Mini Reveals Augmented Vision

When it comes to innovation in the auto industry, there are quite a few technologies out there that show huge potential. One of those is augmented reality, whereby digital forms overlay the real world to create an enhanced perspective to serve a specific purpose. One new player in this space is Mini, which will bring its "Augmented Vision" concept to the Auto Shanghai show later this month, offering a new high-tech way to navigate, communicate, park, and stay safe.

"Mini Augmented Vision gives an insight into how intelligent connectivity between a Mini car and eyewear into which relevant content is projected might work in the future," says Dr. J rg Prei inger, project-manager at BMW Group research and technology, in a press release. "Working with several Qualcomm companies, we have created an interlinked system and augmented reality eyewear with a characteristic Mini design that revolutionize the experience both in and outside the vehicle."

Both customizable and interactive, the AR eyewear projects images and information into the driver's view while keeping other cars and road elements visible. Features include directions when looking for your car in a crowded parking lot, navigation arrows "on" the road leading to your intended destination, highlighted points of interest (such as open parking spaces), vehicle speed and posted speed limits, audible text messaging, "transparent" body panels that eliminate blind spots, and parking cameras.

With this new concept, Mini joins the ranks of several other companies in exploring the possibilities of augmented reality for automotive purposes. JLR, for example, has proposed the idea of transparent body panels before, while Pioneer proposed AR navigation concepts as early as 2011.

Continue reading to learn more about Mini's augmented vision eyewear.

Mini Reveals Augmented Vision originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 13 April 2015 09:00 EST.

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MINI ALL4 Racing

A total of eight MINI ALL4 Racing cars will compete in one of the longest and most challenging off-road events in the world: the Dakar Rally.

Originally hosted in 1979, the annual event is classified as a "rally raid" - that is, a long distance, cross-country marathon run held over the course of several days. The Dakar is composed of hundreds of racers in a variety of classes wielding motorcycles, quads, trucks, and cars. It's a grueling, two-week journey over thousands of miles of rough terrain; an epic test of both mechanical fortitude and human will. Simply finishing the event is a monumental accomplishment.

The original event was a race between Paris, France, and Dakar, Senegal, but organizers moved to South America in 2009 citing security concerns. However, the new location is no less punishing, as the upcoming rally will cover some 9,000 kilometers of dunes, mud, sand, rocks, gravel, and extreme altitudes across Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia.

If you think this sounds like the wrong event for a MINI, you're incorrect. High-performance versions of the plucky vehicle have a streak going with three consecutive victories between 2012 and 2014. For the 2015 event taking place in early January, a total of eight MINI entrants will attempt to maintain the championship.

"Even with the most outstanding preparation, the Dakar remains a tremendous adventure with unforeseeable challenges and highly demanding tasks that all participants will have to master in order to succeed," said Jochen Goller, Senior Vice President at MINI, in a press release. "With this in mind, we are more than pleased to enter the 2015 Dakar Rally with a professional, experienced team in our strategic partners of the X-raid Team, a highly competitive driver line-up and a proven winner in the Mini ALL4 Racing."

Click past the jump to read more about the 2015 MINI ALL4 Racing.

MINI ALL4 Racing originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 15 November 2014 23:00 EST.

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Mini follows the trend – Brings Frozen Black variants

By Ossamah Shabbir on Sunday, October 20th, 2013

Frozen color options have been both controversial and popular at the same time depending upon who you speak to. BMW has been the champion for a while in marketing frozen color options. Now Mini is following the path of the big brother and to start things off offers Countryman and Paceman in Frozen Black Metallic.

This new paint option will be offered on all S, Diesel and John Cooper Works versions of the Paceman and Countryman. We are still not sure if us poor folks on the stateside will be able to order these. Take a look at high resolution pictures and an official press release from Mini.

Gallery 2014 Frozen Black Mini Paceman Pictures

Source: Mini

“Highlight in matt: MINI now with exclusive Frozen Black metallic paint finish.

MINI John Cooper Works Paceman with Frozen Black metallic paint finish. (10/2013)
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Note: This press release was originally issued by MINI Global Communications and has not been adapted for the UK market.

MINI is extending its program of exterior paint finishes for current models to include an exclusive new variant. Frozen Black metallic paint is now available as a limited edition colour for the top of the range MINI Countryman and MINI Paceman models. This innovative paint which has a textured, shimmering matt finish, gives the car a striking and expressive appearance. The new colour and finish is available for the MINI Cooper S Countryman, MINI Cooper SD Countryman, MINI Cooper S Paceman, MINI Cooper SD Paceman, MINI John Cooper Works Countryman and MINI John Cooper Works Paceman.

The Frozen Black metallic paint finish is created using a complex manufacturing process exclusive to the BMW Group. This special painting procedure, which involves not just innovative technology but also a high level of manual craftsmanship, is now being applied for the first time by Austrian production partner Magna Steyr in Graz where the MINI Paceman and MINI Countryman are produced. The special surface treatment encompasses the base layer for grip and corrosion protection, the colour layer as well as the clear lacquer finish which has added silicates to create the matted impression as well as the velvet effect which can be seen and felt.

