He told us that that the market was not yet ready for such cars. He believed that in India people associate price with the size of the car. The bigger the car, the higher must be the price.

The Mini is exactly the opposite of that philosophy. They are small cars with higher price tag. But if and when the market conditions are right, BMW will definitely lead the way.

Keeping true to his words, BMW India has finally announced that it will officially debut the MINI brand in India. The company is also formalizing plans to showcase the MINI at Delhi Auto Expo 2012. According to a report in TheEconomicTimes, BMW will bring all the variants of the MINI including Cooper, Countryman (pictured) and the Cabrio to India.

Initially, BMW India will import the MINI cars in India through the CBU route. As a result, the starting price will be very close to 25 lakhs. The fully loaded up Clubman will touch 30 lakhs depending on the customization.

Don’t think that BMW India has the market to itself like the BMW X1. The MINI brand will compete against VW Beetle and Fiat 500. The Fiat 500 has seen limited success in India owing to lack luster marketing activities. However, the VW Beetle has certainly struck a vintage cord with the buyers.

People are more than willing to pay close to 20 lakhs for the Beetle whose actual value is just 10-12 lakhs. This is because VW has spent some insane moolah in advertizing the VW Beetle in India. Right from Bollywood movies to Facebook contests, VW has been there and done that.

Future competition including Mercedes B Class MPV and Audi A3 sedan and hatchback will also fight a fierce battle for the luxury market. However, Dr Schaff has already decided his marketing strategy. He plans to sell it as a sporty car with iconic value.

It will be a chunky and overtly masculine brand and positioned as a top-notch performer with high levels of customization.

Similar to International standards, MINI will get dedicated sales outlets. The company plans to open two flagship dealerships, in Delhi and Mumbai.

Do you think the MINI will be a major (no pun intended) success in India?

[Source - EconomicTimes.IndiaTimes.com]

Motorbeam is reporting BMW will sell Mini Countryman and Cooper models in India next year. BMW has been studying India for its Mini brand for the last couple of years and has been postponing it due to unfavorable market conditions.

Mini will retail these two-door products through exclusive showrooms and isn’t interested in sharing space with BMW cars. The cars will be assembled at the company’s factory in Chennai. The expected starting price for a Mini is expected to touch 15 lakh rupees. For that money, a 180bhp 1.6-liter engine will be offered. Not so bad, then.

Source – Motorbeam

This was one of the most anticipated cars of this year. A Mini turns heads, even more if it was electric! think about it. This is the perfect solution. This car proves that style and economy need not be mutually exclusive. We carried an article on this earlier itself. Read it here.

Press Release

The BMW Group will be the world’s first manufacturer of premium automobiles to deploy a fleet of some 500 all-electric vehicles for private use in daily traffic. The MINI E will be powered by a 150 kW (204 hp) electric motor fed by a high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion battery, transferring its power to the front wheels via a single-stage helical gearbox nearly without a sound and entirely free of emissions. Specially engineered for automobile use, the battery technology will have a range of more than 250 kilometers, or 156 miles. The MINI E will initially be made available to select private and corporate customers as part of a pilot project in the US states of California, New York and New Jersey. The company is looking into expanding the MINI E pilot to include Europe. The MINI E will celebrate its world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 19 and 20.

The MINI E’s electric drive train produces a peak torque of 220 Newton meters, delivering seamless acceleration to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.5 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 152 km/h (95 mph). Featuring a suspension system tuned to match its weight distribution, the MINI E sports the brand’s  (read BMW’s) hallmark agility and outstanding handling.

By introducing the MINI E, the BMW Group is underscoring the resolve with which it works towards reducing energy consumption and emissions in road traffic. The BMW Group is drawing on its unique technological expertise in the field of drive systems to develop a vehicle concept enabling zero emissions without renouncing the joy of driving. Putting some 500 cars on the road under real daily traffic conditions will make it possible to gain widely applicable hands-on experience. Evaluating these findings will generate valuable know-how, which will be factored into the engineering of mass-produced vehicles. The BMW Group aims to start series production of all-electric vehicles over the medium term as part of its Number ONE strategy. The development of innovative concepts for mobility in big-city conurbations within the scope of “project i” has a similar thrust, as its objective also includes making use of an all-electric power train.

