Another week, another special edition announcement from British automaker, MINI. This time around it’s the MINI Convertible Highgate, a special edition variant of their soft-top, four-seater named after one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in London.

The MINI Convertible Highgate will be offered with two engine variants, the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S and will be produced for a limited time at MINI Plant Oxford. It will go on sale starting in spring 2012.

What sets the MINI Convertible Highgate apart from your standard model is its exterior paint finishes, soft-top colors and wheel designs made specially for the Highgate model. The new body color is called Iced Chocolate Metallic that has a subtle, bluish tint to it in the sun. The brown soft-top seen in the photos also has a light metallic sheen which is further enhanced by the brown/black hood stripes with blue edging. Other colors available for the Highgate variant is Midnight Black Metallic and White Silver Metallic.

The exterior mirror caps of the Highgate has also been match-painted while the 17-inch Double Cross wheels are exclusive to the special edition convertible. MINI mentioned that the wheels’ spoke arrangement has been inspired by the pattern of the Union Jack flag. The “Highgate” moniker can be seen on the side indicator surrounds, door sills and seat tags specifying that this MINI is indeed, unique and special.

For the interior, MINI outfits the Lounge Leather seats and leather Color Line elements are in Dark Truffle with light contrast stitching. Light blue piping, similar to the shade seen on the hood stripes, contrasts with the otherwise dark interior. Stainless steel can be seen on the pedals while a Chrome Line interior package cap off the stylish interior upgrades.

In America, the MINI Convertible Highgate can be ordered on the 121-hp MINI Cooper for $2,750 more than the MINI Convertible base price, or with the 181-hp MINI Cooper S powerplant for $2,500 more.

GALLERY: MINI Convertible Highgate

Here’s an idea: sponsor a blizzard and name it after a line of cars. That way when it snows, the weather man will be forced to advertise them, how could it possibly go wrong?

Mini is learning the answer to that question the hard way as you read this. It turns out that snow storms, much like hurricanes, are unpredictable and dangerous. So much so that at least 100 people are dead in the aftermath of what was supposed to go down in history as cold weather front “Cooper.”

Apparently, Germany’s meteorology institute allows people to sponsor weather systems. That’s what ad agency Sassenbach did to get their clients’ name in front of customers. Unfortunately, the consequences were grave.

According to the BBC, nearly 950 people are in hospital being treated for hypothermia and frostbite. An additional 100 are dead, mostly in Poland and Ukraine.

BMW is apologized for the stunt which only cost 229 euros, or about $300. Going with the cheap and unpredictable option isn’t something we expect from such a big company. After all, it’s sort of like being in high school and giving a homeless guy cash to buy beer for your party: impossible to control and probably dangerous.

Maybe next time they should look into the adopt-a-highway program.

[Source: BBC]

MINI was proud to announce today that a John Cooper Works Super Production Car (SPC) captured its first FIA International event win this past weekend. Driver Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari took the checkered flag home at the Qatar International Rally, the first found in the 2012 Middle East Rally Championship (MERC).

Al Kuwari had his brother, Nassar Al-Kuwari as his co-driver, and the pair captured the race victory by a margin of 2m 24.9s and was the team’s first career MERC win. It was also a successful debut of the Prodrive-built, Tok Sport-ran MINI John Cooper Works SPC. The MINI SPC is the regional rally specification of the MINI World Rally Car. It is nearly identical to the WRC except the SPC runs with a smaller engine restrictor (30-mm versus 33-mm) and a smaller rear wing.

“It is a fantastic feeling to win this rally,” said Al-Kuwari, who became the 32nd driver in history to win at least one round of the MERC.  “I have achieved success in national rallies in Qatar, but this was the big one. This was the rally I wanted to win. It was a great battle with Nasser. The new car was fantastic. This is the biggest win of my career.”

The team is now looking forward to becoming a force to be reckoned with in the 2012 Middle East Rally Championship.

Pricing for the 2012 MINI Roadster has finally been announced, with the standard Cooper Roadster starting at $24,350 in the US. Those seeking a little more thrill in their droptop can opt for the Cooper S Roadster which starts at $27,350.

