2006 Mini Cooper S on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2020 Mini E spy photos reveal its interior

The 2020 Mini E electric hatchback has been spied once again. It doesn't reveal much on the outside, in fact it actually shows less than the last time, since this one doesn't have the groovy concept-inspired wheels. But our spy photographer managed to get a good shot of the interior, which reveals some neat details. Chief among the interior's changes is the instrument panel on the steering column. While current gasoline-powered Minis have a typical needle-and-dial set of gauges on the column, those have been replaced by a thin screen. In an effort to keep it from looking too out of place, it has semi-circle ends and a chrome ring around the screen. Odds are that the actual screen will likely be in the middle, and additional warning and indicator lights will fill up the circular ends. Other than the screen, the only other major change is the shifter. Instead of the round leather knob of conventional automatic Minis, it has a more rectangular knob made entirely of plastic. The rest of the Mini's interior is like any other current model. The vents, controls and infotainment are all taken right from the other Minis. Interestingly, this Mini E has carbon fiber interior trim. This will probably be an option, not standard equipment. We expect the electric Mini Hardtop will make its debut sometime next year. If we're lucky, it may make the same 204 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque as the original Mini E and more than that car's 150 mile range. Related Video:

'Why isn't he stopping?' Mini driver describes being pushed sideways by dump truck

Yesterday, a video out of Toronto made the rounds on social media. It was scary to watch, as a dump truck pushed a Mini sideways a half-kilometer (third of a mile). But there were no details about why this accident happened or who was involved. Today, we know more:   This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Courtenay Erhardt, 26, is a nurse who was driving her Mini to a coronavirus vaccination site to administer shots to homeless people. She says she was waiting at a stoplight before heading up an onramp. “I was in front of him at that stoplight. We were both trying to get onto the Gardiner (Expressway)," she told the Toronto Star, which has a photo of Erhardt and a close-up look at the Mini stuck to the Kenworth's bumper. "He hit me from behind when we were merging." "[The dump truck] just sort of bumped my back rear-end and unfortunately I went sideways and the truck just continued to go up the ramp," Erhardt told CTV News Toronto. "I just remember holding my horn and my steering wheel and just screaming. Just like bawling and screaming. I honestly didn't know if my Mini was going to flip, or veer out into oncoming traffic on the Gardiner," she said. "I just remember thinking, 'Why isn't he stopping? Why is he still going?'" A couple in another car behind the truck saw smoke coming off the truck and knew something was wrong, Erhardt said. They pulled up alongside her, saw what was going on, then pulled ahead of the truck and forced it to stop. They called 911 and helped Erhardt escape her car. The truck driver, Erhardt said, emerged. “He said, ‘I didnÂ’t see youÂ’ and asked me not to call the cops. He asked if he could pay for the damages. He was young.” He has been charged with several offenses, Toronto police said.  Police Sgt. Murray Campbell released a statement to CTV saying, "Operators of large vehicles do not have the benefit of such lower/smaller vehicles, in their ability to see out of windows in all directions," implying the truck driver couldn't see the small car beneath his hood. Campbell advised motorists to make sure they can see truck drivers so the truck drivers can see them.  Which is good advice. That said, this truck driver surely felt that something was wrong — and heard the sounds that we can hear in the video. Erhardt, though terrified, was not injured. She credits the couple who helped her, along with the Mini Cooper.

Manuals return to the Mini lineup for 2021

The 2021 Mini Cooper will offer a manual transmission again, after the 2020 model had to go without a stick shift due to problems certifying that powertrain. It had been hoped that the emissions issue would be straightened out in only a few months, but as it turned out, Mini had to go through the entire 2020 model year with its cars offering only two pedals. The 2020 Cooper and Cooper S models got a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, while the John Cooper Works variants and the ALL4 versions of the Clubman and the Countryman got an eight-speed unit. For 2021, the standard Mini Cooper with the 134-hp 1.5-liter turbo three-cylinder will offer a six-speed manual in the hardtop, four-door, and convertible body styles. The 2021 Mini Cooper S, with its 189-hp 2.0-liter turbo four, also will come standard with the six-speed stick in hardtop, four-door, and convertible form. The John Cooper Works hardtop, with its 228-hp 2.0L turbo, shares in the manual-transmission goodness, but the JCW convertible remains automatic-only, with the seven-speed DCT. The 2021 301-hp John Cooper Works GP hardtop will be eight-speed automatic only. For the 2021 Clubman and the Countryman, the picture is still murky. It's likely that the JCW Clubman and JCW Countryman, which also get the 301-hp engine, will continue to be offered only with the eight-speed automatic gearbox, although the less-powerful versions could get a stick shift again. Mini says, "Manual transmission offerings will be confirmed once 2021 model year information for these models is released later this spring." Given the persona Mini has cultivated, this brand seems like one that should continue to offer stick shifts for as long as possible. Mini spokesman Andrew Cutler claims that the Mini hardtop generally has had the highest take rate for manuals in the U.S. market, with 45% buyers of the (2019-model) John Cooper Works version opting to row their own gears. Related Video: