Since arriving in March 2002, over 12,200 MINIs have delighted Australian fans with a blend of chic design, cheeky driving style and huge array of personalisation options.

The most recent ‘graduate’ from MINI Plant Oxford, the brand new MINI John Cooper Works, arrives in Australia next month.

In the first six months of 2008, MINI recorded a worldwide increase in sales of 17.9 per cent compared to last year delivering 126,810 vehicles. The introduction of the MINI Clubman has contributed greatly to this success – every fifth MINI sold is a Clubman.

Oliver Zipse, Managing Director MINI Plant Oxford said: “Export is a key factor for the success and stability of our MINI Plant in Oxford. Since MINI was launched we have seen a significant increase in export from less than 60 per cent in 2001 to over 80 per cent this year. The high customer demand in almost 80 countries around the world, from Chile to China, has driven MINI’s success over the last seven years.”

Plant Oxford employs 4,700 associates who work a three shift pattern producing up to 800 MINIs a day, seven days a week. An additional 2,100 associates work at the MINI pressing plant in Swindon and engine plant in Hams Hall near Birmingham; the three plants together form the MINI production triangle in the UK.

The four-seat MINI Cabrio converted many enthusiasts to ownership status thanks to a three model range that comprised the best selling MINI Cooper Cabrio, the high-performance MINI Cooper S and John Cooper Works Cabrios and (not in Australia) the MINI One Cabrio.

The MINI Cabrio is already being hailed as a classic. It was the first model derivative to follow the MINI hardtop into the new generation, and it came equipped with many innovations, such as the sliding sunroof section which could be opened even at high speed, as well as the Easy-Load-System which made accessing the luggage bay that much easier for bulky items.

The very last MINI Cabrio for the R52 generation rolled off the line this week. It was a MINI Cooper S Cabrio Sidewalk finished in metallic White Silver. It was snapped up by a keen MINI fan from the USA.

American buyers were the second largest market for the MINI Cabrio after the UK, where the snug fitting weather-resistant hood proved more than a match for the English summer (and winter, though we’re not sure which is wetter or gloomier).

MINI Cabrio was popular in all markets where it was sold. Fans of open air MINI motoring in the UK, USA Germany, Italy and Japan were the most ardent and willing with their cheque books.

Australia and Canada also rank among the model’s top ten markets.

Funnily enough, in chilly Scandinavia almost twice as many people purchased MINI Cabrios as fair-weathered Greece; in Austria, there are at least five-times as many MINI Cabrio drivers as in sunny Portugal.

With the conclusion of production of the R52, Plant Oxford can now give its total attention to the MINI hardtop and the MINI Clubman.

The MINI Cooper Cabrio accounted for 79,500 of the total sales with the MINI Cooper S Cabrio (and John Cooper Works versions) selling around 56,500 units. The remainder were MINI One Cabrio models, (never offered in Australia).

The MINI Cabrio inspires fashion designers and Hollywood stars.

Right from the start, the MINI Cabrio established itself as a guarantor for driving enjoyment that evokes desire and inspires imagination. At the market launch of the new MINI in 2001, many fans were already longing for an open-top model, which at this time was already being very carefully developed under the aegis of the BMW Group, to be launched just three years later.

The new body variant added a further facet to the unique MINI feeling. The brand’s typical sporty handling was now successfully combined with stylish open-air driving enjoyment. The aura of the MINI Cabrio also inspired the fashion industry. At the sales launch, designers of the Italian lifestyle label Bisazza had the idea to enrobe the MINI Cabrio in a dress of tesserae. More than 30,000 glass stones were used for this purpose. The result was radiant and unique design specimens.

In the following years, further lifestyle and fashion labels created special designs as a result of the inspiration of the MINI Cabrio. Just one year ago, the MINI Cabrio even became a Hollywood star. In the comedy “The Heartbreak Kid”, the leading roles, played by Malin Akerman and Ben Stiller, took it on honeymoon.

A very special MINI, an extraordinary Cabrio.

The two-door vehicle secures its position as a very special MINI and an extraordinary Cabrio with numerous unique features. Thanks to an integrated sliding roof function, the soft top can be opened 40 cm wide, even while driving up to a speed of 120 km/h. In just 15 seconds, the soft top can be completely folded up behind the back seat.

