๏ The New MINI ๏

When production of the classic Mini ceased in 2000, BMW (the new owner of the brand) announced the successor to the Mini – which is variously called the "BMW MINI" or the "New MINI". The brand name for the new car is MINI (written in capital letters).
Some Mini enthusiasts reject the claim that the MINI as the natural successor of the original car - others simply dislike it - yet others were amongst the first to buy the new MINI when it was launched. There are many reasons offered for the negative point of view. One notion is that the classic Mini could have continued in viable production for many more years had it not been 'killed off' to make way for the MINI. The new MINI is larger than the classic Mini. It is around 55 cm longer, 30 cm wider, weighing 1050 kg rather than 650 kg. That, together with the departure from the spartan minimalism of the original, has proven objectionable to some enthusiasts. Others resent the manner in which BMW took the Mini brand name from the Rover group. However, many Mini owners take the opposite view and embrace the new car as a logical succession of the original and view it as the only way the concept could have continued in the light of modern safety, emissions and manufacturing principles. Some Mini clubs go so far as to ban MINIs from their club meetings - others actively seek car enthusiasts from both camps. This spectrum of attitudes has been noted with other retro-car releases such as the Volkswagen Beetle and is far from being unique to the Mini community.

MINI is the name of a subsidiary of BMW as well as that of a car produced by that subsidiary since April 2001. The car, designed by Frank Stephenson, is marketed as a "retro" redesign of the original Mini, which was manufactured by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 to 2000. The name is written in capital letters to distinguish it from its predecessor. It is sometimes called 'The BMW MINI' or 'The New MINI'. Originally developed by Rover Group, the MINI project was retained by BMW when the latter divested itself of Rover in 2000. The MINI is manufactured in Cowley, Oxford, United Kingdom, in what was historically the Morris car plant.

The 2001 to 2006 model years included four hatchback models: the basic 'MINI One', the diesel-engined 'MINI One/D', the sportier 'MINI Cooper' and the supercharged 'MINI Cooper S'. In 2005 a convertible roof option was added. In November 2006 a greatly re-engineered version of the MINI was released which is unofficially known as the "Mk II MINI". The Mk II is only available as a hard-top in the 2007 model year.

๏ Models ๏

2001 to 2007 - The Mk I MINI
In Portugal and Greece, the MINI One is powered by a 1.4 litre version of the Tritec engine but all other petrol powered MINIs use the 1.6 litre version. Since 2004, a soft-top convertible option has been available across the entire range.

There are numerous styling and badging differences between the models, perhaps the most obvious being that the Cooper S has a distinctive scoop cut into the bonnet to provide airflow over the top mounted intercooler. The Cooper S also has twin exhausts which exit under the center of the rear valance. The (non-S) Cooper has more chrome parts than the MINI One and has a single exhaust. The MINI One/D has no visible exhaust pipes at all.

In some markets, such as Australia and the US, only the MINI Cooper and Cooper S are sold because the MINI One's engine was considered to deliver insufficient power to run an air conditioner - a necessary feature in those climates. However, the only difference between the engines in the 'One' and the 'Cooper' models is a software change within the engine control unit which is tuned for optimum fuel economy on the MINI One and for a compromise between power and economy on the Cooper. Almost fifty percent of all MINIs sold in Australia and about seventy percent of those sold in the US are the top-of-the-range Cooper S model.

The names Cooper and Cooper S echo the names used for the sportier version of the classic Mini which in turn come from the involvement of John Cooper and the Cooper Car Company. The Cooper heritage is further emphasised with the John Cooper Works (JCW) range of tuning options that are available with the MINI. John Cooper also created a one off racing model of the MINI one named the MINI one s works. This car features many extras which help to improve performance such as a racing exhaust and air filter as well as uprated suspension. The car also has one of a kind 17 inch racing wheels.

2007 onwards - The Mk II MINI
From November 2006, the hatchback MINI range has been replaced by an all-new MINI, consisting of MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S models, powered by a new 1.6 litre engine co-developed by BMW and PSA Peugeot-Citroen. The "old" MINI Convertible continues to be sold alongside the new hatchback range. The Mk II MINI One will be on sale in April 2007 with Mk II Convertibles in the 2008 model year. The MINI One has a 1.4 litre engine derived from the same engine in the MINI Cooper and Peugeot 207.

