The boys and girls over at MINI have been busy bodies in the last few years. While the company originally started making just one body style of car with two engine options, MINI has now grown and offers a whole line of vehicles.

You still get the regular Cooper, but add to that the Convertible, the Clubman, the Countryman, the recently announced Paceman, plus the Coupe and Speedster versions planned for 2012, you’d think MINI has enough on its plate already. But you’d be wrong, or at least you would be if the latest rumors prove to be true.

The internet is buzzing with the news that a new version of the MINI Clubman will be launched at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show, dubbed the Hampton. It is said to feature a reef blue metallic paint job with red stripes and door mirror caps.

Along with the expected new badges for this model, also look for such goodies as bi-xenon headlights and new 17-inch alloy wheels as standard. Inside expect black leather with red accents covering seats and other surfaces.

There is no word on price or availability or if any power or chassis tuning is in the works also, but guess we just have to wait till March to find out.

MINI is also expected to debut a new Cooper SD model in Geneva, along with a range of more powerful diesel engines for all of its vehicles.

See AutoGuide’s complete 2011 Geneva Auto Show preview here.

[Source: MotoringFile]

Show of hands: who has actually read the owner’s manual that came with their car? Yep, that’s what we thought… not that many of you. Because so few of us actually get around to reading it, Dodge has come up with an app for that.

Dodge and Mopar make it easier for owners by offering a free, new smartphone application that puts the information at your fingertips. You can bring up vehicle operation, maintenance and warranty information, product feature video demonstrations, connections with fellow owners via the company’s brands on social media sites and access to customer care and 24-hour road-side assistance. This is one owner’s manual you won’t shove in the glove box.

Another bonus: since it’s a digital system, any changes Dodge makes to the manual are made in real time, so you’ll get them the moment they are updated.

In the US, owners of the new Dodge Durango and Charger can download vehicle information applications to select personal smartphones. The app will be available for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android devices on major mobile carriers.

Do you enjoy watching the Dakar Rally? If so, then you probably have day dreamed about driving those awesome off-road racers to the mall or to work. Only problem is, while these racers have minor details like the shape of the headlights and names in common with models you’d find in showrooms, technically, they’re completely different.

Take the Volkswagen Touareg for example. The one that races in the Dakar Rally has little in common with the one you’ll find in the showrooms. That, however, could change if they decide to put the Race Touareg 3 concept into production.

Unveiled at the Qatar Motor Show, this concept marries the madness of the rally machine with some civility from the road going version. Thankfully it is more like the rally car than the normal showroom model.

Not only does it look like the racer that just won the 2011 Dakar rally, but it has the same powertrain also. So you get the same 2.5-liter turbo-diesel engine that produces 296-hp and a whopping 442 lb ft of torque. Power is sent to all wheels via a 5-speed sequential gearbox that has a three-plate ceramic clutch and three limited slip differentials. In other words, this vehicle doesn’t even know the meaning of getting stuck.

It’s quick too, 0-60 mph takes just 6.1 seconds and tops out at 117 mph (due to those large dune bashing tires, otherwise it would have been even faster).

While the cockpit of the race versions have no interior trimming whatsoever, the Race Touareg 3 concept has a fully finished, well appointed interior.

And now the bad news, this awesome concept is just a concept. There are no production plans yet, but if everyone bugs VW enough, they could put it into limited production. Hey, these things have happened before. So if you would like to park one of these on your driveway, tell those Germans at VW to make one for you and your friends.

Watch out Ford Raptor.

Soccer moms sometimes get a raw deal because of the vehicle of choice. But it’s not like they have much of a choice – a minivan is the best-equipped vehicle to haul their aspiring David Beckhams to games and practices. It’s time to stop mocking the soccer mom, and automakers are setting out to make the minivan cool… but will moms jump on the minivan band wagon?

At the recent Detroit Auto Show, a group of mothers from MomsLikeMe.com critiqued the latest wave of minivans. For the most part, they liked all the new creature comforts they came with, but when it came to the vehicle’s cool factor, they just couldn’t see it becoming any hipper than it already is (which means, not at all). They agreed that the minivan is all about practicality, not style sense.

“It is not worth the hassle to try and stuff everything and all your kids into a regular car,” said Patti Cleland, a 42-year-old mother of three from Grosse Pointe Woods.

The MomsLikeMe crew check gave critiques of the all-new Ford C-Max, Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, Dodge Grand Caravan and Volkswagen Routan. Even though it was smaller, the C-Max scored high marks, and so did the Sienna, thanks to its four up-front cupholders, the dual moonroofs and the reclining second-row seats with leg rests.

[Source: The Detroit Free Press]

Hamann plans to make quite the splash at the Geneva Motor Show, announcing that they’ll be revealing a new widebody Porsche Cayenne and widebody Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in early March.

