We’ve just returned from Mini’s press conference in Detroit, where journalists were packed four-deep to hear Mini marketing magnate Stefan Krause give the skinny on his brand for the new year. Good news? Global Mini sales in ‘07 were up by nearly 18.5 percent, and as we noted in Los Angeles, the enlarged Clubman arrives on these shores. Bad news? Don’t look for a diesel.
No, Virginia - or California - or any of the continental 48 states, for that matter. We’re not getting a diesel Mini - of any sort for 2008, and possibly not in the foreseeable future. Mini reps we spoke with wouldn’t say if or when a diesel model would make its way stateside in the new future, nor would they explain why the Cooper D Clubman pictures made their way into the preview PR piece (we’ll bet they were short on images).
What North America does get (outside of the addition of the Clubman) is the implementation of regenerative brake systems and start-stop technology on Minis equipped with manual transmissions. It’s technology that may improve your fuel economy, for sure - but we’re holding out for a Clubman with a turbodiesel. We may sooner see a Mini SUV - Krause confirmed that the next addition to the Mini portfolio will, in fact, be a crossover.
[…] either deposited directly into the fuel tank (gasoline engines) or attached to the air filter (diesel) or fitted to the radiator hose. MTech reports a 15 percent increase in gasoline fuel economy and […]
[…] Minicize your workout with the new Mini Clubman, and you’re likely to find yourself toner, tanner, and more beautiful than ever before. Of course, if this commercial is any indication, you’re likely to end up in pastel Lycra as well. Please, be sure to stretch. […]
[…] has introduced a new label to slap onto its John Cooper Works versions of the Mini. According to Edmund’s Inside Line, the company hopes the John Cooper Works logo will be […]
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