FRANKFURT: Automaker BMW AG said Wednesday that its April global sales rose 12.5 percent, led by demand in Asia and western Europe, for its namesake sedans and SUVs. 

The Munich-based company _ whose brands include BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce _ sold 133,205 cars worldwide in April, up 12.5 percent from last year when it sold 118,378 cars. For the year to date, the company said it has sold 485,155 cars, up 7.5 percent from last year when it sold 451,3111. 

By brand, BMW was the biggest gainer, selling 111,654 cars, up 11.6 percent from the 100,062 it sold last year. That growth was driven by demand for the BMW 1 series, the 5 Series along with the X5 sport-utility vehicle and the 3-Series couple and cabrio. 

Mini sales were up 17.5 percent to 21,463 sold compared with 18,264 in April 2007. Sales of Rolls-Royce were up 69.2 percent with 88 sold, compared with 52 in April of last year. 

BMW’s biggest markets remained Europe, where sales rose 14.1 percent in April this year compared to the month in 2007, and China, where deliveries rose 11.3 percent to 13,3300 cars sold. In the U.S., BMW’s single biggest market, sales rose 10 percent with 31,448 cars sold. 

Shares of BMW were up .11 percent to euro37.17 (US$57.72) in Frankfurt trading.

The JCW package will be offered on Cooper and Cooper Clubman models, and Canadian dealers will start receiving them this summer.

MINI said earlier this year John Cooper Works would become a sub-brand of the make, instead of being a separate entity. For the consumer, it doesn’t mean much, since you’ll be able to purchase a JCW Cooper directly off the showroom floor, just like before.

Under the hood, the Clubman with the John Cooper Works package gets a revised version of the S model’s turbo 1.6-liter 4-cylinder, good for 208 horsepower and 192 lb-ft of torque that peaks from 1,850 to 5,600 rpm. MINI also claims that under hard acceleration, the engine momentarily reaches an overboost peak of 207 lb-ft. The JCW Clubman reaches 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds.

Other mechanical upgrades include more-powerful brakes, a stiffer suspension, a revised exhaust system and exclusive 17-inch alloys, while the 6-speed transmission also gets modifications for JCW duty. For the first time in a MINI, Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) are paired together, and a locking differential is standard.

The world premiere of the John Cooper Works models was held during the Geneva Auto Show, but this is the North American debut. Pricing for Canada has yet to be announced

Frankfurt – BMW’s full-year profit rose 9 percent and it boosted its annual dividend as new versions of the X5 sport utility vehicle and Mini car won customers, the German car maker announced yesterday.

Net income advanced to €3.13 billion (R38.45 billion) from €2.87 billion a year earlier, the company said. Analysts had predicted profit of €2.89 billion.

BMW sold a record 1.5 million vehicles last year, a 9.2 percent increase, helped by the X5 and Mini models that went on sale at the end of 2006.

Chief executive Norbert Reithofer yesterday said the car maker would raise its dividend by 51 percent to €1.06 a common share.

BMW in September said it planned to deliver 1.8 million vehicles a year by 2012, with sales exceeding 2 million vehicles by 2020. A coupé version of the 1-Series compact and a US-built crossover vehicle called the X6 were intended to help sales gain this year.

Deliveries of the X5 surged 60 percent last year, while sales of the Mini rose 19 percent.

BMW announced plans last month to eliminate 8 100 jobs, mostly temporary positions, as part of a cost-cutting drive to catch up with German competitor Daimler in profitability. Reithofer plans to cut spending by €6 billion to help achieve a return on sales of as much as 10 percent by 2012.

Source:  Business Report

Mini’s new SUV is still a year away and we’re left having to speculate at how the new fun-sized 4×4 will look. This is one of the more credible artist’s impressions we’ve seen – showing a jacked-up version of the Clubman ‘estate’.

CAR’s design sources suggest a beefed-up look to distinguish the soft-roader – with raised ride height, extra body cladding and perhaps some special jewellery like the ‘exploration lights’ built into the Clubman’s ribbed roofline (they call it the Duneline). Mini design director Gert Hildebrand recently told CAR Magazine Online that the SUV would be closely related to the current range, but refused to be drawn on details.

Mini SUV: a more responsible 4×4

Our image depicts a Cooper S version of the Mini SUV, which would run the same 175bhp 1.6 turbo as the rest of the Mini range. To quell fears over the anti-4×4 sentiment sweeping Europe, Mini will naturally fit its range of fuel-supping measures, including stop-start to cut the ignition at a standstill and intelligent alternator control that only charges the battery when needed, disengaging when not required. And you can bet that the frugal PSA-sourced diesel will be the best seller.

It’s not all show and no go, either. The new Mini will have four-wheel drive; it’s rumoured to be developed by transmission experts Getrag and some spyshots have shown what look like rear driveshafts on Mini prototypes on test in Germany.

Source: Car Magazine

MINI Cooper Scores 5 Stars for Driver-Side Impact and Roll-Over
- 4 Stars for Front Impact and Rear-Side Impact

Woodcliff Lake, NJ, February 27, 2008 — The second generation MINI Cooper hardtop earned impressive scores for front and side impact and roll-over testing in the latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) testing.

