After debuting the 2009 MINI Convertible recently, we knew it would only be time before the John Cooper Works edition came out.. and here it is.

With a turbocharged and direct-injection 1.6-liter four-cylinder, the MINI John Cooper Works Convertible makes 208 hp from 1850 to 5600 rpm and 192 ft-lbs of torque. A brief “overboost” mode will push torque to 207 ft-lbs for even better acceleration. The result is a 0-60 mph time of 6.6 seconds. Top speed is rated at 146 mph.

Even with all that performance, fuel consumption is impressive with a city/highway rating of 26/34 mpg.

As all MINI models tend to appeal to driving enthusiasts MINI has equipped with John Cooper Works Convertible with a Sports Button, located next to the gearshift lever. Pushing this button will immediately make for a more enjoyable ride with tighter and more responsive steering and a more sensitive gas pedal.

Also for the enthusiast-driver is a set of 17-inch wheels with 205/45/17 tires. Each wheel weighs just 22 lbs, however, the tires are heavy runflats.

Standard safety features include ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Cornering Brake Control (CBC) and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), including Hill Assist, Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) and a Brake Assist. Both traction control and stability control can be shut off in stages.

The MINI John Cooper Works Convertible also gets an electronic locking differential.

As for the convertible itself, it opens or closes in just 15 seconds and can be operated at speeds up to 18 mph.

MINI will also offer John Cooper Works accessories for the sporting convertible including an aerodynamics package, a sports suspension,  cross-drilled brakes, a strut bar and carbon fiber mirror covers. Plenty of carbon fiber interior accessories are also offered. Other interesting options are a gearshift indicator and lateral acceleration meter – perfect for those who like to track their cars.

The MINI John Cooper Works Convertible will go on sale in the U.S. starting in April 2009, at a retail price of $34,950, which includes the $650 destination charge.

MINI John Cooper Works Convertible:

Official release after the jump:

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General Motors has just released info and pics of its new micro-car, the Chevrolet Spark, which will be officially unveiled at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show in March.

There is no word on what engine will power the vehicle when it comes stateside but it is possible the Spark could be powered by the larger of the two European engine choices. In Europe, the Spark will come with a base 1.0-liter DOHC four-cylinder, or an optional 1.2-liter DOHC four-cylinder.

The body of the Spark will continue to look quite similar to the Chevy Beat Concept (that first appeared at the 2007 North American International Auto Show [NAIAS] in Detroit), on which it is based. The Spark will, however, be a four door, with rear door handles integrated into the upper part of the door to give the appearance of a two-door. Out back a tailgate spoiler is a part of the package and the Spark will also feature Chevy’s signature round tail lights. 15-inch wheels will be optional.

In total the Spark will measure 143.3-inches in length with a 93.5-inch wheelbase. This is roughly 10-inches shorter in length than the Chevy Aveo, but still 39-inches longer than a SMART fortwo.

Inside the Spark has a motorcycle-inspired instrument cluster and depending on the market, a wide range of safety features will be included, such as driver and passenger front air bags, front side airbags, roof rail head curtain airbags, antilock brakes and electronic stability control.

Official release after the jump:

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In a bid to secure its $13.4 billion in loans from the U.S. government, General Motors is putting forth a rigid restructuring plan that will see 14 percent of it’s global workforce eliminated in 2009. The cuts will occur to salaried workers, reducing the total number of those employees from 73,000 to 63,000.

In the U.S. this will mean the elimination of 3,400 jobs, with most of those cuts coming by May 1.

Additionally, the restructuring plan will see base pay for executives reduced by 10 percent with many other workers seeing a reduction in pay fro three to seven percent.

“These difficult actions are necessitated by a severe drop in vehicle sales worldwide and by the need to restructure GM for long-term viability,” GM said in the statement.

GM has yet to make any clarifications on how many hourly employees will be affected by the restructuring plan.

Official release after the jump:

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Its code name is the HED-6, but this concept car, set to be unveiled at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show in March will be the successor to the Hyundai Tucson. When it does make it to production, this entry-level SUV will be called the IX-35…. at least it will be called that in Europe.

