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Does Cadillac need a Mini-fighter?

Filed under: Concept Cars, Europe, Hatchback, Cadillac, Rumormill

Cadillac ULC Concept

Cadillac ULC – Click above for high-res image gallery

According to Autocar, Cadillac may have a burning desire to lock horns with Mini. The site quotes designer Niki Smart as saying that the time is right for The Wreath and Crest to build a model akin to the company’s Urban Luxury Concept that we saw at this month’s LA Auto Show. His reasoning? The company needs metal that’s more appealing to European buyers than what’s available in the current lineup. That means a heavier focus on small, hatchback designs that still retain the premium Cadillac aesthetic. Smart seems to think that translates into a Mini Cooper fighter.

With its scissor doors and 78 mpg hybrid drivetrain, the Urban Luxury Concept isn’t any closer to production than the now-iconic Sixteen Concept of years past. Even so, Smart told Autocar that GM’s Advanced Design Studio has looked into ways to make the vehicle production ready, funky doors and all. While we aren’t exactly wild about the design of the ULC, the thought of a flingable Cadillac with a V on its hatch is certainly a notion worth mulling.

Gallery: LA 2010: Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept

LA 2010: Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept

Gallery: LA 2010: Cadillac Luxury Urban Concept

Cadillac Luxury Urban Concept

[Source: Autocar]

Does Cadillac need a Mini-fighter? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Porsche Cajun mini-SUV confirmed, due to arrive in 2014

Filed under: Performance, SUV, Crossover, Porsche, Luxury

Porsche has officially confirmed what’s been rumored for at least three years – the German automaker will build a small SUV to slot in below its highly successful Cayenne. With the working name “Cajun,” Porsche wants the mini ‘ute to provide younger customers another point of entry into the brand.

Designer Walter da Silva has apparently taken the lead on the project, which is expected to be loosely based on the Audi Q5, and the press release (available after the jump) claims that the Cajun will have “typical Porsche features such as light weight, ease of handling and agility.” Here’s hoping… [Source: Porsche]

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Porsche Cajun mini-SUV confirmed, due to arrive in 2014 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mini Countryman configurator powers up

Filed under: Car Buying, Crossover, Mini

Mini Countryman Configurator

Right on schedule, the German brain trust in charge of marketing the heck out of (and hopefully selling a boatload of…) the 2011 Mini Countryman has uploaded the whole kit ‘n kaboodle to the Web, and you are now free to build and price out your very own Mini crossover.

If you’re willing to avoid all options whatsoever, including one of Mini’s six extra-cost colors, you can drive home in a brand-new 2011 Mini Countryman for the low price of just $22,850 (including destination). We went ahead and priced out what we figure would be a standard load of options and could just barely keep the price below $30K – ringing the tab up into the low $30s isn’t particularly difficult, even without choosing the turbo model or all-wheel drive.

In fact, stepping up to the Mini S Countryman All4 will cost you $27,650 to start. And, as is typical with the Mini brand, a full load of options can send that asking price skyward in record time. In fact, we didn’t have much trouble configuring a loaded Countryman S All4 up past $40,000 after checking a slew of option boxes – and that’s before entering the coveted John Cooper Works accessories. See our screencap above for the MSRP carnage.

Go ahead and spec one out for yourself, then come back and report to the rest of the class where your own personal Countryman fell in the pricing scale. Thanks to all who sent this in!

Gallery: 2011 Mini Countryman: First Drive

2011 Mini Countryman

[Source: Mini]

Mini Countryman configurator powers up originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: More speculation bubbles up around Mini Moke/Beachcomber/Canyon Coupe models

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Crossover, Mini, Rumormill

Mini Beachcomber concept car

Mini Beachcomber concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

Remember back in the day when BMW revived the Mini and there was just one version? That was the three-door hatchback, but was also a long time ago in product lifecycle terms. These days, the Mini franchise has expanded to include a convertible, the Clubman and the Countryman crossover. There are diesel, gasoline, supercharged and JCW versions of each, and there are more yet on their way: never mind the Mini E or the electric scooter concept unveiled in Paris (let alone the WRC rally version). In the cards are said to be coupe and seven-seat versions of the Countryman, along with production versions of the Speedster and Coupe models unveiled last year in Frankfurt.

