NHTSA Investigates Engine Fire Reports in 36,000 Mini Cooper S Models

The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) announced that it has opened a preliminary investigation on the Mini Cooper S from the 2007-2008MY for engine fires.In a posting on its website, the NHTSA said it received 12 complaints of engine compartment fire in the affected models.
Eight owners allege that the fire in the engine compartment started while the cars were parked and the ignition key removed, while five complaints said that the Minis were engulfed in flames and the incidents resulted in total vehicle loss.
If the NHTSA’s investigation results in a vehicle recall, it will affect approximately 36,000 cars that have been sold in the U.S. So far, there are no injuries or fatalities related to the fires.

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BMW Group to Launch MINI Brand in India in Early 2012, Prices to Start from Over 25 Lakh or $51k

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The BMW Group's MINI brand is getting ready to add another important market to its belt as the Bavarian automaker announced on Monday that it will launch the firm's small premium models in India starting from 2012.
"I am pleased to announce that the Mini will be introduced in India in 2012," said BMW India President Andreas Schaaf. "We had developed a new Mini ten years ago from the scratch. India is the only country where Mini has not been introduced. So, I think, it will be as successful here as in other countries."
The BMW boss said that the company plans to create standalone dealerships for the MINI brand beginning with two showrooms in Delhi and one in Mumbai. Over the next few years, the British automaker will boast a total of 12 dealerships throughout the country.
Schaaf noted the company has not yet decided on which model it will introduce but added that it will cost more than 25 lakh (US$51,000) or close to 20 times the price of the cheapest Tata Nano.
"Currently, the BMW team is evaluating which version to be launched in India from the entire Mini family," said Schaaf. "We have not finalised the price of the car yet, but it is a premium brand and a premium car. Of course, the entry price will be more than Rs 25 lakh."
Story References: Moneycontrol

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Top Gear Spotted Filming Christmas Special in India

In a recent interview with WitneyTV, Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson let slip out that this year's Christmas special episode will take place in India.

Being that all episodes are filmed several months before they hit the airwaves, it doesn't come as a surprise that the British TV show's crew weresnagged in Mumbai this month.
Along with a short video clip showing Richard Hammond and a modified classic MINI Cooper that we found on Youtube, the guys over atIndianAutosBlog tipped us off about a set of pictures they took during the filming of the Christmas episode of Top Gear.





Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May took along three cars, including a Jaguar XJS coupe, an old Rolls Royce and the MINI, all of which featured some over the top decorations. In the pictures we can also see an old Austin Allegro 1300 Super.
We'll have to wait and see what kind of crazy challenge the trio has readied for our viewing pleasure.
Story References / Photo Credits: IndianAutosBlogs

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MINI Releases New Photos of Coupe Ahead of Frankfurt

The two-seater Coupe is the latest addition to MINI's growing range of models. We've already seen and detailed the pint-sized coupe model but today the British company updated its gallery with a fresh batch of photos.






According to MINI, its first-ever coupe model that will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show is not just revitalizing the brand’s racing history but also provides the firm with a contender in the sports car segment.



The MINI Coupe will be offered with the most powerful engines in the brand’s line-up. The base version is the 122HP MINI Cooper, followed by the 143HP C and the 184HP Cooper S, while at the top of the range sits the 211HP MINI John Cooper Works.

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Mini in India in 2012

Mini, the iconic British small car brand owned by BMW, has confirmed that it will enter the Indian car market in 2012. The company will be launching the Mini range of cars at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo. BMW said it will not have separate dealership network for the Mini brand and will be sold through the dealers currently selling BMW cars. The cars will be imported as completely built units from the Mini’s plant in OxfordShire, UK. 

The company will bring the Mini One, One D, Cooper, Cooper SD but not the Countryman and the Clubman. The prices are expected to start at Rs 20 lakh for the Mini to Rs 25 lakh for the Cooper variant.

In India, the Mini will likely be positioned against the Fiat 500 and the Volkswagen Beetle.

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Fiat -Panda Mini

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The successor of the current version of Fiat Company’s Panda City car will soon be coming out of the its production line in Italy this November. The third generation of the Panda is supposed to make its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September.

Company sources claim that the new plant where production of this car is about to begin will be a truly advanced plant. The Fiat Group’s CEO said last year that this plant, the Pomigliano d’Arco will roll out models of this version of Panda in order to boost sales in Italy. The production numbers were recorded as 650,000 in 2010 to almost 1.4million models in 2014.

This decision for shifting the factory from Poland to Italy was triggered after Fiat SpA workers gave support to a reorganization plan to boost its output by around 70 percent, this would be attained by switching to a 3 shift, 280 days working year in comparison to the existing 2 shift and a 235days working year. The company’s CEO made it clear to the workers that if they did not concur to this working model the company would shift its plant to Serbia.

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