Under the tailgate of the MINI Cabrio, when the roof is closed, 165 litres of storage space is available. Its load capacity is an impressive 400 kg. And with the Easy-Load-System, even bulky luggage can be effortlessly stored by folding up the back part of the top and using the large opening to the luggage compartment to pass through the luggage. In conjunction with the fold-down back seats, the storage space can even be expanded to up to 605 litres.

The mixture of driving enjoyment, cleverly devised details, premium quality and expressive design have given the MINI Cabrio a lead in the popularity stakes, which remained constant up until the end of its production period and will not wane even afterwards.

The assessments of independent market experts, which give the MINI Cabrio an unusually stable value rating, already indicate this. Back in 2007, the MINI Cabrio was already dubbed the “value master” of all classes by the industry magazine “Auto Bild”. This was based on the pre-calculated residual value of 70 percent of the new price after three years. In the current ranking for 2008, the value stability of the MINI Cabrio is only surpassed by one “competitor” from its own brand: the current MINI Cooper hardtop.

Mazda is on track to exceed its full year target of 80,000 new vehicle sales.

Mazda sold 7,524 new vehicles in June 2008, up 8.5 percent on June 2007. That’s just 41 vehicles shy of Mazda’s all-time monthly record of 7,565 set in March this year.

Mazda’s range of stylish, exciting and economical passenger cars, SUVs and light commercials continue to be a hit with consumers, and have driven Mazda to 18 monthly records in a row.

The last time Mazda Australia did not set a monthly record was in December 2006 and Kevin Rudd had just been confirmed as the leader of the opposition.

The stylish and economical Mazda2’s tally of 1,540 is an all-time record for the nameplate. It also a staggering 149 percent better than the June 2007 result of 618.

Mazda3’s June total of 3,284 is its third best month ever - an outstanding achievement for the popular small car, now in its fifth year of sale.

The Mazda3’s 17,458 year-to-date total makes it the third best-selling car in Australia.

A total of 2419 new Suzukis were sold in June, making it the best ever month in the company’s history and continues a remarkable run of 19 straight months of increased month on month sales.

The June result represented a 2.2 per cent increase over the previous record result, posted in June 2007.

“Another record result confirms Suzuki is now being considered against the historical volume players in the Australian market,” said Suzuki Australia General Manager Tony Devers.

“More customers are taking notice of the extraordinary value for money available with Suzuki product and we are on track for another record year in 2008.

“With rising petrol prices having a noticeable effect on customer choices, Suzuki is perfectly positioned to offer a range of vehicles offering great fuel economy, superb build quality and terrific value for money.”

The SX4 range continued its impressive run of sales success in June, with 439 sold – up 74 per cent over the June 2007 figure.

The best selling Swift line-up had another stellar month with 1356 sales, making it the highest selling month ever by Swift, a testimony to its design, performance and great re-sale value.

World-wide production of the award-winning light car passed one million in June - less than four years since production started – reaching the milestone faster than any previous Suzuki model.

The SUV line-up rounded out the record month, with Grand Vitara sales up 21 per cent and Jimny sales up 35 per cent over the June 2007 result.

Devers said the record June result meant the company was on track for another record sales result in 2008.

“Halfway through the year we have recorded total sales of 12,140 units, representing an 11.3 per cent increase over the 2007 figure.

“SX4 sales are up 220 per cent, Jimny sales up 34 per cent and APV sales up 50 per cent, while Grand Vitara and Swift have maintained the same record pace they set in 2007.”

Murphy, a 69-year-old pensioner with a lifelong passion for rallying, will line up alongside other competitors from around the country in Alice Springs on September 8 in a Russian-made 1989 Lada Samara 3-door hatch.

While the cut-off date for vehicles in the rally is December 31, 1985, Murphy obtained documentation to verify his Lada is a run-on of a model originally built on the banks of the Volga River in Southern Russia in 1983.

Based on a late 1970’s Fiat 127, the 1.5 litre, four cylinder front wheel drive Lada has been his weapon of choice in Victorian Historic Rally Association events since 2005 and remains totally standard other than its stiffer Pedders suspension and mandatory rally safety equipment.

