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Mini pokes fun at Anthony Weiner using fake Twitter account

Mini, never one to pass on a marketing opportunity, has pounced on the plight of embattled New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner, who seems to have an issue with sending pictures of his genitals to young women. Observers will notice that this is the second time the unfortunately named Mr. Weiner has been in the spotlight for his picture messages.
Capitalizing on Weiner's alias, Carlos Danger, Mini has created an account on Twitter - @CarlosDMotor. With a note on the profile page listing "Danger" as the account's middle name, it's sent out just one tweet, containing the message, "Wanna get your hands on my stick?" Attached to the Tweet is a scantily clad Mini Cooper S, with a towel around its "waist" snapping a picture. Too soon? To borrow the brilliant pun from AdWeek, the "auto erotica" was the idea of Mini's marketing agency Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners. Click below for the full tweet.

Mini John Cooper Works Convertible gets a belated show debut

Mini originally introduced the new John Cooper Works Convertible way back in January. But since the German-owned British outfit wasn't attending the Detroit Auto Show, we were stuck waiting to see it until today at the 2016 New York Auto Show. The JCW Convertible is something of an anomaly, lacking any real competitors, but that doesn't make it any less enticing. Like the standard JCW Hardtop, the 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder is good for 228 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. The cab will hit 60 in 6.4 seconds, which is slower than perhaps its closest competitor, the Mazda MX-5. The trade off here, of course, is a lot more space, style, and optional extras than the cozy MX-5. Mini's hugely diverse options catalog is present and accounted for with the JCW Convertible, giving interested consumers a degree of customization that every automaker short of Porsche and hand-built exotic brands will have trouble matching. Of course, it comes with a frankly absurd sticker price – Mini's top-end droptop starts at $36,450, including the $850 destination charge. That figure swells fast. Expect at least $40,000 for a decently equipped example. You can play with the JCW Convertible's configurator, or just check out our first round of live images of Mini's latest high-performance model. Related Video: EXTREME DRIVING FUN, INTENSIVE OPEN-AIR PLEASURE: INTRODUCING THE NEW MINI JOHN COOPER WORKS CONVERTIBLE Woodcliff Lake, NJ – January 14, 2016... When passion for motor racing is the driving force and intense open-air pleasure the goal, the new MINI John Cooper Works Convertible takes the ideal line from the word go. The second John Cooper Works model of the latest generation combines engine and suspension technology optimized for use on the race track with distinctive design and equipment features as well as the extensively refined qualities of the new MINI Convertible. This lends even greater fascination to the vehicle concept of an open-top 4-seater with outstandingly sporty performance properties that is still unique in the small car segment. The latest version of the MINI John Cooper Works Convertible offers the most exclusive way of enjoying extreme driving fun. With its spontaneous power delivery and highly emotional sound, the most powerful engine in the British brand's portfolio with 228 bhp is strikingly impressive. The fully electrically operated textile top is particularly low-noise, open or closing in just 18 seconds at the press of a button.

Mini exiting WRC after just one year

There was a fair bit of hullabaloo two years ago when Mini announced a return to the World Rally Championship for this season, but the road to making that happen has been as rocky as a gravel stage. It spent 2011 developing its JCW Countryman WRC challenger, changing its mind about how it wanted to work with Prodrive, dumped a driver due to budget issues, then registering its entry after the deadline had passed in a ploy that might or might not have been a protest aimed at the WRC promoter.
Mini had stated that it wanted to win the whole championship in 2013, and spent 2011 doing six WRC rounds as development. As it stands for this year, the WRC Team Mini Portugal - paid for by Mini, run by ProDrive - scored 26 points in the first rally at Monte Carlo and has so far blanked the rest of the season. The relationship between Mini and ProDrive appeared to be an ever-contentious affair, at the end of this season, even the money will dry up along with what support there was.
Because it contested every race in the calendar, though, Mini says it has completed the FIA requirements for homologation of the JCW Countryman WRC; meaning that privateers can continue purchasing the car and run it in the WRC. BMW Motorsport is continuing development and parts supply of the 1.6-liter turbo engine, and a report in Autosport indicates that ProDrive will continue to run Minis in the series next year.