And those looking for the ultimate in Cooper Roadster fun, can get their hands on a John Cooper Works Roadster at $34,500 – all prices exclude a $700 destination and handling fee. All models come with a manual transmission as standard, but an automatic can be had for an additional $1,250.

The MINI Roadster features a soft-top roof which can be opened and closed quickly and easily. The standard MINI Cooper Roadster comes with 121-hp and 114 lb-ft of torque with a 1.6L four-cylinder gasoline engine; while the MINI Cooper S Roadster packs 181-hp and 177 lb-ft of torque thanks to the addition of a twin-scroll turbocharger. Lastly, the John Cooper Works Roadster has an impressive 208-hp and 192 lb-ft of torque through a 1.6L four-cylinder turbocharged engine. 0-60 mph in the John Cooper Works Roadster is a respectable 6.3-seconds with a top speed of 147-mph.

Both the Cooper and Cooper S Roadsters come with 16-inch wheels standard, while the John Cooper Works variant will sport 17-inch rollers.

GALLERY: 2012 MINI Roadster

Click here to read AutoGuide’s 2012 MINI Coupe Review

MINI has been experiencing tremendous success in America and it appears that the cute British brand has no plans to slow down. There are now reports that MINI is strongly considering bringing its diesel powerplants to the U.S. and could be turning John Cooper Works into a sub-brand tuning division, similar to BMW‘s M models.

MINI global brand manager Kay Segler recently told Car and Driver that they’re listening to America’s demand for MINI diesel models and that they are “looking into this not for the short term, but for the medium term.” Which basically means America could be seeing a diesel MINI in the next few years, possibly when the third generation model arrives.

In the same interview, Segler also spoke on how he would like John Cooper Works (JCW) to become for MINI what the M brand has become for BMW. That could lead to interesting models from JCW, which would include more potent powerplants and we never complain about more performance.

The major downside of the interview? Selger confirmed that AWD still isn’t on the radar for MINIs (Countryman aside), stating that it’s currently too expensive to implement without a large sales volume increase. Either way, we’re just glad that MINI isn’t sitting around enjoying their American success but rather looking for ways to build on it.

[Source: Car & Driver]

In 1989, Rick Moranis played a nerdy dad who accidentally downsized his children to an insect scale in Honey, I Shrunk The Kids. He probably wouldn’t have believed it if someone told him that 23 years later automakers would be doing the same thing to their cars.

For those of us living in the North American 2012, there are increasingly large swarms of little cars buzzing around the streets. The din their tiny engines makes isn’t overwhelming yet, but just wait.

General Motors’ German subsidiary, Opel, is planning to release a micro car they’re calling the Allegra (or, tentatively, Junior). No, not the allergy medication, though the thing is small enough to be mistaken for a bee in ragweed season, at least compared to the standard American palate. When the Allegra hits Europe in 2013 it will probably stand to compete against cars like the Volkswagen Up, MINI Cooper and Fiat 500.

In fact, it’s a solid 3.3 feet longer than the Mercedes-Benz spawned Smart ForTwo, which looks like a cross between a golf cart and an alien space pod. Our spies caught the Opel Allegra on camera during winter testing, but what’s the big deal? Opel cars aren’t sold in North America, right?

Well, not necessarily. Rumors are floating around that the not-so-smallish micro car might make it overseas rebadged as a Buick. (Why not? It’s not the first Buick to come from Opel). And with the recent launch of the Fiat 500 and the Scion iQ on our shores, the market for mini-cars is growing.

Of course, the name will likely change to keep big pharma happy.

GALLERY: Opel Allegra/Junion Spy Photos

Oh how quickly things can change. Just last month we were teased with the thought that MINI would be producing its Rocketman Concept and now new reports are suggesting that the Rocketman has been canceled, at least for now.

The latest issue of CAR magazine features a collection of new MINIs that BMW had recently signed off on, and the smaller MINI Rocketman was not one of them. It’s widely believed now that BMW canned the Rocketman due to investment costs in making the Rocketman-sized city car to meet current regulations.