He’s attracted to the Red Centre to Gold Coast Trial both for the adventure and because he wants to show that the Lada can compete – and also most importantly – be a qualified finisher. To ensure that happens, he will be supported a service crew of four.

“She’s not very fast, but gee she’s great fun to drive,” said Murphy of the Lada. “They are tough little cars because Russians roads were pretty poor in the 1980s, so they were made to take plenty of punishment.

“Above all, the event is really about the challenge and the people involved in it. They are the ones who you compete against and they are always the first to help you if you’re in trouble. That camaraderie is just something very special.
Wherever we finish will be a bonus.”

Now retired after running a forklift company, Dan Murphy likes to keep active and credits his wife with the support to allow him to pursue his passion of rallying in the UK and Australia.

He’s done four Round Australia Rallies, competing in two and being part of the service crew in two others, finishing 15th in 1998 and 25th in 2001. He will be amongst around 100 entrants in the 2008 Red Centre to Gold Coast Trial.

Other notable entrants include 1979 Repco Reliability Trial runner-up Barry Ferguson in his former Holden Dealer Team Commodore and former Australian Rally Champions David ‘Dinta’ and Kate Officer at the head of a team of three early 1970s Mitsubishi Galants, while two Datsun 240Zs have also made the trip from Kenya to compete.

Entry in the Red Centre to Gold Coast Trial costs $5,500 for the Trial category and $4,250 for the less-competitive Challenge, both prices including GST, with a maximum of 120 entries

Mary’s first trip was in a 1987 Honda Accord at the ripe young age of 75. At 90, there are no signs she’s slowing down.

“I’m addicted to solo driving. I love being by myself. I like to make my own decisions. Passengers always want to stop.” Mary says she doesn’t have a favourite place; she enjoys the journey. “It’s the road. I love the car; it does what you want it to.

Mary’s journey will take her along the Australian coastline for six weeks covering between 16,000 to 18,000 kilometers. With precision planning, Mary travels anti-clockwise in order to save petrol and reduce her impact on the environment. “The wind pushes you along. I’ve also done the trip twice in the Civic Hybrid.”

So what was her motivation for the first trip? “I’ve always wanted to do it. It was a deliberate decision. You can’t lead the same life, this was something altogether different.”

The folk at Peninsula Honda take care of servicing the Jazz and arrange for other Honda dealers around Australia to attend to any issues – not that there has been a single incident. “I’ve been driving a Honda for 20 years. They’re very safe, I don’t even think of the car.”

Mary documents her journey with a dash-mounted video camera and her laptop, complete with voice-recognition software. She also takes photographs of her Jazz at various locations she visits. From her point of view she prefers to drive for 600 kilometers per day without seeing a sign of human habitation.

In anticipation of her 90th birthday and ongoing love of driving, Mary booked herself in for a professional driving assessment. The assessor’s report card read as follows: Mary Taylor’s driving ability is of a very high standard.

Mary prefers to stay in middle-of-the-range accommodation around the country because of the people she meets. “People are intrigued and they always come and talk to you.”

Mary will complete her journey in early July.

The journey from smarthouse in Venice, a district of Los Angeles, to Detroit took seven days. A large part of the road trip saw the test convoy, consisting of one smart fortwo mhd, two smart fortwo cdis and an E 320 BLUETEC, along the legendary old Route 66.

Media representatives from Germany, Italy and the USA took turns at the wheel. They had to cope with lonely highways, desert stretches, mountain passes and busy cities. And a severe spell of winter weather with fresh snow and temperatures of down to minus 15 degrees Celsius not only increased the challenge but also made for tough driving conditions.

Despite these adverse conditions, the participants were impressed by the long-distance qualities of the smart fortwo models - cars that are actually designed for urban traffic. However, the high fuel-saving potential of all test vehicles was even more impressive:

With its 52 kW 1-litre petrol engine the smart fortwo micro hybrid drive (mhd) showed that consumption of less than 5 litres per 100 kilometres can be achieved as a real on-the-road figure. What’s more, the mhd carried its passengers 100 kilometres using a mere 4.8 litres. This impressive figure is thanks to a new, sophisticated start-stop function that uses the idling phases to completely shut down the engine – for example at traffic lights, level crossings or in stop-and-go-traffic. As soon as the driver releases the brake pedal the engine starts automatically and the journey can continue immediately without a perceptible delay.
On Route 66 the smart fortwo cdi proved that it rightly deserves the distinction of being the most economical production car with a combustion engine. Thanks to the world’s smallest direct injection diesel engine the 33 kW two-door consumed just 3.9 litres per 100 kilometres in real-world conditions, and travelled approximately 850 kilometres without refuelling.
With the launch of the E 320 BLUETEC in 2006 Mercedes-Benz ushered in a new era of diesel engines in the USA. On the road trip to Detroit its 165 kW 3-litre V6 engine proved to be at least as economical as a four-cylinder engine in everyday use. Its average diesel consumption was just 5.8 l/100 km. Moreover, thanks to the BLUETEC modular emission control system the popular luxury saloon is the world’s cleanest diesel and undercuts the strictest emission limits worldwide. This is why the E 320 BLUETEC was named “2007 World Green Car” by journalists in the USA.
The E 320 BLUETEC has already won lots of fans in America and a European version, the E 300 BLUETEC is now available to customers in a number of markets. The petrol version of the environmentally friendly smart fortwo will be available in US showrooms from this month.

http://www.transeum.com/motor-shows/tata-nano-the-worlds-cheapest-car.html

The current December issue of the magazine carries a report of the test drive. The turbo-diesel smart travelled 1,000 kilometres from Rome to Salzburg on a single tank of fuel to see whether the stated standard consumption of just 3.3 litres per 100 kilometres could really be achieved.

The route chosen largely consisted of motorways, but there were also detours and traffic jams because of roadworks, long uphill stretches and city traffic in Rome, Bolzano and Salzburg.

The result: the smart fortwo cdi travelled the 1,000 km on a single tank of fuel. This corresponds to average consumption of just 3.3 litres per 100 kilometres i.e. the standard consumption.

According to Quattroruote this makes the smart fortwo cdi the vehicle with the lowest average consumption that the magazine has ever tested in the history of its road tests.

With standard consumption of just 3.3 litres per 100 kilometres and CO2 emissions of just 88 grams per kilometre the smart fortwo cdi is the production vehicle with the lowest consumption and the lowest carbon dioxide emissions. For customers this means that at present there is no more economical and climate-friendly car than the smart fortwo cdi.

And despite its bathtub aerodynamics, wheelbarrow-sized tyres and 250kW power disadvantage compared with the 1974 Porsche 911 RS replica that defending champion Rex Broadbent and navigator Michael Goedheer hope to take to a record sixth consecutive victory, the Dart is expected to lead the field of around 250 performance cars on a number of occasions during the five day event.

No Goggomobil Dart has ever previously run in Classic Adelaide in the event’s 11 year history, so Shannons National Business Development Manager Paul Gates and South Australian Business Development Manager Ron Prouse will also drive into the history books.

In recognition of Shannons long-standing major sponsorship of the event, the Dart will appear at official scrutineering on Monday and Tuesday next week (November 19 & 20), before heading the parade of participants down King William Street to the Victoria Park Prologue.

The Dart will also lead the field into the Victor Harbour and Macclesfield lunch breaks on the Friday and Saturday of the event and will be on display in Hutt Street at the official finish on Sunday.

Shannons is also continuing its close association with other aspects of Classic Adelaide, sponsoring the popular Classic Tour and Thoroughbred Sport categories of this year’s event.

Now approaching its 50th anniversary, the Goggomobil Dart has all the right credentials to make it a Classic Adelaide winner – especially with spectators.

Conceived and built by Sydney fiberglass specialist Bill Buckle, the Dart was introduced in 1958 as a fun, affordable sports car based on an imported German Goggomobil microcar chassis.

Although initially fitted with a diminutive rear-mounted 239cc Glas two cylinder, two-stroke engine producing just 11kW, the Dart weighed a modest 380kg and was thus able to achieve speeds of up to 110km/h or more depending on the gradient, the wind factor and the life expectations of its driver.

By comparison, Rex Broadbent’s similarly rear-engined and air cooled Porsche 911 produces around 260kW from its modified 3.4 litre six cylinder engine, weighs around 1100kg and has a top speed of about 240km/h. It should be a close contest!