Hyundai has yet to comment on if North American cars will get the alpha-numeric nomenclature that their overseas counterparts currently receive and considering the new i30 recently launched in the U.S. using the name “Elantra Touring” we wouldn’t be surprised if the Tucson name stayed.

When the concept is unveiled in full at Geneva be sure to take a close look, as according to Allan Rushforth, Hyundai Motor Europe vice president, the HED-6 Concept will pave the way for all future Hyundai SUV designs.

The HED-6 Concept was penned at Hyundai European Design in Rüsselsheim, Germany, under the leadership of Hyundai Europe’s Chief Designer Thomas Burkle.

The concept will feature a hexagonal grille, plenty of angles, 21-inch wheels and headlamps that wrap around onto the fenders. Those headlights will feature LED daytime running lights.

Power will come from a direct-injection 1.6-liter engine that makes an impressive 175hp.

[Source: AutoNews]

According to a report on Driver’s Republic, Ferrari will unveil a special HGTE version of it’s 599 GTB flagship at the Geneva Auto Show in March.

Ferrari has produced HGT versions of both the 575 and 612 in the past. The “E” will apparently stand for Evoluzione.

The 599 HGTE will feature a more aggressive front grille (similar to the F430 Scuderia), three-piece 20-inch wheels, a more aggressive tire package and new exhaust outlets. Power should remain the same but expect the exhaust modifications to give the car an even louder growl.

[Source: Drivers Republic]

With the original forecast being a $1.76 billion profit, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has just announced that the company will actually see a loss for the past fiscal year – to the tune of $2.91 billion.

Ghosn cited Nissan’s problems as being three-fold: the current credit crisis, the worldwide recession and the strengthening yen.

To help turn Japan’s fourth largest automaker around Ghosn has a solid plan of action, which includes the reduction of worldwide Nissan staff from 235,000 employees to 215,000 staff – meaning that throughout the next fiscal year the company will layoff 20,000 workers, or 8.5 percent of its staff.

Of that number, 2,000 temporary jobs in Japan will be eliminated, as will 1,680 jobs in Spain. In the U.S. 1,200 retirement packages will be offered. It is not known where the remainder of cuts will occur.

Other key initiatives include cutting labor costs by 20 percent to $7.69 billion; reducing new products over the next five years from 48 to 60; slowing the development of Nissan’s Chennai, India factory; ceasing involvement in Renault’s Tangiers, Morocco factory; reducing board member pay by 10 percent and manager pay by five percent.

Nissan expects that 2009 will continue to be troublesome with total production seeing a reduction from 62 million units to 50 million. To meet this lower demand Nissan will scale-back production by 20 percent.

Ghosn also announced that the company may seek bailout funds from governments around the world. According to Japan’s Nikkei newspaper, Nissan may seek up to $549.5 million dollars in loans in Japan.

Despite all the bad news, Nissan has it better than most, posting a modest 10.9 percent sales decline in 2008.

[Source: AutoNews]

Bob Lutz with the Cadillac ConverJ at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show

Bob Lutz, Vice Chairman of Global Product Development at General Motors, is stepping down from his current position at the company and will retire at the end of 2009. According to a press release posted on the company’s website, Lutz, one of the best known names in the auto industry, will continue on at GM as Vice Chairman and Senior Advisor.

In his transitionary role, Lutz will give, “strategic input into GM’s global design and key product initiatives until his retirement at the end of 2009,” and will report to CEO Rick Wagoner until that time.

Tim Stephens, the current executive vice president of Global Powertrain and Global Quality, will replace Lutz. Stephens will also continue to oversee quality issues at General Motors.

Before joining GM in 2002, Lutz held many key roles at many major manufacturers including being a VP at Ford, an Executive VP at BMW and an executive at Chrysler.

“Bob Lutz was already a legendary automotive product guy when he rejoined GM in 2001,” Wagoner said, “and he’s added to that by leading the creation of a string of award-winning vehicles for GM during his time here. His 46 years of experience in the global automotive business have been invaluable to us.  I’ve personally learned a great deal from Bob and have very much enjoyed the time we’ve worked together. I’m looking forward to Bob’s continued contributions to GM for the remainder of 2009 – and I know the impact of his efforts leading GM global product development will continue for years to come.”

