Here’s one of the first test drives of the Mini Countryman from the guys at AutoExpress. We’re not completely sold on the Countryman as a Mini but we get we’re their coming from with the need to play outside their own niche. The Mini brand is a very healthy one but in the face of any possibility that it might have a short life, the company is developing other models that expand the range.

The Mini Countryman is a kind of soft off-roader that may also give birth to a three-door model called the Canyon, designed to be an Evoque [...]

Mini USA is looking for a race – more specifically they’re looking for a race with Porsche. However, Porsche has respectfully declined Mini’s challenge to race a Porsche 911 Carrera S against a Mini Cooper S, simply because the Stuttgart automaker believes its not worth their time.

Well, Hyundai is now looking to step in for Porsche and has challenged Mini to take on the Genesis Coupe. Hyundai’s video message ends with saying “Our driver’s a bit busy this week preparing to set the World Record at Pikes Peak… but July is looking good.”

Mini is hoping to race Porsche this coming [...]

One of the least reported on aspects of the auto industry is how automakers design the sound of their vehicles. And BMW has been one of the pioneers of this technology which it calls Active Sound Design.

Now, BMW engineers have developed an "engine note" for the MINI that can make its four-cylinder diesel sound like a petrol/gasoline-powered "muscle car" V8. In fact, four different engine notes have been created and are being tested in both a MINI and BMW 635d prototype.

The technology uses the car's own sound-system to enhance the driver experience - so much so that many test drivers [...]

Being one of the main attractions at this year's Frankfurt Show, we couldn't leave you without live photos as well as video footage of MINI's sporty Coupe and Roadster concept cars. The two models are destined to enter series-production and are expected to go on sale within the next couple of years. MINI said that the coupe and its soft-top roadster sibling will most likely be available with the most powerful engines offered in the hatchback range, meaning the 1.6-liter turbocharged units in the Cooper S and Cooper S JCW with 175HP and 208HP respectively. Hit the break for the [...]

Just in time for the weekend, the third Mini concept teaser features a Shining-esque beginning and a NSFW ending. Whether you like your hot model types to be good girls or bad, this clip has something for you.

And now we definitely expect to see this car in a cage or wearing a bikini. Follow the jump "2 B THRILLED."
 
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MINI's US boss, Jim McDowell, has revealed new details about the MINI crossover as well as his expectations for the Coupe concept.

In an interview with Automotive News, McDowell stated "If there is a great response (to the MINI Coupe Concept), as I predict there will be, I think you will see it going into production." He added that the concept was designed to appeal to young men, who will be attracted to the car's radical design.

As we have previously reported, the Coupe Concept is powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine that produces 211 hp and 260Nm of torque (280Nm with [...]

As we reported on Monday night, MINI is celebrating its 50th birthday today with the release of the first official photos of the Coupe Concept that is set to make its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. In essence, it's a MINI John Cooper Works hatch that had its rooftop cutoff and replaced with a coupe-like greenhouse and a steeper front windshield.

The design of the weird-looking but lightweight aluminum top is said to have been inspired by a baseball hat that MINI designer Gert Hildebrand saw his teenage son wearing backwards - go figure. According to the [...]

Watching this spot for the MINI Cooper S that was created by agency Butler, Shine, Stern and Partners, the first thing that came to mind was Stephen King's horror novels. The witty commercial tries to show off the crisp and go-kart-like handling of the MINI Cooper S as the driver of the car evades an army of "evil" shopping carts with minds of their own that keep attacking him in a super-market parking lot. Follow the jump to check out the video.
 
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Just for a little Mini fun today, here’s one Mini birthday video in which the small car is described as “having a million friends”, “one bad ass little car”, and “doing things which no other car could do”. Apparently “it’s like first love” and one girl even says “I’m totally convinced my Mini has a soul”.

Happy Birthday to the pocket rocket.
 
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MINI has released video footage of its special edition '50 Camden' and '50 Mayfair' models that were created in celebration of the brand's 50th anniversary. Both cars made their first public appearance at the firm's birthday party that was held in Silverstone at the end of May. Available in Cooper, Cooper S and Cooper D guises, the MINI 50 Camden and 50 Mayfair feature special color schemes along with unique design cues. Production will be limited to one year with deliveries set to start in September.
 

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You may not know her by her name, but we're pretty sure that you've heard Kate Perry's 2008 pop song, "I Kissed a Girl". So what has MINI got to do with Kate Perry, we hear you ask? Well, the British automaker decided to create a "Kate Perry" style Convertible for this year's Life Ball event, Europe's largest annual HIV/AIDS charity gathering. At last year's event, MINI came up with an erotic themed Clubman styled by lingerie firm, "Agent Provocateur". The Kate Perry-style Life Ball MINI Convertible 2009 is the work of "The Blonds", aka Puerto Rican Phillipe and US [...]

 
The next-generation MINI Convertible has been revealed ahead of its worldwide debut in January at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Scheduled to hit dealerships worldwide in late March 2009, the new MINI Convertible follows in the footsteps of its hatchback sibling, meaning that you'll find a hard time distinguishing it from its predecessor. Nevertheless, the Convertible's exterior has been updated with new details like the headlamps, tail lamps and front/rear bumpers while the four-pivot hinges for the luggage compartment top are now mounted inside the car.

The new MINI Convertible's soft-top that comes [...]

A million crystals. That's what this MINI Cooper is glittering from, one million Swarovski crystals of 40 different colours. The creation is by Ken and Annie Burkitt of Ontario, Canada and it depicts 10 images of iconic American institutions, things like Mt Rushmore, the statue of Liberty, the American flag, White House, the soaring eagle and the Hollywood Hills sign among others. Resulting in eye-catching mobile art, the two artists placed these crystals by hand, one by one on the MINI.

The bling car, named American Icon, is featured at the new Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum at Piccadilly Circus [...]

It’s finally here - after all the spy shots MINI will finally show the MINI Crossover Concept next month at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. The concept is already headed to production with the badge name (so far) confirmed to be ‘Crossman.’

The MINI Crossover Concept hints at the fourth variant in MINI’s lineup and is the only MINI model that measures more than four meters and has four doors, four single seats, four-wheel-drive and will most likely be powered by a 4-cylinder engine (a 1.4 or 1.6 liter).

The MINI Crossman is expected to hit the roads by early 2010. BMW [...]

What appears to be the first video in a series, two friends plan an incredible stunt on a construction site: One of them films, the other men sneaks up to a huge compaction crane.

He places a self made catapult next to the crane. The weight rushes down and the force hurls the guy high up into the sky.

NOT EXTREME ENOUGH?
MINI John Cooper Works

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