Tag: mini

Video: Afterburner mini movie with Hot Wheels is a mad, mad world

Filed under: Videos, Toys/Games, Humor

Nitro Warriors 2: Afterburner

Vanguard Pictures has released its latest stop-motion film, starring some of Hot Wheels’ miniatures. Called Nitro Warriors 2: Afterburner, it’s a continuation of the last Hot Wheels adventure, Nitro Warriors. Picking up right where the last episode left off, there’s plenty of action, excitement and flying. The cinematography is great, as well, making these videos far more than just little cars zooming across the screen.

Naturally, things get a little bit crazy for the Hot Wheels cars, with quite a surprise ending. The new flick isn’t out on YouTube yet. Thankfully, you can check out the original on the video sharing site right here; once you’re caught up on the story, scroll down to see the latest installment.

Continue reading Afterburner mini movie with Hot Wheels is a mad, mad world

Afterburner mini movie with Hot Wheels is a mad, mad world originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Sep 2013 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Afterburner mini movie with Hot Wheels is a mad, mad world

Filed under: Videos, Toys/Games, Humor

Nitro Warriors 2: Afterburner

Vanguard Pictures has released its latest stop-motion film, starring some of Hot Wheels’ miniatures. Called Nitro Warriors 2: Afterburner, it’s a continuation of the last Hot Wheels adventure, Nitro Warriors. Picking up right where the last episode left off, there’s plenty of action, excitement and flying. The cinematography is great, as well, making these videos far more than just little cars zooming across the screen.

Naturally, things get a little bit crazy for the Hot Wheels cars, with quite a surprise ending. The new flick isn’t out on YouTube yet. Thankfully, you can check out the original on the video sharing site right here; once you’re caught up on the story, scroll down to see the latest installment.

Continue reading Afterburner mini movie with Hot Wheels is a mad, mad world

Afterburner mini movie with Hot Wheels is a mad, mad world originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Sep 2013 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Classic Rover Mini is a passion-inspiring plaything

Filed under: Classics, Budget, Performance, Videos, Hatchback, Mini, UK

1998 Rover Mini Paul Smith Special Edition

Ask anyone that’s driven a classic Mini, and they’ll probably tell you that their first reaction to driving it was a lot like the start of this video – whooping, shouting, laughing and a whole lot of smiling. This video, from Jon Quirk, editor-in-chief at Auto Trader UK, highlights the connection between him and his Rover Mini Paul Smith. He really nails the man-machine interface that makes owning a great car so much fun. Besides that, Quirk does a good job of enumerating what is so enjoyable about driving a fun car on a twisting road.

For our British readers, this video is also meant to test the waters for a new format from Auto Trader UK, called “I Bought One.” With Quirk’s Mini, the car-buying site is looking at telling the story of people and their interesting cars. We think this video is a great start, with high production value and solid content. Head on over to the YouTube channel, and let them know what you think. But first, scroll on down for the entire video on this awesome Rover Mini.

Continue reading Classic Rover Mini is a passion-inspiring plaything

Classic Rover Mini is a passion-inspiring plaything originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 01 Sep 2013 17:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Classic Rover Mini is a passion-inspiring plaything

Filed under: Classics, Budget, Performance, Videos, Hatchback, Mini, UK

1998 Rover Mini Paul Smith Special Edition

Ask anyone that’s driven a classic Mini, and they’ll probably tell you that their first reaction to driving it was a lot like the start of this video – whooping, shouting, laughing and a whole lot of smiling. This video, from Jon Quirk, editor-in-chief at Auto Trader UK, highlights the connection between him and his Rover Mini Paul Smith. He really nails the man-machine interface that makes owning a great car so much fun. Besides that, Quirk does a good job of enumerating what is so enjoyable about driving a fun car on a twisting road.

For our British readers, this video is also meant to test the waters for a new format from Auto Trader UK, called “I Bought One.” With Quirk’s Mini, the car-buying site is looking at telling the story of people and their interesting cars. We think this video is a great start, with high production value and solid content. Head on over to the YouTube channel, and let them know what you think. But first, scroll on down for the entire video on this awesome Rover Mini.

Continue reading Classic Rover Mini is a passion-inspiring plaything

Classic Rover Mini is a passion-inspiring plaything originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 01 Sep 2013 17:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Judge to approve settlement of Mini CVT lawsuits

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Hatchback, Mini

Mechanic Ben Davis wheels the transmission back into place after repairing a clutch on a Mini Cooper S convertible on Friday, July 7, 2006, in the south Denver suburb of Littleton, Colo. U.S. employers add a disappointing 121,000 jobs, wary of bulking up payrolls with the economy slowing and energy prices rising. At the same time, wages rise sharply, fanning inflation worries. By Economics Writer Jeannine Aversa. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

BMW has agreed to settle a number of class-action lawsuits out of court. The suits stem from drivetrain issues on the 2001 to 2006 R50 Mini Cooper – in particular, its continuously variable transmission. The transmission was known to fail, often without warning on otherwise healthy and well-maintained vehicles. This wasn’t the only major issue to afflict the original BMW-era Mini models.

According to legal site Topclassactions.com, the suits alleged that BMW knowingly hid the defects in the CVT from customers while informing dealers of the issue. The first suit was filed in 2011, while four additional suits have followed. Now, BMW has reportedly settled, offering to reimburse 1,200 owners that needed repairs within eight years or 150,000 miles of their purchase. Repair prices for the transmission range from $6,000 to $9,000.

Under the agreement, BMW will also offer up to $4,100 to members of the suit that had fixes performed at a third-party shop, while owners who sold their cars at a loss due to the issues are slated to receive up to $2,000. Finally, owners who are part of the suit will be warrantied for a further eight years and 150,000 miles.

