It is no secret that the success of the Mini revamp was thanks to the hard work of BMW, and they plan to take things a step further by working much closer together with some upcoming models. There are reports that both brands will share plug-in hybrid technology; it is thought that this new powertrain partnership with Getrag well help them stay one step ahead of its competitors.
Autoblog learned from BimmerFile that this technology could be used in the Mini Countryman and what is believed to be BMW equivalent. The Mini currently has a 120hp engine, and is expected to keep this. That means that the car will then get a powerboost from the electric motor as well — although not certain how much?
BimmerFile makes a point of the fact that the good return on fuel with the Mini will start to look embarrassing for the company in the coming years, so something has to be done now. They believe that the new powerplant could produce 50mph highway miles, but nothing on what the city miles would be.
On the subject of the Mini, we have learned from Autocar that this next model will get a completely new design. It is said that the Mk3 model will be an even more radical design change than the last. One change that I am glad of will be that overly large speedometer.
What other changes would you like to see?
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