Engine choices and one-offs aside, that’s already eight body-styles off one little car. But that ain’t even the end of it. Not according to reports from Mini’s homeland of jolly old England.

Britain’s Autocar magazine reports that BMW is working on two parallel programs to put a Jeep Wrangler or Honda Element-style crossover into the mix as well. One program apparently calls for a high-riding three-door model tentatively known as the Canyon Coupe, a model that revives the old Mini Moke beach car bodystyle. The other is closer to the above-pictured Beachcomber Concept unveiled nearly a year ago, and while doors would be added, so might removable roof panels, frameless doors and a wind-down rear window to give a real open-air experience.

Only one will be given the green light (if at all), but either would offer the All4 all-wheel drive system and a pillarless frame that would allow easier access, as well as a proper four-door version of the next-gen Clubman, addressing criticism that the single rear suicide door on the current model doesn’t work well for right-hand drive markets (like Mini’s own domestic market in the UK).

Gallery: Mini Beachcomber concept

[Source: Autocar]

Rumormill: More speculation bubbles up around Mini Moke/Beachcomber/Canyon Coupe models originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mini Connected app will change music to suit driving

Filed under: Technology, Mini

If you’ve used one of the athletic apps for the iPhone, you’re probably familiar with the feature that matches the music to your workout. You run faster, the system ups the BPM. Cycle slower and the tempo drops. Mini wants to do something similar with the Mini Connected system, and that’s just the tip of the interactive infotainment iceberg.

Mini Connected is the automaker’s integrated music and navigation system, which connects to a smattering of smartphones to stream music and data to the stereo. However, the iPhone and iPod are currently more deeply integrated into the system, including the introduction of the new iPod out functionality which displays Apple’s music player controls on the Mini’s center-mounted screen. But that’s nothing new and Mini wants to go deeper, so it’s releasing the Mini Connected iPhone/iPod touch app to increase the interaction.

The headlining Dynamic Music function plays tunes that have been exclusively composed for Mini and then adjusts the rhythm based on your driving style. Additionally, a web radio function allows users to listen to local radio stations independent of their location, and the app can be programmed to read RSS news feeds, supply Google local searches and send information from your browser to the Cooper’s display. Facebook and Twitter integration will also be included, while the “Minimalism Analyzer” provides advice on how to drive more efficiently.

Mini hasn’t outlined a timeframe on when the new app will be released, but it’s a few steps above and beyond what’s on offer from Ford’s Sync system – assuming it works as seamlessly as advertised. The one drawback: it’s currently only for Apple users, so Android, Blackberry, PalmOS and – any day now – Windows Phone 7 users are out in the cold for the time being. Get all the details in the press blast after the break.

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Mini Connected app will change music to suit driving originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale gets more pics, video, configurator and mini-site

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Maserati

Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale – Click above for high-res image gallery

We weren’t looking for any more reasons to fall hard for the new Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale. It’s the hottest machine to wear the Trident emblem since the Enzo-derived MC12 homologated supercar, packing a 450-horsepower V8, a track-ready chassis, optimized aero that increases downforce without dialing up the drag and a stripped-out interior. In short, it is to the “ordinary” GranTurismo what its sister-company’s Scuderia is to the Ferrari F430: a transformation. But in case we needed any more convincing after seeing it up close on the Paris show stand, Maserati has released a whole slew of fresh media for your drooling enjoyment.

Click on the thumbnails below to view the new crop of high-res photos, hit the jump to watch the video or click the link to hit the dedicated mini-site, complete with online configurator.

Gallery: Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale

[Source: Maserati]

Continue reading Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale gets more pics, video, configurator and mini-site

Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale gets more pics, video, configurator and mini-site originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paris 2010: Mini Scooter E Concept can whisk us away any day

Filed under: Paris Motor Show, Mini, Electric

Mini Scooter E Concept

Mini Scooter E concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

Squaring off, in a way, against the escooter that Smart unveiled yesterday at the Paris Motor Show, is Mini’s entry in the fanciful all-electric scooter category, the Scooter E. There are more differences here than just where you put the “e,” most specifically, how each scooter boils the essence of their four-wheeled cousins onto a platform smaller than half the size.