In the NCAP side impact testing, the 2008 MINI Cooper received a 5-Star rating for front seat occupant side-impact protection – the highest rating issued by NHTSA. In the same test the MINI Cooper received a 4-Star rating for rear seat occupants.

In frontal impact testing the MINI Cooper received a 4-Star rating for both front seat occupants. In addition the MINI Cooper carries a 5-Star rating for rollover safety.

“We are delighted that the NHTSA tests confirm MINIs excellent occupant protection in crash situations” said Jim McDowell, Vice President of MINI USA. “It is a testament to the level of safety we engineer in our cars, making MINI one of the safest small cars on the road today.”

The MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S help to maximize occupant safety with a total of six airbags – two frontal impact bags, two seat-mounted side impact bags and an impressive Head Protection air bag curtain that protects both front and rear passengers in the event of a side impact or roll-over. MINI’s crash worthiness is also enhanced by a rigid steel safety cage that helps to redirect impact forces away from occupants.

Of course it is better to avoid an accident and MINI offers a palette of advanced electronic braking and traction management technologies to help keep the car safely on the road. In addition to standard Anti-Lock Brakes, and All Season Traction, (AST), MINI offers Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Corner Brake Control (CBC) and available Dynamic Stability Control (DSC).

MINI in the US
MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States, MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC which has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all Z4 models and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and the upcoming X6 Sport Activity Coupe. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car centers, 335 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 142 BMW motorcycle retailers, 82 MINI passenger car dealers, and 30 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North, Central and South America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Source: BMW

Production of John Cooper Works-tuned cars is all set to resume after the launch of the second-generation Mini Cooper S Hatch and new Mini Cooper S Clubman. From July customers will be able to order factory-built Minis that produce 211bhp and complete a 0-100km (62mph) sprint in 6.5 seconds.

Motor sport has heavily influenced the engineering and development of these new Minis that feature a larger twin-scroll turbocharger and direct petrol injection with common rail. The four-cylinder engine has had the same modifications as the Mini Challenge race car, along with re-engineered brakes, suspension, and strengthened gearing. Each upgrade combines to give the car a remarkable output of 132bhp per litercombined with 40.9mpg (40.4mpg from the Clubman).

The Mini John Cooper Works (CO2: 165g/km) and Mini John Cooper Works Clubman (CO2: 167g/km) will be unveiled for the first time to the public at the International Geneva Motor Show early in March.

The engine specially developed for the Mini Challenge race car is fitted to the Mini John Cooper Works cars. The basic unit is the 1.6 litre power plant supplied in the standard Mini Cooper S, but modifications have been made to the air filter, air mass meter, exhaust system, and catalyst. Air supply to the modified larger turbocharger is increased through fitment of a larger air intake pipe, which in turn creates a quicker induction phase.

The new sports exhaust system is instantly recognisable through the large polished stainless steel twin tailpipes. Modification of the exhaust system has also helped to reduce counter-pressure at the point of exhaust gas recirculation. Ducts in the exhaust manifold and turbocharger are split between two cylinders each. Congestion is therefore minimised when air is inducted to the turbocharger and “turbo lag” is virtually eliminated.

The John Cooper Works Minis are the first models in the range to fulfil all the requirements of the European EU5 emission standards that come into force in 2009.

Mini has always had sophisticated driving stability systems as standard. These include ABS brakes, EBD, cornering brake control, electronic differential lock, as well as dynamic stability control and hill assist. For the first time, dynamic traction control is added to the list.

DTC allows controlled slip on the drive wheels. For example, on a slippery surface, the driver can pick up speed in a controlled manner with the front wheels spinning slightly. When reaching the upper limit, DSC will intervene as usual. But the driver can deactivate the DSC/DTC systems if he wishes by the touch of a button.

In the DSC-off mode, the standard electronic differential lock can be activated and controls cornering at higher speeds. If one wheel loses grip, drive is transferred to the wheel with better grip promoting the car’s traction and pulling force.

The sports suspension has been specifically tuned for the works models. However, even greater chassis rigidity can be achieved by ordering through dealerships the John Cooper Works suspension that lowers the entire car by 10mm.

Extra-large disc brakes adorned with uprated red callipers are fitted to works cars. In addition, inner-vented discs are positioned behind the front wheels. The front discs are 17” in diameter while the rear set measure 16”. The brake discs are approximately 22mm larger than on the standard Cooper S.

The options included as standard on the John Cooper Works include a leather sports steering wheel, air-conditioning, interior trim in glossy black, and an anthracite roof lining.

An upgraded sound system is also included in the JCW package and features 10 speakers and an eight-channel amplifier for increased aural pleasure. For the first time, the Mini speedo has been increased to 160mph on the dial to accommodate the higher maximum speed of the JCW.

The six-speed manual gearbox has been strengthened to handle the powerful new engine.

The standard sports button, located in front of the gear stick, activates a bespoke engine control map which produces even more dynamic performance and sharper steering response.

The Works Minis come with exclusive 17” light-alloy wheels in JCW cross-spoke challenge design, shod with run-flat tires, and weigh less than 10 kilos each.

The Works models can be identified by the newly-designed John Cooper Works logo on the boot and grille and wheels, as well as on the door trim