The BMW Group today announced at the Washington Auto Show the first and foremost results from a comprehensive study conducted in cooperation with the University of California (UC Davis) and consumers leasing MINI E electic vehicles as part of a year-long program to acquire real world appliance patterns. The MINI E program is the first large population field test of current family electric vehicles and therefore sheds a realistic guide by light on both the opportunities and challenges from this innovative new cast of mobility.

The UC Davis study results of 57 drivers, combined with updates continually provided from the log books of all 450 users manifest the following:

Tags: america, Bmw, daily, energy, home, mini, Seat, show, Smart, study, the, us, work, world

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As we broke last fall, the Countryman will come the US months after it’s European and UK launch. The R60 is scheduled to eventuate on-sale in the fall of 2010 allowing during the term of MINI to work away any product and build issues before the US descant in March of 2011.

Pricing hasn’familiarily been set further but we’ve been told to expect MINI to be fairly offensive with the Countryman in the US market. For instance if you look at the reward difference between the current R56 hatch and the R55 Clubman ($2500) and afterwards the hatch versus the R57 interchangeable ($4500), you can imagine the Countryman slotting somewhere in between both. Of it’s still up in the cast until we get closer to enlarge, however we expect to be pleasantly surprised with the announcement is made later this year.

Tags: Audi, Bmw, body, car, color, design, light, mini, new, Seat, Smart, space, style, the, us

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Last spring (April 1st no not so much) we told you about MINI’s plans for using BMW’s 2.0L diesel powerplant in some models. In BMW nice the 2 liter makes viewed like much as 200 bhp and an astonishing 295 ft lb. of torque. While we’d expect MINI to tune down those numbers, the engine mated with MINI’session relatively low weight would create one of the quickest small diesels in the world. In fact we had one of our inside sources confirm the first pre-production date (April 30th) when BMW first mated the engine with a prototype Clubman.

Tags: Bmw, create, diesel, future, may, mini, picture, pictures, Smart, spring, the, us, weight, world

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Recently MINI revealed to us some deep view into the current MINI E scene of military operations trial program. We got to drive the car (a review is coming) and we talked about some of the discernment that they be the subject of gotten from the program launched earlier this year.

There is little question that the MINI E field trial was a bold move for BMW. It was designed to give the automaker valuable data and feedback on a large scale roll-out of electric cars among other things. It also placed BMW in the electronic infrastructure business – something that was expected but still uncomfortable for the German manufacturer.

Tags: Bmw, business, car, cars, day, me, mini, new, play, review, Smart, the, things

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The following is any excerpt from a larger BMW press clearance showing off some of the latest technology from the BMW Group’s innovation labs. While the MINI Connected is distillery in concept form, we do expect to see something like it in the near future. The likelyhood of the MINI Music Map on the other hand is nameless.

Tags: Bmw, car, communication, entertainment, future, may, mini, mobile, new, Smart, sound, the, world

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This is the 2010 MINI range summed up. You won’t read about concepts, speedsters, coupes or crossovers. These are the details and specs of what is sold in dealerships right now.

2010 MINI Hardtop

Official Release: The MINI Experience Continues: Go-kart-driving fun, an inner that provides the maximum amount of car in the least quantity amount of space and a myriad of personalization possibilities keep the 2010 MINI Cooper and Cooper S Hardtops adhering meridian of the small-car premium segment taken in the character of sales continue to be strong.

Tags: Audi, Bmw, body, car, color, design, economy, entertainment, Ford, mini, mode, Seat, Smart, sport, style, the

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Another week, another new rumored partner in opposition to MINI platform sharing. This week it’s Toyota and the next generation iQ. For those that don’familiarily know, the Toyota iQ is a somewhat revolutionary city car that (through intelligent packaging and engineering) delivers more interior space than a Smart car while root relatively the same size.

First reported on by Insideline and that time Autocar the talks are in the earliest stages. However the idea is that MINI could share the platform and more interior components to help develop a new extent of MINIs smaller than the current R56 two door hatch.

Tags: Bmw, car, city, future, help, mini, new, Smart, space, the, Toyota

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Lotus incorporated town car design – click above to watch the videos after the jump

Developing cars nimbly is thing of no importance new to the designers and engineers at Lotus in England. They be sufficient contract development for automakers around the world all the time. With that in mind – and knowing that Lotus has been actively involved in many electric and cross vehicle projects in recent years – the editors at Automotive Engineer magazine naturally approached them by a project idea: design a brief on what a new city car main look like five years from now.

Tags: car, city, design, england, magazine, new, show, Smart, space, the, Toyota, video, videos, work

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What’s the deal with these small cars and their self-righteous names? I’m talking about the Smart, the iQ, and the Think. Does anybody really believe that making a car diminuative turns it into some kind of Einstein? If anything, I’d be happy if car makers showed they understand they have some really stupid machines out there. The Fiat Cretino, the Ford Fiasco, the Opel Idiot, the Mercury Moron: now that’d be Truth in Naming.

Tags: 0, city, Fiat, Ford, mercury, Opel, review, Seat, Smart, video

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ABT POWER even makes the already quick Audi S4 faster. Although the V6 compressor with three litre cubic capacity is already very sporty with its 333 HP (245kW), anyone who wants even more dynamism and torque can secure a super sports car with the ABT S4: the decent-elegant car then brings 435 HP or 320 kW onto the road.

Tags: Audi, business, car, Smart, sports, the, work

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