The energy storage unit: cutting-edge lithium-ion technology engineered specifically for use in the MINI.
Based on the current MINI, the car will initially be available as a two-seater. The space taken up by back-seat passengers in the series model has been reserved for the lithium-ion battery. When in use in the zero-emissions MINI, the battery unit combines high output with ample storage capacity and a small footprint with power ratios that are unrivalled in this field of application so far. The lithium-ion storage unit will have a maximum capacity of 35 kilowatt hours (kWh) and transmit energy to the electric motor as direct current at a nominal 380 volts. The rechargeable battery is made up of 5,088 cells grouped into 48 modules. These modules are packaged into three battery elements that are compactly arranged inside the MINI E.
The energy storage unit’s basic components are based on the technological principle that has proven itself in practice in power supplies for mobile phones and portable computers. The MINI E’s lithium-ion battery can be plugged into all standard power outlets. Its charge time is strongly dependent on the voltage and amperage of the electricity flowing through the grid. In the USA, users can recharge a battery that has been completely drained within a very short period of time using a wallbox that will ship with every MINI E. The wallbox will be installed in the customer’s garage, enable higher amperage, and thus provide for extremely short charging times. Wallboxes fully recharge batteries after a mere two-and-a-half hours.

Driven by electricity: reliably, affordably and free of emissions.
A full recharge draws a maximum of 28 kilowatt hours of electricity from the grid. Based on the car’s range, a kilowatt hour translates into 5.4 miles. Besides the benefit of zero-emissions driving, the MINI E thus offers significant economic advantages over a vehicle powered by a conventional internal combustion engine as well.

The heavy-duty battery delivers its power to an electric motor, which transforms it into thrilling agility. Mounted transversely under the MINI E’s bonnet, the drive train unleashes its full thrust from a dead standstill. This provides for the car’s fascinating launch capability. The MINI E’s intense driving experience is augmented by its dynamic deceleration potential, which is also directly coupled to the accelerator pedal. As soon as the driver releases the gas pedal, the electric motor acts as a generator. This results in braking force, and the power recovered from the kinetic energy is fed back to the battery. This interaction ensures extremely comfortable drives – especially at medium speed with constant, but marginal, variation. In city traffic, some 75 percent of all deceleration can be done without the brakes. Making substantial use of this energy recuperation feature extends the car’s range by up to 20 percent.

Signature MINI agility in a new guise.
Weighing in at 1,465 kilograms (3,230 lbs), the MINI E has an even weight distribution. Minor modifications made to the suspension ensure safe handling at all times. The Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system has been adapted to this model’s specific wheel loads.
The MINI E’s brake system comes with a newly developed electric underpressure pump. Its Electrical Power Assisted Steering (EPS) is the same as the one used in mass-produced MINIs. Both brake and steering assistance react to driving conditions and are thus extremely efficient. Even the air conditioning’s electrical compressor only operates if desired or necessary.

Design: unmistakably MINI, undoubtedly new.
At first glance, the MINI E is obviously an iteration of the brand. But its design, which is the blueprint for the zero-emissions two-seater, has been complemented by a number of visual cues that point to its revolutionary drive concept. All of the units produced for the pilot project will have the same paintwork and bear a serial number next to their side turn signal lights.
The MINI E’s coachwork sports an exclusive combination of metallic Dark Silver on all panels but the roof, which is clad in Pure Silver. What distinguishes the zero-emissions MINI is a specially designed logo in Interchange Yellow, depicting a stylized power plug in the shape of an “E” set against the silver backdrop. It has been applied to the roof, in smaller dimensions to the front and back, to the charger port lid, the dashboard trim, and – combined with the MINI logo – to the door jamb, in slightly modified form. The color of the roof edges, mirror housings, interior style cues and seat seams will match the logo’s yellow tone as well.

Moreover, the central gauge and the battery level indicator behind the wheel of the MINI E, which replaces the MINI’s rev counter, feature yellow lettering against a dark grey background. The battery level is displayed in percentage figures. The central gauge includes an LED display indicating power consumption in red and power recuperation in green.

MINI E customers will be part of a pioneering mission.

A 500-unit, limited-production MINI E series will be manufactured through the end of 2008. The project will thus attain an order of magnitude that clearly exceeds the size of currently comparable test series. Putting the MINI E on the road on a daily basis will be a pioneering feat to which both the drivers and engineers of the first zero-emissions MINI will contribute as a team.