Hamann is well known for their tuning packages for European vehicles, so it’s no surprise that they’ll be following up their tamer body kits on the Cayenne and SLS AMG with more aggressive ones, widening both vehicles’ stance and outfitting them with wider and more aggressive wheels. We can’t wait to see the finished product.

Get AutoGuide’s complete 2011 Geneva Auto Show Preview here.

As gas prices to rise and automakers develop more fuel efficient vehicles, spurred on by CAFE requirements, all kinds of new developments are underway.

At MINI, one proposal is to bring a diesel version of the Cooper S across the pond, powered by BMW’s 141 hp 2.0-liter oil burning four. However, stricter emissions requirements, mandating the need for Urea injection, soon nixed the idea on the grounds of cost.

Now, it would appear that instead, future U.S. bound MINI will get a line of 1.5-liter three-cylinder engines and possibly a plug-in hybrid powertrain. As far the latter is concerned, MINI will partner up with Getrag to produce it and this will likely be a plug-in system, designed to extend the vehicle’s range on electric power alone.

According to Bimmerfile.com, if it does materialize at all, the hybrid driveline will  be relegated MINI’s larger models, such as the Countryman (shown above), where the benefits of hybrid technology will likely reap the greatest rewards in terms of fuel economy savings. The hybrid driveline will also probably be shared with BMW‘s smaller SUVs, such as the X1 and possibly the X3 to maximize return on development costs.

[Source: Bimmerfile.com]

While the Geneva Auto Show is capturing all the buzz right now, this week the Qatar Motor Show is the place to be. Alongside several debuts from Volkswagen, Lamborghini has unveiled an all new model.

No, it’s not the highly anticipated successor to the Murcielago. Instead, Lambo unwrapped a new special edition version of the Gallardo. Called the LP560-4 Bicolore, this new version of Lambo’s best-selling model is build specifically for the Euro and Asian markets, with the same trim set to be offered in North America – but on the rear-drive LP550-2 model.

Like the Special Edition first-gen Gallardo, this model gets a gloss black roof, pillars, front air intakes and front spoiler. This contrasts with the standard paint color, which is available several hues: yellow, orange, silver, blue or white. Also outside the newest Lambo gets special titanium-finish wheels, while the interior gets black leather with contrasting stitching that matches the exterior paint.

Under the hood, nothing is new, but do you really need more than 560-hp?

GALLERY: Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Bicolore

Not ready to let Subaru steal the show with the unveiling of its FT-86-based concept in Geneva, Toyota will do the same.

But wait. What’s that you say? Toyota already unveiled the FT-86 Concept? Well yes, but this is the FT-86 Concept II. Yup, a sequel.

With a lone teaser image, Toyota’s new concept will give us a more accurate glimpse at the production version of the sports car and Toyota says it embodies the automaker’s, “reborn passion for sports car driving.”

In a brief press release, Toyota highlights its sports car history. We just hope they don’t disappoint and let the engineers build this one, not the accountants and lawyers.

The car will debut at the Geneva Auto Show on March 1st. Until then, see AutoGuide’s complete Geneva Auto Show Preview here.

Ford has announced a recall for 425,000 of its 1999 to 2003 Windstar minivan models as a result of an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The issue surrounds a rust problem with the front subframe, that could fracture, which Ford says could result in a steering issue (although considering the structural purpose of the front subframe, the real consequences could be much more severe).

The subframe seems to suffer from the same rust issue that prompted Ford to recall 612,000 Windstars last year.

As the issue surrounds structural rust, it only applies to vehicles from certain states, including Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

Ford has said it will reimburse owners who have already had repairs made. Many Windstar owners have already agreed to sell back their vehicle to Ford, as the automaker has been unable to repair the part in a timely fashion.

First came the Aston Martin Vanquish S in 2005, followed by the DBS in 2008, and now for 2011 we are blessed by the arrival of the V8 Vantage S. Could this already ultra sexy machine get even sexier? Yes it can.

While the visual changes to the Vantage S might be subtle, but they work beautifully. It gets a new nose job thanks to a new bumper which features a larger air intake, new wider side sills and a revised rear bumper plus those gorgeous new 19-inch “V” spoke alloy wheels.

But there is more to this new “S” than meets the eye. Under the skin it gets retuned springs and dampers, and new ratios for the power steering system. Sounds tempting already.

But wait there’s more. You also get a newly massaged engine which now develops 430-hp and 361 lb ft of torque, a slight increase over the regular Vantage model. The biggest change is with a device that spends its life changing gears, the gearbox. The Vantage S is the first Aston product to benefit from the new 7-speed gearbox. It’s called SportShift II, and it has shorter gear ratios plus the transmission shifts about 20% quicker than the previous system, so the car will be quicker than before, although Aston has not mentioned any performance data yet. More importantly for owners, it’s certain to be much smoother than the current box.

Plus, with greater speed comes better braking also thanks to larger diameter front brakes.

The Vantage S is available now, so if you needed one more reason to ask your boss for a big promotion, this might just be it.

GALLERY: Aston Martin V8 Vantage S