๏ Technology ๏

The "Mk I" MINI One, Cooper and Cooper S use a Brazilian-built Tritec engine while the MINI One D uses a Toyota-built diesel engine. In August 2006, BMW announced that engines would in future be built in the UK, making the car essentially British-built again, with final assembly at Cowley and the body pressings being made in nearby Swindon at BMW's Swindon Pressings Ltd subsidiary.

While the modern MINI uses none of the engineering of the original Mini, it does capture much of the spirit of the classic car. Like the original, it uses a transversely-mounted four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels. All four wheels are pushed to the corners of the body which is a 'two-box' or 'hot hatch' design. The styling of the car, like that of the Volkswagen New Beetle, is a retro design that is deliberately reminiscent of the original Mini with contrasting roof colours, optional bonnet stripes, optional rally lights and with black trim around the wheel arches and rocker panels that mimic the wide wheel flares found on many classic Minis.

The later "Mk II" MINI (or R56) uses the BMW-PSA 1.4/1.6 Prince 4 cylinder engine. This engine uses a system known as VALVETRONIC to control valves for optimum performance and/or efficiency. This MINI uses a drivetrain architecture based on that of the Peugeot 207 and the Citroen C3 replacement.

The MINI One and MINI Cooper are available with a continuously variable transmission or with a conventional Getrag five-speed manual transmission. The Cooper S comes with a six-speed Getrag manual or (from the 2005 model year onwards) a fully automatic transmission with paddle shifters.

Technical innovations include an electrically driven power steering system that avoids taking power directly from the engine, equal length driveshafts to eliminate torque steer, and a sophisticated multi-link rear suspension usually found only on rear wheel drive cars. The MINI has a 'drive by wire' electronic throttle, electronic brakeforce distribution, cornering brake control, and electronic stability control to improve control and handling in adverse conditions.

Adding a supercharger to the Cooper S model required that the battery be relocated into the rear of the car — leaving no room for a spare tyre. Hence this model comes with run flat tyres as standard.

๏ The Works GP MINI & Success Story ๏

The Works GP MINI
The last version to be made with the Tritec engine is the "MINI Cooper S Works GP", a lightweight, race-prepped John Cooper Works model. Hand-finished by Bertone in Italy, it was produced as a limited-production run of 2000 cars in 2006, with around 415 of those ear-marked for both the US (&Canada ) and UK markets. The 'GP' features more bolstered front seats but has no rear seats, which along with reduced sound-deadening, deleting the rear wash-wipe, offering optional air-conditioning and making other steps to reduce the overall weight, resulted in a weight saving of around 40 kg over a Cooper S. Additionally, the car has enhanced braking and suspension, as well as 218 horsepower from the John Cooper Works engine modification package. In place of the rear seats there is additional body stiffening and below-floor storage areas. There are many unique styling points such as the red door mirrors, a carbon fibre rear spoiler, unique body kit, bespoke (2 kg lighter) 4-spoke alloy wheels and specialised badging. Available in just one colour scheme, Thunder Blue with a Pure Silver roof, each car is individually numbered and features a decal on the roof along with a plaque on the dashboard. The last of the supercharged MINIs and a genuine Limited Edition model, it is expected that the MINI Cooper S Works GP will become a collectors' item.
Success story
Whilst the car has been criticized for its poor space-efficiency compared with the original Mini (despite its significantly larger size), its faithfulness to the original's razor sharp handling characteristics and its unique styling has seen the MINI become a sales success in Europe and (from 2002) in the U.S.

BMW has received a significant backlog of orders throughout the life of the car and the Cowley factory is currently expanding to reach a capacity of around 240,000 cars per year; all of this with little conventional advertising.

The car has featured in many movies, most notable of which is the 2003 remake of The Italian Job. (See also: List of movies in which Mini cars are featured.)
As with the classic Mini, the new MINI has a widespread club and enthusiast following and strong after-market support for performance upgrades and styling enhancements. Such community support keeps the brand highly valued and shows BMW's decision to relaunch the MINI as a successful business strategy. The MINI Cooper/Cooper S won the North American Car of the Year award for 2003.