You can see the escooter in detail here, then compare it to the Scooter E, which manages to put a lot of what makes a Mini look like a Mini onto just two wheels. We think the bold yellow stripe around the leg opening, up to the headlight and around the seat is a nice touch. Considering that the Mini E and the Scooter E are both battery powered, perhaps the stripe is supposed to lightly mimic the yellow on that iconic car? We like what we see, and, apparently, Mini is paying close attention to what it hears in Paris to decide if the Scooter E gets put into production. Got an opinion?

Gallery: Paris 2010: Mini Scooter E Concept

Paris 2010: Mini Scooter E Concept

Paris 2010: Mini Scooter E Concept can whisk us away any day originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paris Preview: Mini’s electric scooter comes into view *Update

Filed under: Concept Cars, Paris Motor Show, Mini, Motorcycle, Electric

Mini Scooter E Concept – Click above for a high-res image

Mini’s given us an almost true-to-life view of its Scooter E Concept, and while there’s a little too much going on up front, the overall design stands to look quite all right in person. There’s some serious action going on around the wheels, so as its “E” designation would suggest, motivation will be provided by two electric motors. We’ll get up close with it at next week’s Paris show, and since there’s nothing a mod in overalls and flight boots won’t help, we’ll expect to see her there, too. Hat tip to Rob

Update: Full high-res image gallery added.

Gallery: MINI Scooter E concept

[Source: Miniforum]

Paris Preview: Mini’s electric scooter comes into view *Update originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paris Preview: Mini electric concept drives on two wheels

Filed under: Concept Cars, Europe, Paris Motor Show, Mini, Motorcycle

Mini Scooter E concept- Click above for high-res image gallery

Mini has shared plans with its Facebook fans (all 370,702 of them, making the automaker even more popular than David Hasselhoff) to bring its latest electric concept to the Paris Motor Show. Sporting the colors and insignia of the all-electric Mini E, a trio of drawings reveal a scooter with a Vespa-esque rear end following up a somewhat less successful fascia. The Mini-style mirrors are a nice touch while the turn signals remind of the BMW Isetta, which almost saves the design from its bland headlight, but its departure still seems significantly superior to its arrival. Perhaps it will look better when we see it in the metal. Maybe even better than its Smart competition.

More interesting than its aesthetics are hints at the mechanicals. It looks like – and feel free to correct us in the comments if you think differently – that both the front and rear wheels contain motors. This arrangement could also foretell some regenerative braking, though the extra engineering might add too significantly to the price tag should the scooter ever make it to a retail outlet near you (we said outlet, get it?). Also of interest is that little box that would be located between your shins if you were astride the little beastie facing what we hope is a Mini-style speedometer. Radio? GPS? Pedestrian warning system? We’ll let you know in a few weeks.

Gallery: MINI Scooter E concept

[Source: Mini via Motorcycle.com]

Paris Preview: Mini electric concept drives on two wheels originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mini unveiling new concept on September 23 and you can be in attendance… if you live in the UK

Filed under: Paris Motor Show, Crossover, Mini, UK

Mini concept to be unveiled on September 23

Mini is unveiling a new concept on September 23 in London, and you can win exclusive tickets to join select journalists and BMW Group employees at the live unveiling. All you have to do to enter for a chance to win is e-mail facebook at mini dot co dot uk with the subject line ‘MINI Design Concept Event’ by Monday, September 13. Excited? Ready to enter? Don’t get too jazzed up – Mini is only offering this contest to folks who live in the United Kingdom.

It’s pretty disappointing that the contest is only available to UK residents (we totally want to go), but we are indeed interested in what lies under the skin-tight body wrap seen here. It appears to be some version of the Mini Countryman, but we can distinctly see the bulge of two door handles on the driver’s side, ruling out any chance that this concept will be the rumored coupe version of the Mini crossover. John Cooper Works treatment, perhaps?

If you live on the English Isle and are interested in attending the event, head over to Mini UK’s Facebook page for more info.

[Source: Mini UK Facebook]

Mini unveiling new concept on September 23 and you can be in attendance… if you live in the UK originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 17:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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