MINI E customers will join forces with BMW Group experts to assist in the project’s scientific evaluation. MINI E engineers accord high importance to staying in touch with the drivers on a regular basis, as this will help them analyze driver behavior besides vehicle characteristics in order to gain the most accurate and realistic picture of the demands placed on a vehicle with a purely electrical drive in the select usage areas.

Special charging station and full service for every MINI E.
The cars will change hands based on a one-year lease with an extension option. Monthly lease installments will cover any required technical service including all necessary maintenance and the replacement of wearing parts. At the end of the lease, all of the automobiles belonging to the project will be returned to the BMW Group’s engineering fleet where they will be subjected to comparative tests.
The MINI E’s lithium-ion battery can be charged using a wallbox provided to MINI customers. Only lockable garages or similar buildings will qualify as homebases and power stations for the MINI E.

Maintenance by qualified specialists.
The electric drive’s high-voltage technology requires that maintenance work be done by qualified personnel using special tools that are not included in MINI service partners’ standard toolboxes. In light of this, a service base will be set up on both coasts, staffed by service engineers that are specially trained to perform maintenance and repair work on the MINI E’s electrical components. In the event of drive malfunction, these experts will provide professional support at the customer’s local MINI dealer or the service base’s specially equipped workshop. Technical inspections will take place after 3,000 miles (just under 5,000 kilometers) and at least after six months.

Production in Oxford and Munich.
The MINI E has already gone through the major phases of product development for mass-produced vehicles and passed numerous crash tests on the way. Aspects investigated besides passenger protection were the impact of collision forces on the lithium-ion battery and finding a non-hazardous location for it in the car. The MINI E’s energy storage unit emerged completely unscathed from all of the crash tests mandated by US standards, which are especially high.

Production of the approximately 500 cars will take place at the company’s Oxford and Munich sites and is scheduled for completion before the end of 2008. MINI’s UK plant will be responsible for manufacturing the entire vehicle with the exception of the drive components and the lithium-ion battery, with the brand’s series models rolling off its assembly lines concurrently. The units will then be transferred to a specially equipped manufacturing complex situated on BMW plant premises where the electric motor, battery units, performance electronics and transmission will be integrated.

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Source : BMW Blog

Electric cars seem to be the future and although one might argue that their carbon footprint is almost the same as a normal IC engined car, use of alternate and renewable energy will surely put all the drawbacks to rest. We had the Chevrolet Volt and now BMW has just unveiled the Mini Cooper electric. So how is it like? Lets find out.

This is the new Mini E, a pure-electric version of the company’s popular hatchback. Sadly it’s not a full production car just yet. The Mini E is a project designed to investigate how viable an all-electric Mini would be. Between 500 and 1000 examples will be made and leased out to selected customer in New York, LA, New Jersey and possibly London, cities where the necessary recharging infrastructure is already in place.

Equipped with a 572-pound lithium ion battery of unknown capacity, the MINI E reportedly has a range of 150 miles after an 8-hour charge. Its electric heart beats out 204-horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque, which should be plenty to make this MINI scoot. This drives the front wheels via a single-stage helical gearbox that is mounted where a standard Mini’s rear passenger seats are usually found. Kinetic energy created under braking is also stored in the Mini E’s batteries.

More details, press release and pictures after the break

The entire car weighs in at a bit over 3,200 pounds and regenerative braking is used to extend the range. Body modifications are minimal, with unique badges and paint separating the E from its gas-powered siblings. On the inside, the gages have been switched up, with a multi-function unit in front of the driver, though the speedometer is still front and center in the middle of the dash.

Recharging takes place via a specially adapted electric socket (which replaces the fuel filler cap), and takes around eight hours for a full charge. This gives the Mini E a range of around 150 miles.

The Mini E is focused on city running and conserving energy, so Mini has limited its top speed to just 95mph.

But even with a kerb weight of 1465kg – some 260kg of which is the battery pack alone – the Mini E manages to accelerate to 62mph in 8.5sec. Energy consumption is put at around 4.4 miles/kWh.

The Mini’s suspension has been reworked with revised springs and damping to cope with the awkward weight distribution, but engineers claim that it could keep up with its conventional siblings.

