders along with 50/50 perfect weight distribution and the “ultimate driving machine” tag.

Now turbos are all the rage, even in the M-division and they are trickling down to the rest of the lineup in the name of fuel economy and CO2 emissions. But a FWD BMW? Where is this world coming to?

BMW Group board member Ian Robertson has a perfect counterargument: “In the last 10 years we have built nearly two million front-wheel-drive Minis and no one has ever told me the driving dynamics are questionable”, Robertson told Australia’s Drive magazine at this week’s 6 Series coupe launch in Germany.

And true enough, he does have a point there as the Mini is one of the most fun to drive hatchbacks on the market. Robertson is confident about the new direction his company is taking:

“I think we are very, very capable of developing a front-wheel-drive platform that has certain advantages in terms of design and the use of space, and at the same time will be a BMW as you always expected it to be,” said Robertson.

“Take the badge and the heritage out of it and put the capability into it. Capability is what is important. The whole essence of what you experience from a rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive or front-wheel drive, customers expect it to be a BMW … and that is what is driving us,” he added.

The reasons behind the change of heart, at least for smaller models in the range, are the obvious advantages of FWD vs RWD in packaging, interior space and, of course, cost. Besides, even Mercedes-Benz and Audi, with their A-Class and A1 respectively, insist on the benefits of this layout.

Therefore, the recently launched second generation of the 1-Series may well be the last small BMW with RWD, as its successor will most likely adopt the firm’s new FWD platform architecture.

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