MINI Cars Vancouver Blog

We are always excited to see the industry leading innovations that MINI continuously comes out with.  From its hip modern concepts to its bold movement into emission free vehicles, MINI constantly is setting the bar high for anyone who would follow.  One of MINI’s most recent innovations is the MINI Connect, offering an in-car internet connected experience integrated with the Apple iPhone, intuitively designed to keep the drivers attention on the road.  We join the BMWBlog for more details on this brand new platform.

MINI Connected.
MINI Connected offers new options to further enhance the driving fun associated with the brand by intelligently connecting the driver, his MINI and the outside world. The new MINI Connected system will be launched simultaneously with the MINI Countryman, as an option on the newest member of the MINI brand lineup.

Here are some highlights:

• World-first in-car entertainment technology integrates the Apple iPhone.
• Safe, convenient, intuitive control of all functions via the MINI operating system.
• World debut of in-car web radio.
• MINI Connected brings enhanced user functionality and customization to the MINI-exclusive, Mission Control.

With MINI Connected, MINI is the first carmaker to offer a newly developed USB interface with functionality that enables such a high level of integration of the iPhone into the in-car audio and infotainment system. This MINI-exclusive technology provides the basis for unprecedented integration of Smartphone functions, and takes the in-car integration of modern Smartphone telecommunications, entertainment and online functions to a whole new level.

The innovative iPhone interface provides robust data exchange capabilities, allowing a range of infotainment, navigation and communication functions to be used on board the vehicle. MINI Connected also allows functions to be enhanced or personalized to the driver’s individual preferences.

MINI Connected offers diversity and flexibility across a host of different functions, something new to the auto industry. The technology is future-adaptable, and will guarantee customers instant access to future innovations in the fields of entertainment, communication, navigation and information.

All of the functions integrated through MINI Connected, courtesy of the Apple iPhone, are activated and controlled using the vehicle’s existing operating system. When the system is fitted with the optional MINI Visual Boost radio, the full range of MINI Connected functions can be used. The radio’s high-resolution color display is integrated in the Center Speedo, and the center console-mounted MINI joystick provides convenient, simple and intuitive operation.

The existing MINI operating structure allows drivers to select and activate any function with minimal distraction from the road, so the MINI Connected information and instructions follow the MINI’s familiar display logic. The system can easily be customized; applications can be selected or deselected quickly and conveniently using the vehicle controls.

World-first: the MINI Connected web radio function.
As an example of the new possibilities opened up by MINI Connected, the new web radio function will be demonstrated during the Geneva Auto Show. Once a MINI is linked to the outside world via MINI Connected, the driver has a choice of radio stations streamed to the vehicle from anywhere in the world, provided the station is available in the extensive station database. MINI is the world’s first carmaker to offer this type of function as a manufacturer-installed option on a production vehicle.

Exclusive to MINI: Mission Control.
MINI Connected also incorporates the Mission Control module, which made its debut in the MINI 50 Camden anniversary model. Mission Control evaluates a vast range of vehicle information, driving situations and vehicle environment-related signals to supply the driver with relevant commentary and instructions in customary MINI style. Mission Control gives the driver an even stronger sense of interacting directly with the vehicle, reinforcing the whole concept of the MINI as a car with character and personality.

The vehicle-related signals are used to generate constantly changing, situation-dependent messages. The dialogue may take the form of safety and comfort-related advice, such as prompts to fasten a seatbelt or guidance on the air conditioning system; or it may provide information relating to the current driving situation and operating status (for example, outside temperatures or fuel tank level). The wide repertoire of messages, which marks a significant advance over previous systems, makes for a continually varied dialogue between the MINI and its driver, even in familiar and frequently recurring everyday driving situations. And thanks to MINI Connected, Mission Control now offers extensive functional enhancement and personalization options, such as a choice of language versions and driving modes.

(This article is based on the BMWBlog post “Premiere: MINI Connected” by Horatiu B. posted on 23.02.2010.  To view the full article with photos click here)

Explore the MINI Clubman. More space inside. Plenty of room for… whatever.

Visit www.minirichmond.ca in Metro Vancouver for more info on the MINI Clubman.

The number „4“ has special meaning for the newest member of the MINI Family. Four wheel drive, four seats, four doors – and it’s the fourth MINI in the range. The Countryman* has come a long way from what was known as the „Crossover Concept“ for the Paris Motorshow in 2008. And boy, what a result.

Honestly, when I first heard of the plan for the MINI Sports Activity Vehicle, I had my doubts. „Can this really work?“, I asked myself. The spyshots of the car with its distinct black and yellow camouflage foil did not really help in making a decision. But now I have to say: Congratulations to the design department, the Countryman* is not only a great-looking car – it is a great-looking MINI.

 
Being a MINI, the Countryman* is said to have the typical go-kart-like handling of a „normal“ MINI – which says a lot about the chassis of Number 4 – after all, it still is a Sports Activity Vehicle.

 
On the technical side, the Countryman* is not so different from his siblings: the Hatchback, the Cabriolet and the Clubman. Number 4 will sport exactly the same range of engines, starting with the 72kW One, followed by the 90kW Cooper and the top-of-the-range Cooper S with a 135kW Twinscroll Turbo. There will also be the 66kW One D and a new 82kW Diesel for the Cooper D.

On the inside it’s quite hard to spot any differences from the other family members at first glance, but if you look closely then you’ll notice the Center Rail that had its debut on the Beachcomber Concept in Detroit this year. Munich has told us that there will be all kinds of stuff you can mount on this rail, be it an iPod/iPhone Dock or a hardbox for your sunglasses.

