You may recall hearing about this electric MINI being developed by Hybrid Technologies earlier this year. Actually they have been working on it for over 2 years now and it is finally ready for production.
Continue reading Hybrid Technologies Launches Lithium MINI Cooper
MSNBC.com posted an interesting article regarding the Fiat 500 as it prepares for its launch this Wednesday:
Fiat Auto will be showcasing the rebirth of an iconic car and its own financial revival when it relaunches the Cinquecento city car at festivities around Italy on Wednesday.
In reviving the Cinquecento in multiple versions, with improved technology and a high price for its size, Fiat is following the lead of BMW, which has produced more than 1m Minis since relaunching an upscale version of the car in 2001.
Fiat will offer customers a choice of accessories for their 500s including chrome elements, special wheel rims and upholstery, and Italian-flag graphics, making ñ it says ñ more than 500,000 permutations possible. The carmaker is also aiming for a five-star crash-test rating, ambitious for a car barely 3Ω-metres long.
The Turin-based producer is also billing the Cinquecento as “the manifesto of a ‘new Fiat’.” Under chief executive Sergio Marchionne, the company has swung back into profit and increased its share in a tough European market. Last month Fitch Ratings gave Fiat’s debt its first investment-grade credit rating in four years.
The new Cinquecento’s price, starting at about Ä10,000 ($13,600), will put it towards the top end of Europe’s growing city-car segment, where it will sit alongside models such as the Citroen C1 and Renault Twingo. Company officials try to discourage comparisons with BMW’s luxury Minis, which start at Ä15,850 and go up to Ä21,600 for the Mini Cooper S.
The full article can be found at the following link:
This story broke a few weeks ago, but I think it is pretty interesting and deserves a post. BreakingNews.ie reported that intelligent wheels have been added to that 640hp electric MINI that we heard about last year. According to the report:
The ìsmartî wheels sense road conditions and modify the carís performance accordingly.
Artificial intelligence (AI) will allow the wheels to communicate with each other and ìlearnî from experience as the car is driven.
The Mini Cooper, an early version of which was exhibited at last yearís British Motor Show, is powered by four wheel-mounted electric motors that together generate 640 brake horsepower.
As a result, the electric car performs more like a Ferrari than a milk float, with a top speed of 150 mph and the ability to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds.
A small 250cc petrol engine charges the carís battery while it is being driven, giving it a range of 900 miles and fuel consumption of 80 to 100 miles to the gallon.
For more information, you can read more at the link below.
MINI2.com is reporting about a story from Just-Auto.com that the Tritec factory in Brazil has produced its last MINI engine and closed its doors. The question was raised about the engines for the rest of the MINI Convertibles that still need to be produced. They posed the question to MINI and are awaiting a reply.
Not sure they are prepared to build these engines at another location. I suppose MINI might have placed advanced orders for a bunch of engines and have them stockpiled. It will be interesting to see what happens.