MINI shows off John Cooper Works Cooper and Cooper Clubman in New York
The JCW package will be offered on Cooper and Cooper Clubman models, and Canadian dealers will start receiving them this summer.
MINI said earlier this year John Cooper Works would become a sub-brand of the make, instead of being a separate entity. For the consumer, it doesn’t mean much, since you’ll be able to purchase a JCW Cooper directly off the showroom floor, just like before.
Under the hood, the Clubman with the John Cooper Works package gets a revised version of the S model’s turbo 1.6-liter 4-cylinder, good for 208 horsepower and 192 lb-ft of torque that peaks from 1,850 to 5,600 rpm. MINI also claims that under hard acceleration, the engine momentarily reaches an overboost peak of 207 lb-ft. The JCW Clubman reaches 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds.
Other mechanical upgrades include more-powerful brakes, a stiffer suspension, a revised exhaust system and exclusive 17-inch alloys, while the 6-speed transmission also gets modifications for JCW duty. For the first time in a MINI, Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) are paired together, and a locking differential is standard.
The world premiere of the John Cooper Works models was held during the Geneva Auto Show, but this is the North American debut. Pricing for Canada has yet to be announced
X5 and Mini models power BMW sales to record 1.5m cars
Frankfurt – BMW’s full-year profit rose 9 percent and it boosted its annual dividend as new versions of the X5 sport utility vehicle and Mini car won customers, the German car maker announced yesterday.
Net income advanced to €3.13 billion (R38.45 billion) from €2.87 billion a year earlier, the company said. Analysts had predicted profit of €2.89 billion.
BMW sold a record 1.5 million vehicles last year, a 9.2 percent increase, helped by the X5 and Mini models that went on sale at the end of 2006.
Chief executive Norbert Reithofer yesterday said the car maker would raise its dividend by 51 percent to €1.06 a common share.
BMW in September said it planned to deliver 1.8 million vehicles a year by 2012, with sales exceeding 2 million vehicles by 2020. A coupé version of the 1-Series compact and a US-built crossover vehicle called the X6 were intended to help sales gain this year.
Deliveries of the X5 surged 60 percent last year, while sales of the Mini rose 19 percent.
BMW announced plans last month to eliminate 8 100 jobs, mostly temporary positions, as part of a cost-cutting drive to catch up with German competitor Daimler in profitability. Reithofer plans to cut spending by €6 billion to help achieve a return on sales of as much as 10 percent by 2012.
Source: Business Report
Mini SUV, A Year Away and Everybody Is Developing Their Own Concepts
Mini’s new SUV is still a year away and we’re left having to speculate at how the new fun-sized 4×4 will look. This is one of the more credible artist’s impressions we’ve seen – showing a jacked-up version of the Clubman ‘estate’.
CAR’s design sources suggest a beefed-up look to distinguish the soft-roader – with raised ride height, extra body cladding and perhaps some special jewellery like the ‘exploration lights’ built into the Clubman’s ribbed roofline (they call it the Duneline). Mini design director Gert Hildebrand recently told CAR Magazine Online that the SUV would be closely related to the current range, but refused to be drawn on details.
Mini SUV: a more responsible 4×4
Our image depicts a Cooper S version of the Mini SUV, which would run the same 175bhp 1.6 turbo as the rest of the Mini range. To quell fears over the anti-4×4 sentiment sweeping Europe, Mini will naturally fit its range of fuel-supping measures, including stop-start to cut the ignition at a standstill and intelligent alternator control that only charges the battery when needed, disengaging when not required. And you can bet that the frugal PSA-sourced diesel will be the best seller.
It’s not all show and no go, either. The new Mini will have four-wheel drive; it’s rumoured to be developed by transmission experts Getrag and some spyshots have shown what look like rear driveshafts on Mini prototypes on test in Germany.
Source: Car Magazine
BMW Considers Green Brand
BMW may launch an exclusively green brand to supplement its BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce marques. The green brand would sell ecologically friendly vehicles of a kind considered too extreme to sit comfortably within the company’s existing ranges. “We cannot take the blue out of BMW and change it to green,” said sales and marketing director Stefan Krause in an interview with trade journal Automotive News. “Maybe we could add a fourth brand.”BMW is already doing more than most marques to green its vehicles with its so-called Efficient Dynamics programme that has seen the introduction of various technologies to much of its existing range, including engine stop/start, regenerative braking and aerodynamic aids. But BMW may be considering more extreme technologies and vehicle types that would sit more easily with a new brand rather than BMW, whose exclusively rear-wheel drive models are less efficient than front-drive vehicles, or with the quirkier Mini range.
BMW first hinted at the possibility of creating a new marque last September, but has only now added some detail to its thinking. Part of its motivation will be to use the new marque to improve the average CO2 emissions of its entire range, the European Union threatening fines for manufacturers that fail to meet its forthcoming CO2 reduction targets.
BMW Launches A New Website
BMW Launches New Website
PRNewswire
WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J., Dec. 19 /PRNewswire/ — With an eye toward enhancing its relationship with owners and potential buyers, BMW of North America today launched a new re-design of its website — BMWUSA.com. Using collected (artificial) intelligence technology, BMWUSA.com will continually personalize the user experience for each consumer.
Featuring extensive CGI capabilities offering more than 130 million options for users to configure a BMW, an efficient interface for sharing and saving videos, and future integration with several other BMW service areas such as BMW Assist and Financial Services — the new BMWUSA.com offers a one- click-shop that will aim to provide BMW owners (and prospective owners) a seamlessly integrated and individualized online experience.
“Our relationship with our customers is of the ultimate importance to us here at BMW. Our new website is a reflection of that,” said Jack Pitney, Vice President of Marketing, BMW of North America. “Today, a website can’t just be a static, generic round-up of information. We know that to be valued by our customers — and our potential customers — we need to work hard to provide them the information they want and need, and nothing that they don’t.”
For example, AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) technology will increase the site’s interactivity, speed, functionality and usability.
The re-designed website will also feature content ratings that consumers will use to leave their mark on the site, be heard, and in doing so, assist other site visitors and current or prospective BMW owners. These ratings will help BMW develop a vibrant online community among BMW enthusiasts.
“We approached this not as the re-design of a website, but rather as a full, 360-degree look at how BMW manages its relationship with its customers and potential customers,” said Steve Thibodeau, President and Chief Relationship Marketing Officer, dotglu. “We know that for half of the buyers online, the website will be the first direct interaction they will have with BMW. We had to make sure that this interaction was as performance-driven as the cars themselves.”
Throughout 2008, BMWUSA.com will be expanding profile management capabilities, building site-customized communication based on five user personas. Such personas will be activated by a collected (artificial) intelligence technology that will enhance and personalize the user experience.
Later in 2008, visitors will be empowered to enjoy a deeper level of interaction with dealers and garner information about dealer-installed accessories more easily than ever before. Every content feature of the new site will be available with one-click access, including user configurations, ratings, maps, videos and car maintenance tools.
BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all Z4 models and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car centers, 335 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 142 BMW motorcycle retailers, 82 MINI passenger car dealers, and 30 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North, Central and South America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at:
CONTACT: Kris Sharbaugh, for BMW of North America, LLC, +1-212-843-8022, ksharbaugh@rubenstein.com
Web site: http://www.bmwgroupna.com/ http://www.bmwusa.com/ http://www.bmwmotorcycles.com/ http://www.miniusa.com/ http://www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com/
