Goodbye - Last R56 MINI rolls off the production line

29/11/2013 - 13:45 | MINI | Anjan Ravi

The last unit of the previous generation Mini (R56) rolled off the assembly line at the Oxford plant yesterday. Since production began in 2006, the plant has made over 1.04 million units of the iconic car.

The R56 Mini was also launched in India at the 2012 Auto Expo. Available in Cooper, Cooper S, Convertible and Countryman variants, BMW India imports the car as a CBU (save for the Countryman which is built at the Chennai plant from CKD kits).

Last R56 MINI rolls off the production line

Powered by a 1.6-liter engine, the Cooper outputs 122 hp and 160 Nm of torque, enough to give it a top-speed of 197 km/h and an acceleration time from 0-100 km/h in 10.4 seconds. The more powerful Cooper S gets a turbocharger, and hence produces 184 hp and 240 Nm of torque, sprinting from 0-100 km/h in 7.2 seconds and onward to a top-speed of 223 km/h.

The R56 Mini's successor, the 2014 Mini (or the F56 Mini) was unveiled on November 18th, and was simultaneously shown at the Tokyo Motor Show and Los Angeles Auto Show. Based on an all-new UKL front-wheel drive architecture, the 2014 Mini is larger than the R56.

Initially, the new Mini will go on sale with three engine options - turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder and turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol engines, and a 1.5-liter diesel engine. Indian Autos Blog was informed by Mr. Philipp von Sahr, president of BMW India, that the new Mini would be launched in India during 2014.

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