The Cooper S and Cooper D models  are also available with MINI’s new four wheel drive system „All4“ with an electrohydraulic middle differential. This is a very clever piece of kit: It actively diverts the power from the engine to the axle which has the best grip at the wheels, and this means better traction on every surface. Additionally, the front differential is fully lockable.

Expect the Countryman* to hit dealerships sometime this fall*.

Visit www.minirichmond.ca in Metro Vancouver for more info on the all-new MINI Countryman.

MINI Beachcomber Concpet courtesy of MINI Richmond in Vancouver, BC via BMW PressClub

 
The joy of motoring has a future – and MINI presents this great future in a thrilling range of models.

MINI is showcasing various visions for individual mobility in the world of tomorrow at the 2010 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The MINI Beachcomber Concept, for example, whets the appetite of the connoisseur and enthusiast for the fun moments in life. Radically open, it offers yet a further outlook at a future model from MINI. Four seats each with their own door, overall length of more than four metres or 158″, as well as four-wheel drive – these highlights characterise this new interpretation of that unique MINI feeling.

The MINI E, in turn, stands for ultra-clean and efficient driving qualities of the future in the spirit of sustained mobility. In a field test which started in the USA and now is also being conducted at various locations in Europe, the MINI E presents the potentials of all-electric motoring absolutely free of CO2 in everyday traffic.

Over and above these highlights for the future, the current MINI range enlarged once again in the 2010 model year is making a truly innovative, versatile and up-to-date appearance at the 2010 NAIAS. The MINI, MINI Clubman, and the new MINI Convertible stand out from all the others in Detroit from 16–24 January 2010 as a model family with individual highlights and different character from one model to the other, further enhanced by a wide range of engines and equipment options. One example is that the open-air model in the brand only introduced last year will also be available in the North American car markets as the MINI Cooper Convertible, the MINI Cooper S Convertible, and the MINI John Cooper Works Convertible.

Apart from highly expressive and powerful design, the agility typical of the brand, unique premium quality and a wide range of customisation options, exemplary fuel efficiency is the most important feature shared by all models in the MINI range. All current models benefit from the technologies introduced as part of the MINIMALISM philosophy to reduce both fuel consumption and emissions. And since the optimisation of efficiency does not mean giving up driving pleasure, MINI offers a particularly attractive range of models also meeting the growing awareness for superior sustainability and economy.

MINI consistently continuing its initiative in the US automobile market.

With this young, versatile and up-to-date range of models, MINI is continuing its successful initiative in the US automobile market also in the year 2010. Also because the USA remains the world’s single largest market for MINI, the brand will continue to consistently expand its dealer network in the USA in 2010, maintaining its policy of long-term expansion. So for the first time this year the MINI dealer network in the United States will comprise more than 100 dealers from coast to coast.

The MINI Beachcomber Concept: a fascinating outlook at a new concept.

The development of the MINI model family also shows a clear-cut pattern of ongoing growth. MINI has already announced the introduction of a further model in fall 2010, a Crossover offering ideal qualities to enjoy the driving pleasure, style and character so typical of MINI also beyond the confines of urban mobility.

With its unusually variable interior, four doors and four seats, and with newly developed four-wheel drive, the fourth model in the range successfully reaches new target groups. And through its sophisticated drivetrain and suspension technology, the new model also offers all the agile handling and performance again so typical of a MINI.

The MINI Beachcomber Concept presented at the 2010 NAIAS sets the foundation for the new model destined to enter the market in the not too distant future. Focusing consistently on the joy of motoring, the concept model clearly demonstrates the outstanding potential of the new car, carrying forward classic features of the radically open Mini Moke from the 1960s to a modern concept most appropriate for today’s world. The innovative character of the MINI Beachcomber Concept is therefore borne out by the extreme pleasure of open-air motoring and driving pleasure also beyond the beaten track.

MINI E: MINI drivers in the USA pioneering the path to CO2-free mobility.

The MINI E also offers a new and future-oriented rendition of those character-istics so typical of MINI, its electric motor delivering maximum output of 150 kW/204 hp and fed by a lithium-ion battery enabling the MINI E to accelerate from a standstill to 100 km/h or 62 mph in just 8.5 seconds and offering a maximum cruising range of 250 kilometres/150 miles.

The brand’s first all-electric car built in a small series of 600 units is pioneering the development of alternative drive concepts within the BMW Group on its way to CO2-free mobility.

Drivers of the MINI E, gaining thorough experience with electro-mobility in everyday traffic in the US states of California, New York and New Jersey, are also contributing to this pioneering development. In the context of project i, the BMW Group is indeed developing innovative vehicle concepts for densely populated urban areas, also using their knowledge on all-electric drive systems and their practical use gained, inter alia, through and with the MINI E.

Making a clear statement at the 2010 NAIAS, MINI is entering an important year full of highlights also in the US car market. The enlargement of the model range and the expansion of the dealer network set ideal perspectives for continuing MINI’s story of success in the USA. The models and concepts presented at the NAIAS by MINI offer an exciting outlook into the near and medium-term future of the brand.

The Detroit Auto Show, as it is commonly called, held for the first time in 1907 and therefore rich in tradition, is acknowledged as the most significant annual event of its kind on the American continent. Last year, for example, the organisers and more than 100 exhibitors from all over the world were able to welcome more than 650,000 visitors to Detroit.

Visit www.minirichmond.ca for more info on MINI Cooper cars and services in Metro Vancouver.

Hello, we have created this blog to centralize information regarding MINI cars in the Vancouver area. Check periodically as we plan to add lots more features as time goes by.