Since the introduction of the modern MINI to the US market in 2002, the brand has proven that small cars and premium models are no longer mutually exclusive.  The recent spike in fuel prices has been particularly beneficial to MINI, which has seen its U.S. sales jump 34 percent through the first half of 2008.

Jim McDowell, vice president of MINI USA, met with members of the media in Birmingham, MI to discuss the BMW brand's success and where the company is going. Earlier in July, BMW Sources told trade publication Automotive News that the company planned to build 500 battery powered and send the bulk of them to California for testing. Green Fuels Forecast asked McDowell for more details on the electric MINI plans.

McDowell explained that his team was caught by surprise with this news from the parent company. At this time, neither BMW AG in Germany or MINI has finalized the plans for the introduction of the electric car or its specifications. Everything regarding the first electric car from BMW Group is still "in progress." McDowell was not able to tell GFF what type of battery technology will be used in the MINI-EV.  During the recent debut of the new generation 7-Series BMW officials acknowledged that the company will be using lithium ion batteries in the hybrid vehicles that it will introduce in 2009.

McDowell did reveal that the MINI-EV "will be on the road in the hands of real customers by this time next year (summer 2009)." The company has not yet decided if the cars will be leased or sold, although McDowell did say that the MINI-EV "could go nationwide."

One of the keys to MINI's recent success in the US market has been fuel economy. The MINI Cooper is among the most fuel efficient non-hybrid vehicles available. The manual transmission MINI Cooper is currently EPA rated at 28/37mpg city/highway. Diesel Forecast recently tested a European market MINI Cooper D and achieved 47mpg in real world driving.

When GFF asked McDowell about offering the MINI D in the US market, he acknowledged that the company "would like a diesel" but it would "want it to be a 50-state model" and "be rated at more than 50mpg." Since the MINI diesel has a small displacement 1.6L engine it probably could be modified to meet Tier 2 Bin 5 NOx emissions standards with a lean NOx trap rather than a urea injection system.

McDowell gave no indication of when a diesel might potentially arrive in the US market. MINI is currently selling every car it can get and finished June 2008 with just a four-day supply of cars. MINI USA hopes to get an extra 2,000-3,000 cars above what was originally scheduled from the Oxford England factory through the remainder of 2008. Until more production capacity becomes available, it seems unlikely that a diesel MINI will be offered, unless BMW needs it to meet fleet average mileage numbers in the coming years.

McDowell made it clear that the company does not consider the tiny MINI to be the best car for most people. However, the brand wants the MINI to be "the perfect car for some." MINI intends to stay a "small car company" in both overall sales volumes and the size of its vehicles.

Even the upcoming fourth MINI model, a crossover, will remain small and low to the ground to maintain the brand's reputation for excellent handling.

JULY 2008