Judge to approve settlement of Mini CVT lawsuits originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Aug 2013 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: New Mini to bow on Nov. 18, on Alec Issigonis’ birthday

Filed under: Budget, Performance, Hatchback, Mini

F56 Mini Hardtop covered

Miniacs, note November 18 on your calendar. That’s when the all-new Mini Hardtop will debut. Now, this might not be a great deal of news, after all, we already showed you the car, codenamed F56, a few weeks ago. But this full unveiling should bring with it even more detailed exterior images, a full look at the cabin and if we’re lucky, performance numbers.

History buffs will also note that November 18 is the birthday of Sir Alec Issigonis. It was Issigonis that penned the original idea for the Mini on a cocktail napkin, envisioning a car with a transversely mounted engine, the wheels pushed out to all four corners and plenty of cabin space for occupants. That car had a remarkably small footprint and was quite efficient, perfect for tackling the fuel shortages brought on by the Suez Crisis in 1959’s Great Britain. An unintended side-effect of its design was that it was also an absolute hoot to drive.

The November 18 debut will take place at Mini’s home, Plant Oxford, in the UK. Following that, November 20 will see a near-simultaneous debut at both the Tokyo Motor Show and Los Angeles Auto Show. We’ll be on hand to bring you all the details.

Continue reading New Mini to bow on Nov. 18, on Alec Issigonis’ birthday

New Mini to bow on Nov. 18, on Alec Issigonis’ birthday originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Aug 2013 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Mini considering sports car replacement for Coupe and Roadster?

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Budget, Performance, Crossover, Hatchback, Mini, Luxury

Mini Coupe

The next-generation Mini lineup could see some big changes, according to a report from Australian site CarSales. Starting with the debut of the third-generation Mini Hardtop at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show, we could see a regular string of Minis on the stages of the world. But the bodystyles we see might not be what we’ve grown used to.

A four-door sedan could eventually arrive, while the polarizing Mini Coupe and Roadster are likely to be replaced by a dedicated sports car with unique sheetmetal and uprated engines. While the rest of the line is switching to three-cylinder, turbocharged engines, the new sports car, which will be available in both soft- and hardtop variants, will use some version of BMW’s 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder. The Aussie site also claims that the interior treatment could take inspiration from the Mini Vision concept car, while showing off the know-how BMW gained when working carbon fiber into the i3. The new model(s) would likely arrive in late 2015 or early 2016.

According to CarSales, we’ll see the three-door Hardtop at the 2013 LA Show, along with a five-door hatch that is different from the Clubman at the 2014 Paris show. The Clubman, meanwhile, will arrive in Geneva in 2015, while the Convertible is slated for later that same year. The current Countryman and Paceman are expected to be around for some time, before being joined by an MPV. Eventually, the larger Minis will share their architecture with the BMW X1.

Mini considering sports car replacement for Coupe and Roadster? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Aug 2013 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Mini Vision concept presages next-gen Cooper Hardtop

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hatchback, Mini, Design/Style

Mini Vision Concept front three-quarter

Mini is preparing to launch the third-generation of its trademark three-door hatch, and while we’ve already shown you that car mostly devoid of camouflage in spy shots, the BMW-owned brand has still seen fit to release a concept that previews the new design. Called the Mini Vision, it looks broadly similar to the cars we showed you at the beginning of the month, aside from a few concepty styling pieces.

The Vision is a well-balanced blend of the stylish hatch that rebooted the Mini brand in 2002 and the more bloated model that arrived in 2007. It’s more rounded than the 2002, but seems decidedly more muscular than the 2007, and features modern accents like full LED headlights inspired by the sadly not-for-production Rocketman concept. Mini’s traditional floating roof soldiers on, while the concept wears side grilles that seem borrowed from the Countryman and Paceman. Based on what we’ve seen in the spy shots, however, that treatment isn’t going to make production, at least not on the models we’ve seen.

It’s safe to say that the interior on this concept bears only a slight resemblance to what we’ll see on the production car. The integrated Union Jack straps in the door panels are a cool touch, but the Vision’s cabin looks like something out of a flying saucer. We’d expect only inspirational traces to arrive on the production model.

Mini revealed the Vision Concept at something called the Mini Design@Home event earlier today. We expect to see it trotted out on the auto show circuit before the production third-gen F56 Mini Cooper Hardtop makes its official debut later this year or early next year.

Continue reading Mini Vision concept presages next-gen Cooper Hardtop

Mini Vision concept presages next-gen Cooper Hardtop originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Jul 2013 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: BMW, Mini aim to sell million cars off new FWD platform

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Sedan, Wagon, Crossover, Hatchback, BMW, Mini, Luxury

Mini sold 301,526 cars in 2012; BMW sold 1.54 million of its own models. According to a piece in Autocar, analysts say the coming UKL1 platform that will form the skeleton of the third-generation Mini Cooper and coming front-wheel drive BMW 1 Series could be responsible for “more than 900,000 cars per year” all by itself.

That sale fire is fueled by the UKL1 wearing up to twenty-three bodies in total between the two brands, 11 for Mini and 12 for BMW, rendering hatchbacks, sedans, coupes, convertibles, wagons, crossovers and people-haulers from about 12.5 feet to 14.5 feet. In April the VP of Mini USA said we might find some current models don’t make it to a next generation, but a graphic accompanying the Autocar story has them all there. If it’s correct, then those 23 models will only base model lines and don’t account for different engines and four-wheel-drive options for each model.

The big changes that would perhaps mean big sales for the Mini line are a five-door hatch with two smaller rear doors for children, the sedan talked about last year for Asian markets and an MPV perhaps wearing the “Traveler” name that could send the Countryman in a more SUV-like direction.

BMW, Mini aim to sell million cars off new FWD platform originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Jul 2013 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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