Tom Stephens discussing the future of hybrid technology at General Motors

As for Stepehs, Wagoner had this to day: “Tom Stephens is the perfect guy to take the reins of GM’s global product development. “e’s had extensive experience in virtually every aspect of our global product development activities. With his 40 years at GM, Tom has an extraordinary understanding of our products and our organization, and is highly respected worldwide.  I’m confident that with Tom’s passion for great products and vast knowledge of advanced propulsion, he will continue to raise the bar in executing outstanding GM cars and trucks.”

Official release after the jump:

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Caption: Clarkson, known for his big mouth, driving the Ariel Atom

In an uncharacteristically-Clarkson-esque move, Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson apologized after calling British Prime Minister Gordon Brown a, “one-eyed Scottish idiot.”

Apparently the remarks, made while Clarkson was at a press conference about Top Gear Live show in Sydney, Australia, created quite a stir back in the U.K. It wasn’t so much that Prime Minister Brown was upset, but rather other influential members of parliament and the House of Lords, as well as advocacy groups for the blind, which did not appreciate the association of incompetence with loss of sight.

Clarkson, it should be noted, is paid two million pounds a year by the publicly owned (aka, government run) BBC. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.

Prime Minister Brown, it should be noted, only has sight in one eye following a rugby accident in his teens.

“In the heat of the moment I made a remark about the Prime Minister’s personal appearance for which, upon reflection, I apologize,” said Clarkson.

This is hardly Clarkson’s first faux pas, in fact during the Sydney press conference he made other disparaging remarks, commenting that the Top Gear motorcycle stunt-men are from France and that, “if they get killed it’s not the end of the world.”

Last year Clarkson made headlines for commenting that truck drivers regularly murder prostitutes.

[Source: DailyMail]

MJ Acquisitions, which recently purchased most of Saleen Inc., has made it clear that purchasing Viper from Dodge/Chrysler is of interest to the company.

Automotive News reports that MJ Acquisitions co-owner Mike Shields states that, “We’ve considered a purchase of Viper.” Shields and his bothers own several auto-industry related subsidiaries including Cyltec, LLC, Power-Tec Engineering, LLC, Arrow Racing Engines, LLC, and Control-Tec, LLC.

Chrysler has publicly stated its interest in selling off the successful Viper brand, and recently announced that it is currently looking over three proposals – although the company would not say if one of those proposals is from MJ Acquisitions.

In news relating back to Saleen, Shields stated that the continuation of the Racecraft brand and S-Line are not certain.

As for the continued uncertainty of the S7 and S5 Raptor supercars, former Saleen president Chris Theodore is still on the hunt for a buyer.

Read the AutoGuide review of the Viper ACR here:

Dodge Viper ACR

[Source: AutoNews]

According to a report in Automotive News, Honda Executive Vice President Koichi Kondo is looking to sell the new Insight hybrid compact-car for under $20,000 in the United States – undercutting Toyota’s Prius by $2,000.

At the launch for the car in Japan, Kondo stated that while the company is reviewing its goals and forecasts in this dire economic climate, it still hopes to introduce the Insight to the United States in April at less than $20,000 - a price that they expect will bring an annual sales volume of 100,000 units.

Achieving the MSRP goal as well as the production goal could, however, be difficult. The Insight, as well as Honda’s Civic Hybird, is produced in Japan at Honda’s Suzuka plant and is, therefore, subject to changes in the value of the U.S. dollar versus the Yen.

Hitting the 100,000 U.S. sales target could also be difficult as hybrid sales are on a downturn. In 2008 hybrid sales dropped 9.9 percent compared to 2007.

Another move Honda President Takeo Fukui is considering to keep production costs down is moving Insight production to the United States - something that would only occur if sales volumes exceed the 100,000 mark. By Honda’s sales predictions, green vehicles will account for 10 percent (up from the current three percent) of global auto sales before 2015.

[Source: AutoNews]