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2019 Mini Cooper 4-Door will have new head- and taillight designs

Squint hard and you'll still probably see the exact same car. Squint really hard, then pull up multiple side-by-side photos on multiple screens, call in a buddy, and then you just might be able to see how the 2019 Mini Cooper will differ from the current model year. This is a midcycle refresh of a Mini - if you were expecting something different, we don't like your odds in Vegas. But, let's take a look at what is clearly new on the test mules spotted by spy photographers in Germany. Although the camo is doing a bang-up job, the taillights are different than the circular, bubble-like elements that are currently on the Cooper and that we saw in our last 2019 Cooper spy photos. The reverse light seems to be in the same position, but the bold horizontal LED strip could indicate the Cooper will be adopting the Union Jack-inspired taillights from the Mini John Cooper Works GT Concept unveiled at Frankfurt in September. On the other hand, those concept taillights did not have the large vertical element of this camo'd test mule, nor can we see any evidence of diagonal elements. Maybe they're just going with an English flag homage, to hell with the rest of Britain? Maybe not. Up front, the headlight clusters are also different, but they do seem to be the same upgraded headlights we saw on that Mini test mule back in May. There is without question a visual similarity between these and the JCW GP Concept - albeit without the red color. We're not sure what the rest of the camo might be hiding up front, but it doesn't seem to be anything major. Back at the rear, there seems to now be a bit of a lip built into the trim piece above the license plate. As for mechanical and interior changes, we wouldn't expect anything big on that front, either, as Mini has rarely made noteworthy updates mid-way through a generation. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Mini Cooper 4-Door: Spy Shots View 9 Photos Spy Photos MINI Hatchback mini cooper s

Cargo ship carrying 1,200 Jaguars and Land Rovers deliberately run aground [w/video]

A cargo ship carrying a load of new cars out of Southampton has run aground in the English Channel in between England and the Isle of Wight. The vessel apparently suffered some sort of failure just 45 minutes after leaving port that caused it to list heavily to the starboard side before the crew deliberately beached it on Bramble Bank to prevent the ship from capsizing altogether. The vessel, called the Hoegh Osaka, is a 590-foot car carrier weighing some 57,000 tons and registered in Singapore. Although several automakers (including Honda and Bentley) were reportedly looking into whether they had cars on board, the vessel is said to have been filled to approximately one-third its capacity, with 1,400 vehicles on board – including 1,200 Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles, 65 Mini models and one Rolls-Royce Wraith. 70 to 80 pieces of construction equipment were also said to be on board. The Hoegh Osaka was en route from the southern British port of Southampton to Bremerhaven, Germany. Fortunately, no major injuries have been reported. The crew was mostly airlifted by helicopter off of the beached ship, with two crew members evacuated by lifeboat. One crew member reportedly jumped over 25 feet off the ship into the water before being immediately retrieved by rescue workers. According to the Daily Mail, two crew members were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, including a broken leg. It may take several days, if not longer, to extract the vessel from the sand bank and ascertain the damage to the ship and its cargo. An early attempt to free the ship with tugboats failed, meaning that the Maritime and Coastguard Agency may have to wait until more favorable high tides to try again before towing the ship back into the port. Bramble Bank, where the vessel was run aground, is a well-known obstacle to maritime navigators. The Queen Elizabeth 2 ran aground there in November 2008 with 1,700 passengers on board, but was quickly freed by four tugboats and was able to continue on its way. Two local yacht clubs also play a cricket match there every year at low tide. The vessel's operator, Hoegh Autoliners, praised the skill and quick thinking of the crew in acting to prevent the ship's capsizing by running her aground on the soft, sandy shoal. Watch the clip below for aerial footage of the beached ship, courtesy of the BBC. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2013 Mini John Cooper Works GP will start at $39,950*

Get your wallets ready, folks. The 2013 Mini John Cooper Works GP arrives this fall, and we've now learned that the cost of entry for the potent little hatchback is $39,950, (*) including $700 for destination.
Aside from an adorably tough appearance, that just-under-$40,000 price tag gets you a whole host of performance goodies, including a turbocharged four-cylinder engine good for 218 horsepower and as much as 207 pound-feet of torque. No, that isn't any more oomph than what you get in the standard JCW Hardtop, but there's a whole lot more to the GP kit. For starters, there's a fully adjustable coilover suspension, not to mention a reduction in overall weight - at 2,558 pounds, the GP is 121 pounds lighter than a normal John Cooper Works Hardtop.
A Mini spokesperson confirmed to Autoblog that the JCW GP can only be purchased one way, and will be offered as an option package on the standard John Cooper Works Hardtop. Its starting price represents a $5,150 increase over a standard JCW model, and is the most expensive model in the Mini range (the next being the $35,550 John Cooper Works Countryman).