Some of the problems that would arise with the smaller MINI model include stability, handling and crash performance. The Rocketman Concept measured in at only 134.6-inches long, a full 12-inches shorter than the current Cooper hatchback. For now we’re going to have to assume that MINI has no immediate plans of developing a vehicle smaller than its Cooper model.

GALLERY: MINI Rocketman

[Source: CAR]

The eternal struggle of parent versus child will never go away, even in the business world. BMW, the parent company to MINI, has ordered that MINI USA conduct a review of it’s advertising agency for the US. Rather than quietly obey, MINI has decided to make a scene, going so far as to release a statement that it is quite pleased with its current advertising supplier.

“Mini USA has been very satisfied with BSSP’s (existing ad agency) services,” Tom Salkowsky, manager of MINI USA marketing, said in a statement. “They have helped support Mini’s growth over the years with groundbreaking, never-been-done-before creative. We are simply adhering to BMW Group corporate purchasing procedures.”

The incumbent agency plans to defend its spot with MINI USA, which is not surprising, considering some of the interesting spots it has dreamed up including the  “Best Test Drive Ever. Period.” contest, which took six word entries from all across the country to see who could come up with the best MINI test drive. This type of ad seems creative and new, which begs the question, why would BMW want to switch up an already working partnership?

BMW North America and BMW owned Rolls-Royce moved to a new Ad company last year, which might explain why BMW is trying to get MINI USA to change it up. Whatever the reason, we hope that MINI will continue to surprise us with fresh new ads (like the one above) no matter what the result of the review is.

[Source: AdAge]

Named after an extremely vibrant area of London, the MINI Bayswater special edition is vibrant in its own right, focusing primarily on “the sporting verge and agile handling for which MINI is renowned.”

The special edition is available as a MINI Cooper or MINI Cooper S sporting a Kite Blue metallic exterior paint job, created exclusively for the Bayswater. On each corner of the MINI is a 17-inch Sandblast wheel with a high-gloss black surface. Those not entirely too keen on the bright blue can also order the Bayswater in Midnight Black metallic or Eclipse Grey metallic paint on the Cooper S model.

Those opting for the Kite Blue metallic, however, will also get a contrasting black roof and sport stripes on the hood and mirror covers. Bayswater lettering can be seen on the side indicator surrounds, door sills and seat tags, while the Punch Leather seats are refinished in an exclusive Rocklite Anthracite color. Two-tone contrast stitching can also be seen throughout the interior of the Bayswater.

That’s not all the interior gets however, as the Bayswater special edition also outfits the MINI with stainless steel pedals and the Chrome Line Interior package and the Pepper Pack. As mentioned before, the Bayswater can be ordered on the standard MINI Cooper with 121-hp or the MINI Cooper S with 181-hp.

In addition to the Bayswater, MINI is also offering a special edition Baker Street model.

GALLERY: MINI Bayswater Special Edition

With the London Olympics just months away, MINI is celebrating the history of the famous city with two special edition models, the MINI Baker Street (above) and the MINI Bayswater (see here). The Baker Street MINI features new exterior and interior design details developed exclusively for the special edition model.

The Rooftop Grey metallic exterior paint contrasts with special stripes on the hood featuring a subtle V-shape design. For wheels, the Baker Street Cooper features 16-inch, six-star twin-spoke wheels finished in a high-gloss black. To match the wheels, the mirror caps and roof are also done in a glossy black. The MINI Baker Street is also available on Pepper White and Midnight Black exterior shades.

On the inside, traditional British influences give the surfaces of the new seat variant a Cross Check Rooftop Grey shade featuring a diamond pattern. The same shade is also used on the surfaces of the cockpit and door trim. Light grey contrast stitching can be found on the floor mats, gearshift/selector lever, handbrake and seat tags. The Chrome Line is a nice finishing touch on the interior.

The MINI Baker Street takes its name from the address of Sherlock Holmes. 2011 also just so happens to be the 125th anniversary since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle released his first book on the fictional detective.

GALLERY: MINI Baker Street Special Edition