Attached exterior parts such as the model-specific front and rear aprons and the exterior mirror caps are finished separately in the paint finish Frozen Black metallic. Due to the labour intensive process used to apply this exclusive body colour during production it is limited to a restricted number of cars.

Frozen Black metallic is of the same high quality as the other paint finishes available for MINI in terms of abrasion resistance and colour fidelity. The finish is completely weather resistant and car wash resistant, however hand washing does require special care as spot cleaning of the surface using wax or polish can leave an unwanted gloss effect. For this reason the BMW Group offers care products developed specially for treating the Frozen Black metallic paint finish.

The BMW Group
The BMW Group is the leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 28 production and assembly facilities in 13 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2012, the BMW Group sold about 1.85 million cars and more than 117,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2012 was euro 7.82 billion on revenues amounting to euro 76.85 billion. At 31 December 2012, the BMW Group had a workforce of 105,876 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.”

Mini Cooper

Posted on 07.4.2013 15:00 by Simona

Mini has already announced big plans for the future: new models, an expanded line-up, and new engines are just a few of the targets set by the company. And as a proof that Mini engineers are hard working to keep these promises, our spy photographers have caught the new generation Cooper testing. The new Mini Cooper is set to be released in 2013.

Despite the heavy camouflage, we can see that the new Mini will grow in all directions in order to make room for the production version of the Rocketman concept announced at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The new Cooper will also receive a more aggressive design language, a more sharply steeped A-pillar, and a wider front grille. It will be built on an all-new UKL platform that will also be shared with the next generation BMW 1-Series and will be offered in both FWD and AWD versions.

As for the engine line-up, Mini will offer a new three-cylinder engine family next to the conventional four-cylinder engines. These three-cylinder engines will first make their debut in the new BMW 3-Series as the 316i.

Mini has promised that the 2013 Cooper will be offered in up to ten body versions, including a van.

Updated 07/04/2013: A few days ago the new generation Mini Cooper was caught at a private event and revealed in all its glory. Of course Mini was not to happy about it and said in an official confirmation that the production version looks in fact far better than the model revealed in those pictures. Next to this promise, Mini unveiled a very strange teaser image and announced we will have the official details "soon."

Mini Cooper originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 4 July 2013 15:00 EST.

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Mini John Cooper Works Countryman ALL4 Dakar Winner

Posted on 03.1.2013 17:00 by Simona

Mini has unveiled a special-edition John Cooper Works Countryman to celebrate the company’s huge success their triumph in the Dakar Rally 2013 where Stephane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret have driven their MINI ALL4 Racing to overall victory. This new special edition, dubbed the ALL4 Dakar Winner, will be limited to only 11 units - a tribute to Peterhansel's 11 Dakar wins and it will be sold exclusively in Peterhansel's home country of France.

On the exterior, this special edition uses the same colors seen on the MINI ALL4 Racing: a matte-black body combined with special bright-green racing stripes. The exterior will be distinguished by Dakar Rally winner’s logo and the Peterhansel’s signature on the bonnet. As with any other special edition, the new John Cooper Works Countryman ALL4 Dakar Winner received new 19-inch light-alloy wheels in Cross-Spoke Crusher design.

On the interior, the same black used on the exterior is combined with green contrast stitching on the gearshift lever gaiter and floor mats and, green stripes on the center console. Each unit will also be further identified by a special-edition logo and with the serial number placed above the glove compartment.

There is no mention of performance upgrades, so we can only assume that this special edition retains the same 211-horsepower, 1.6-liter turbocharged engine that is good for 221 pound-feet of peak torque. This sprints the JCW Countryman to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds.

Mini John Cooper Works GP

Posted on 08.7.2012 13:30 by Simona Filed under: Mini | compact cars | coupe | hatchback | Mini Cooper | special editions | Cars | Car Reviews | Mini

The top model Mini from the last generation was the JCW GP - a special edition with just 2,000 units. Now it seems history is about to repeat itself as Mini has just unveiled the official details on the new John Cooper Works GP, described by the company as the fastest Mini ever built: it laps the N rburgring-Nordschleife in 8 min. 23 seconds.

The new John Cooper Works GP will be offered with powertrain, chassis and aerodynamics technology inspired directly by motor sport, but Mini did not announced any specifications just yet. However, they did confirmed it lapped the Nurburgring ring in 8 minutes and 23 seconds - an improvement over the previous GP model by 19 seconds.

On the exterior the new model will be distinguished by large front and rear aprons, striking side skirts, a bespoke roof spoiler and newly developed rear diffuser. This impressive package continues on the interior where the car has the rear seats removed in order to get a more racing appearance.

The new model will go on sale later this year in a limited run of 2,000 units.

UPDATE 09/04/2012: When Mini unveiled the JCW GP, they didn’t announce the car’s full specifications, but today, a leaked document has solved that problem. In Euro specs, the new JCW GP delivers a total of 218 HP and a peak torque of 191 lbs-ft. The car sprints from 0 to 60 mph in just 6.3 seconds and can hit a top speed of 150 mph. (MotoringFile)

Mini John Cooper Works GP originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 4 September 2012 17:00 EST.

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MINI Rocketman Concept 2012 Review