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Mini to offer a double-clutch transmission, but not in U.S.

Mini has padded next year's option sheet with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, so long as you're not buying in America. Available for the three-door, five-door, and convertible Mini models using "selected engine types," the DCT will provide a third transmission option after the standard six-speed manual and six-speed Steptronic automatic. Minis fitted the twin-clutch will be known by the meaty new gearshift lever that, BMW style, returns to its central position after the car's put into gear. A button at the top of the lever activates Park. Sensibly, you push the lever forward to downshift, and pull it back to upshift. When a buyer springs for navigation and the DCT, the transmission taps into map routing data and camera images to hone shift programming; the gearbox will downshift early when approaching a turn, or read a series of bends to know when to shift and when to hold steady. Fitted with a crawl function for ease of use in stop-and-go traffic, the DCT additionally supports stop/start, and coasting in Mid and Green driving modes for those times the driver takes his foot off the accelerator. For the time being, though, we're not invited to the party. Mini USA Communications Manager Mariella Kapsaskis told Motor1 that manufacturing the wet-clutch, dual-mass flywheel DCT "takes up lots of capacity." Which is the automaker equivalent of being told, "We're just not that into you right now." We expect that would change at some point; however, some of Mini's most sporting U.S. competitors also don't offer DCTs, so who knows. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Mini Double-Clutch Transmission View 17 Photos Image Credit: Mini MINI Hatchback

Mini fini: The Mini Clubman passes into British motoring history

Au revoir, Clubman. The veddy British Mini model that found a loyal following in the UK and elsewhere for more than a half-century has folded its spilt rear “barn doors” for the final time. The ultimate Clubman — assuming there wonÂ’t be another sequel, and Mini says there won't — rolled off the production line Monday at Mini Plant Oxford in England. The Mini “estate” version bows out after 17 years of build at Oxford and more than a half-million units churned out for deliveries to more than 50 countries. The heritage of the Clubman — and of most Minis — is worth recalling because the brand has spawned such affection among its fans. One has to deep-dive back to the early Sixties, when MiniÂ’s owner, British Motor Corporation (BMC), introduced two estate versions of the original Mini: the Austin Seven Countryman and Morris Mini Traveller. In 1967, the characteristics of existing Mini wagons were combined to form the first Clubman. lt was axed in 1982 — after it was once renamed as the 1000HL — and the Clubman wouldn't return until 2007, with the brand then under the auspices of BMW. Modern vehicle safety standards presented a challenge for those rear doors. “We needed to ensure that both doors would always open fully without obscuring the rear lights, which was a legal requirement,” said Guy Elliott, who was part of the development team for the doors at the time. The reborn Clubman was updated in 2015 for a second generation. It adopted Mini's signature circular daytime running lights, a feature still seen today, and ditched the unusual rear doors for a more conventional setup. Last year Mini launched the “Final Edition” of the car, with a special grille and alloys and limited it to a run of 1,969 units, paying homage to the launch year of the original. The BMW Group says it expects to invest about $750 million in the next few years in realigning the Oxford plant to accommodate assembly space for the upcoming electric Aceman crossover and new Cooper variations later this year.

Mini will launch two additional crossovers to expand its footprint

Mini will maximize its global potential by releasing two crossovers during the 2020s, according to a recent report. The first will bolster the firm's electrification efforts, while the second will be positioned at the top of its range. The BMW-owned company's vast heritage makes expanding its presence in the crossover segment a tricky proposition, but executives believe they've blazed a way forward. The Countryman's first high-riding sibling will be an electric model developed jointly by Mini and China-based Great Wall Motors and built in the latter's home country. BMW announced the joint venture in late 2019, though it didn't specify which vehicle(s) it would build. Autocar learned the model, which could resurrect the Paceman nameplate, will be about as big as the current-generation X1, meaning it will slot slightly above the Countryman (pictured) in terms of size. It will arrive as a four-door soft-roader built on a platform developed through the joint venture, and it will benefit from a new generation of batteries manufactured without cobalt, an element mined in often-difficult conditions. Mini will dig even deeper into its past to name the second crossover it's working on. Executives favor the Traveller nameplate, which was introduced in 1960 on a Morris-badged version of the Austin Mini Countryman wagon. The model will inevitably become the poster child of the company's ongoing un-Minization process, but it should play a significant role in turning around its fortunes in key markets like the United States and China.  "The Countryman is a small SUV. In the United States and China, there are certain needs. We will look at a compact SUV in the next generation. There are lots of benefits with a car like that for urban use. For me, it's a good match," said Bernd Korber, the company's boss, in an interview with the magazine. Upsizing Mini's image will require borrowing the CLAR architecture currently found under BMW's X3, X4, X5, X6, and X7, though don't expect a jumbo-sized people-hauler masquerading as a city car. "We can stretch the interpretation of Mini always being the smallest, but I can't imagine being bigger in a segment. We need to fulfill a requirement on size," Korber stressed. It sounds like, size-wise, the Traveller may fall between the X1 and the X3. BMW's CLAR platform will make the Traveller the first Mini equipped with a longitudinally-mounted engine, and its first rear-wheel drive production car.