Mini to alter BMW diesel
Mini will have to heavily modify BMW’s forthcoming three-cylinder motor if it is to fit in the Mini hatchback, Cabriolet and Clubman.
Sources within the firm are confident that the engine will feature in the Mini line-up but, as with the just-released four-cylinder diesel, it will need to have many of its ancillary components altered.
Minis will sneak beneath 100g/km of CO2 emissions when the facelifted range gets BMW’s own 1.6-litre diesel engine this autumn.
Designed to bolster BMW’s baby in the face of increasing competition from the Audi A1, Fiat 500 and Alfa Mito, the revised Mini focuses on improving fuel economy, reducing CO2 emissions and extending the buyer’s scope for personalization.
The chief technical change is the switch from a PSA-sourced oil-burner to a smaller-capacity version of the engine already used in the BMW 116d.
Available in two specs — the 89bhp Mini One D and 110bhp Cooper D — it returns slightly improved economy of 72.4mpg and cuts CO2 emissions from 104g/km to 99g/km, making the car road tax-free under current VED rules.
BMW second-quarter profit jumps on higher China, U.S. demand
BMW reported the biggest profit in two and a half years after demand for the new 5 series surged and sales advanced in China and the U.S.
Second-quarter net income attributable to shareholders gained more than sixfold to 831 million euros ($1.09 billion) from 119 million euros a year earlier, the carmaker said. Profit beat the 546 million-euro average estimate of nine analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Revenue rose 18 percent to 15.3 billion euros.
Record sales in China, the world's biggest auto market, and a rebound in the U.S. have prompted BMW and rival Daimler AG to lift their 2010 forecasts.
BMW has sold 25,000 of the new 5 series since the sedan went on sale in Europe in March, the carmaker said today. Daimler said last week its third quarter would be determined by how fast it could produce Mercedes-Benz brand cars to meet orders.
Electric Mini laps the Nurburgring
Though it may not break any lap records it still impressed everyone. An electric-powered Mini has lapped the 12.9-mile North Course of Germany’s Nürburgring racetrack in 9 minutes, 51.45 seconds.
With former German Touring Car driver Thomas Jaeger behind the wheel, the electric Mini hit a impressive top speed of 115.9 mph.
Jaeger said, “The power of the electric motor has an incredible effect, as you can access its full reserves of torque at all times. Another element of this fascinating experience is the lack of noise from the drivetrain. All in all, that was certainly the cleanest and quietest race lap I’ve ever driven.”
For its Nürburgring run, BMW engineers equipped the car with a lightweight body and roll cage, a lowered and race-tuned suspension, and a reprogrammed powertrain controller. But Mini kept the original 204-hp electric motor and lithium-ion-battery pack from the standard Mini E, which is being leased to consumers in the United States and Europe.