Despite its project status, the Mini E also conforms to all US safety laws and has been extensively crash tested. The Mini E will make its public debut at next month’s Los Angeles motor show.So another winner in the making? You bet!

Source : Autocar UK and Auto Blog Green

Release and Hi-res images via Net Car Show

Driven by electricity: reliably, affordably and free of emissions.

A full recharge draws a maximum of 28 kilowatt hours of electricity from the grid. Based on the car’s range, a kilowatt hour translates into 5.4 miles. Besides the benefit of zero-emissions driving, the MINI E thus offers significant economic advantages over a vehicle powered by a conventional internal combustion engine as well.

The heavy-duty battery delivers its power to an electric motor, which transforms it into thrilling agility. Mounted transversely under the MINI E’s bonnet, the drive train unleashes its full thrust from a dead standstill. This provides for the car’s fascinating launch capability. The MINI E’s intense driving experience is augmented by its dynamic deceleration potential, which is also directly coupled to the accelerator pedal. As soon as the driver releases the gas pedal, the electric motor acts as a generator. This results in braking force, and the power recovered from the kinetic energy is fed back to the battery. This interaction ensures extremely comfortable drives – especially at medium speed with constant, but marginal, variation. In city traffic, some 75 percent of all deceleration can be done without the brakes. Making substantial use of this energy recuperation feature extends the car’s range by up to 20 percent.

Signature MINI agility in a new guise.

Weighing in at 1,465 kilograms (3.230 lbs), the MINI E has an even weight distribution. Minor modifications made to the suspension ensure safe handling at all times. The Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system has been adapted to this model’s specific wheel loads.

The MINI E’s brake system comes with a newly developed electric underpressure pump. Its Electrical Power Assisted Steering (EPS) is the same as the one used in mass-produced MINIs. Both brake and steering assistance react to driving conditions and are thus extremely efficient. Even the air conditioning’s electrical compressor only operates if desired or necessary.

Design: unmistakably MINI, undoubtedly new.

At first glance, the MINI E is obviously an iteration of the brand. But its design, which is the blueprint for the zero-emissions two-seater, has been complemented by a number of visual cues that point to its revolutionary drive concept. All of the units produced for the pilot project will have the same paintwork and bear a serial number on their front fenders.

The MINI E’s coachwork sports an exclusive combination of metallic Dark Silver on all panels but the roof, which is clad in Pure Silver. What distinguishes the zero-emissions MINI is a specially designed logo in Interchange Yellow, depicting a stylized power plug in the shape of an “E” set against the silver backdrop. It has been applied to the roof, in smaller dimensions to the front and back, to the charger port lid, the dashboard trim, and – combined with the MINI logo – to the door jamb, in slightly modified form. The color of the roof edges, mirror housings, interior style cues and seat seams will match the logo’s yellow tone as well.

Moreover, the central gauge and the battery level indicator behind the wheel of the MINI E, which replaces the MINI’s rev counter, feature yellow lettering against a dark grey background. The battery level is displayed in percentage figures. The central gauge includes an LED display indicating power consumption in red and power recuperation in green.

MINI E customers will be part of a pioneering mission.

A 500-unit, limited-production MINI E series will be manufactured through the end of 2008. The project will thus attain an order of magnitude that clearly exceeds the size of currently comparable test series. Putting the MINI E on the road on a daily basis will be a pioneering feat to which both the drivers and engineers of the first zero-emissions MINI will contribute as a team.

MINI E customers will join forces with BMW Group experts to assist in the project’s scientific evaluation. MINI E engineers accord high importance to staying in touch with the drivers on a regular basis, as this will help them analyze driver behavior besides vehicle characteristics in order to gain the most accurate and realistic picture of the demands placed on a vehicle with a purely electrical drive in the select usage areas.

Special charging station and full service for every MINI E.

The cars will change hands based on a one-year lease with an extension option. Monthly lease installments will cover any required technical service including all necessary maintenance and the replacement of wearing parts. At the end of the lease, all of the automobiles belonging to the project will be returned to the BMW Group’s engineering fleet where they will be subjected to comparative tests.

The MINI E’s lithium-ion battery can be charged using a wallbox provided to MINI customers. Only lockable garages or similar buildings will qualify as homebases and power stations for the MINI E.

