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2020 Mini Cooper models see a price jump across the board

No matter what Mini model you may have had your eyes on, they all get more expensive for the 2020 model year. Most new Minis increase by $1,500, including every version of the 2020 Mini Hardtop (two-door and four-door versions) and the convertible. As such, the cheapest Mini, the 2020 Mini Cooper Hardtop two-door, now starts at $24,250 including destination fees. Pricing for the Clubman and Countryman models varies more. The Clubman actually drops the base non-S version, leaving just the S and and John Cooper Works versions. The S trims jump $2,000, while the John Cooper Works Clubman climbs $3,500. That bigger price increase does also come with a substantial increase in power and torque, going from 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque to 301 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque. The Countryman retains all its models, and most have the $1,500 price increase like the smaller Hardtop and Convertible versions. The exceptions are the Cooper S E Countryman plug-in hybrid, which only increases by $1,000, and the John Cooper Works which jumps $3,600. The hybrid gets a bigger battery, going from 7.6 kWh to 9.6, bringing electric-only range up 4 miles to 16, and the John Cooper Works Countryman gets the same 301-horsepower engine as the Clubman. Aside from the John Cooper Works and hybrid drivetrain upgrades, there aren't many other major changes to the Mini lineup. All Minis now get a group of driver assist features called "Active Driving Assistant," which includes adaptive cruise control, automatic high-beams and automatic emergency braking. Also, the six-speed automatic available on Cooper and Cooper S models is now being replaced with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. For the full breakdown of prices, check out the chart below.    

Mini says it won't leave the convertible segment after all

Ending years of frequent and credible rumors, Mini announced it will replace the Convertible halfway through the 2020s. Demand for roadsters is dropping in many global markets, but the firm remains committed to the segment. Mini stated it's proud to offer the only open-top four-seater in the premium small car segment; most of the other roadsters in its price range are two-seaters. While it's becoming increasingly difficult for companies to make a business case for a car like the Convertible because the segment it competes in is quickly shrinking, Mini explained demand remains high enough in key markets like the United States and England to warrant launching a new model. "We are firmly convinced of the success of this vehicle concept or the future," said company boss Bernd Korber in a statement. "[In 2020], almost one in five Mini customers in Germany opted for open-top driving fun." Mini stopped short of releasing information about the next-generation Convertible, though we assume it will continue to be closely related to the two-door Hardtop. As we've previously reported, the fourth-generation hatchback will be characterized by a retro design, but it will be smaller and visually purer than the model currently in showrooms. And, while the company is pegging its future on electric cars, the next Hardtop will remain available with gasoline-burning turbocharged engines. Reading between the lines suggests an electric Convertible will join the range, however. Additional details about the next-generation Convertible will be released in the coming months, and Mini announced the model will make its global debut in 2025. It will arrive approximately two years after the fourth Hardtop.  

Mini Vision Next 100 Concept: It's the autonomy, stupid

The concepts that Mini and Rolls-Royce showed off today – the Vision Next 100 Concept and 103EX, respectively – are all about autonomy. The Rolls-Royce doesn't even have a place for a "driver." And even though both are very much blue sky concepts, corporate parent BMW thinks it will make fully-autonomous cars within the next five years. That's according to Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, MINI, BMW Motorrad, Rolls-Royce, and Aftersales BMW Group, who also told us that both cars, at least in concept, are fully electric. The Rolls-Royce has dual-drive, 250kw motors mounted fore-and aft, on front and rear axles. While the Rolls is clearly a luxury concept for the monied few, the Mini is very much focused on a shared economy. Holger Hampf, Head of User Experience, BMW Group, said the chief design challenge of a car-sharing world is producing a car that could in theory mean different things to different borrowers. You get exclusivity because each car would morph according to the borrower's desires. BMW/Mini already have a car-sharing program in London called DriveNow, and a pilot program in Seattle called ReachNow, focused on the idea of shared exclusivity. ReachNow, which allows Mini/BMW owners to lend their cars out in an AirBnB-type scheme or to borrow "fleet-style cars," are immutable – however the car that was ordered is what the borrower or the owner will get. That's great if you're the owner, but it's also challenging for both anyone who'd buy that car used or for anyone borrowing the car. And if the future of most cars is a shared model (Ford is now offering multi-person leases among up to six buyers in a pilot program in Austin, Texas), customization is impossible. The result is what Schwarzenbauer derogatorily calls "normed." He says carmakers have to relearn to brand for a world where ownership is devalued but customization is key. To that end the MINI VISION NEXT 100 is "skinned." We've seen this before with the BMW NEXT concept that was revealed at the NY Auto Show this past spring, and the idea is to use the exterior of the car as a canvass that changes according to setting. Indeed Mini envisions that in a multi-driver household, the vehicle's customization could easily include changing colors according to driver preference – automatically. Dr.