Maintenance by qualified specialists.

The electric drive’s high-voltage technology requires that maintenance work be done by qualified personnel using special tools that are not included in MINI service partners’ standard toolboxes. In light of this, a service base will be set up on both coasts, staffed by service engineers that are specially trained to perform maintenance and repair work on the MINI E’s electrical components. In the event of drive malfunction, these experts will provide professional support at the customer’s local MINI dealer or the service base’s specially equipped workshop. Technical inspections will take place after 3,000 miles (just under 5,000 kilometers) and at least after six months.

Production in Oxford and Munich.

The MINI E has already gone through the major phases of product development for mass-produced vehicles and passed numerous crash tests on the way. Aspects investigated besides passenger protection were the impact of collision forces on the lithium-ion battery and finding a non-hazardous location for it in the car. The MINI E’s energy storage unit emerged completely unscathed from all of the crash tests mandated by US standards, which are especially high.

Production of the approximately 500 cars will take place at the company’s Oxford and Munich sites and is scheduled for completion before the end of 2008. MINI’s UK plant will be responsible for manufacturing the entire vehicle with the exception of the drive components and the lithium-ion battery, with the brand’s series models rolling off its assembly lines concurrently. The units will then be transferred to a specially equipped manufacturing complex situated on BMW plant premises where the electric motor, battery units, performance electronics and transmission will be integrated.

Technical Specifications

• Doors: 3
• Seats: 2
• Length: 3.714 mm (146.2″)
• Width: 1.683 mm (66.3″)
• Height: 1.407 mm (55.4″)
• Wheelbase: 2,467 mm (97.1″)
• Track
  • front: 1,453 mm (57.2″)
  • rear: 1,461 mm (57.5″)
• Turning circle: 10.7 m (35.1 feet)
• Curb weight: 1.465 kg (3.230 lbs)
• Payload: 195 kg (430 lbs)
• Gross vehicle weight rating: 1,660 kg (3,656 lbs)
• Cargo space (DIN): 60 l
• Engine
  • Type: Electric motor
  • Motor type: Asynchronous motor
  • Power output: 204 hp (150 kw)
  • Torque: 220 Nm (from idle)
  • Max. RPM (cut off): 12,500 rpm
• Electrical System
  • Battery capacity: 35kWh, approx. 28kWh of which useable
  • Battery weight: 260 kg (573 lbs)
  • Charging time
    • 23.6 h @ 110 V/12 A (1.3 kW)
    • 4.4h @ 240 V/32 A (7.0 kw)
    • 2.9h @ 240V/48 A (10.6 kW)
  • Battery design: 53 cells connected in parallel constitute a unit, 2 units connected in series constitute a module, 48 modules connected in series constitute the battery; 5,088 individual cells in total
  • Battery cooling: Air cooling via temperature-, load- and speed-sensitive fans
  • Battery location: Extends rearward from the heel plate; replaces the rear seat bench
  • Peak current: Short bursts of up to 900A
• Running Gear
  • Front wheel suspension: Single-joint McPherson spring strut axle with anti-dive control
  • Rear wheel suspension: Longitudinal link with centrally mounted control arms, z axis
  • Front brakes: Vented disc, Diameter: 294 mm (11.6″)
  • Rear brakes: Disc, Diameter: 259 mm (10.2″)
  • Road stability systems: DSC adapted to modified curb weight and wheel load (always on), low-friction recuperation control via DSC, ELUP (electronic underpressure pump) brake boost
  • Steering: Rack and pinion with electronic power steering (EPS)
  • Total steering transmission ratio: 14.1:1
  • Type of transmission: Single-stage helical gearbox, derived from the Cooper S helical gearbox
  • Axle load distribution
    • front: 750 kg (1,651 lbs)
    • rear: 715 kg (1,575 lbs)
  • Tires: All-season Runflat 16″
• Performance Ratings
  • Power-to-weight ratio (DIN): 9.76 kg/kW
  • Acceleration 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph): 8.5 s
  • Top speed: 152 km/h (95 mph)
  • Range (FTP 72): 240 km (150 miles)
  • Consumption (FTP 72): 0.12kWh/km (0.19 kWh/mls)
  • CO2 Emission: 0 g/km

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