In the last generation of the Mini, the John Cooper Works package underwent a slow evolution. It began as a dealer-installed kit that included a revised head, a new supercharger with a smaller drive pulley, and a free-flowing exhaust system. The sum of the parts was a 37-hp bump to an even 200. Eventually, the kits became so popular that they were installed on the assembly line. For its last hurrah, JCW created the Grand Prix kit, a limited-edition model that deleted the back seat in favor of a strut-tower brace and boosted the horsepower to 215.
Mini is starting back at the bottom of the scale with the next JCW package, which will again be dealer-installed. Current Mini owners can drop their car by the dealer any time to retrofit the kit, which will still be covered for the remainder of their car's warranty.
People are already referring to JCW as Mini's M performance arm, but we'll wait to hop aboard that bandwagon. An M car with a tepid 17-hp increase over the base model would send people screaming into the streets to roll cars onto their roofs, light them on fire, and proclaim the end of the world, damn the tear gas. But that's just what the 2008 Mini Cooper S JCW gets: 17 more horses, from the Cooper S's 172 to 189.
This conservative gain is the sort of weekend tweak you might do on a lazy six- or twelve-pack Saturday in your driveway: a sport exhaust, an air cleaner, and an optimized engine controller. Like the Porsche 911 Turbo, the JCW package gives the Cooper S's turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder an "overboost" function that allows the engine to temporarily produce a higher torque peak of 199 pound-feet under full throttle versus the usual 184. These are increases of 22 and 7 pound-feet, respectively, over a base Cooper S.
No matter how great or small, no power increase goes unadvertised. To that end, the Mini Cooper S JCW gets unique body-colored side skirts as well as front and rear fascias. Carbon fiber adorns the side-view mirrors and the hood-scoop surround. A carbon-fiber rear spoiler is also available, black and shiny or painted body color. A 10mm suspension drop over unique 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 205/40R-18 run-flat tires completes the look.
JCW pilots will sit in special seats and grip a sport steering wheel that can be wrapped in leather or Alcantara. Scattered around the cockpit will be carbon-fiber trim pieces. Additionally, the Mini Cooper S John Cooper Works is customizable with Mini's full range of accessories. The JCW package will run $2100, plus a recommended two-hours of labor for installation. A kit tailored for automatic-equipped Minis will be available later in 2008.
The last hurrah for the first-generation of BMW's Mini is the wildest. With 218 hp and 100 pounds less weight to haul around, it's also the fastest.
Fiat evidently is worried that its 500 hatchback and convertible are perceived as girls’ cars. At the Paris auto show it’s introducing what it characterizes as the “more dynamic, male version” of its compact city car, the 500S.
The Fiat 500S includes model-specific bodywork such as aggressively designed bumper covers; a honeycomb front grille that appears to mimic a five-o’clock shadow; and contrasting dark gray door handles, trunk handle lip, and mirror caps. The 500S gets its own specific, dark-finished 15-inch wheels, with 16-inchers optional. As the 500S is based on the Europe-spec car, the model also wears different bumper-mounted daytime running lights/turn signals and taillights than the units found on U.S.-spec models.
Inside, the 500S sports brushed gray dashboard trim, a flat-bottom steering wheel, heavily bolstered seats, and a large 7.0-inch Uconnect touchscreen infotainment system that’s a full two inches bigger than the standard unit. Power comes courtesy of one of three engine options: a 69-hp 1.2-liter four-cylinder, a 95-hp 1.3-liter turbo-diesel four-cylinder, or a 105-hp 0.9-liter turbocharged two-cylinder. None are particularly powerful, although we’d like to see the latter engine offered on our shores.
Regardless, the 500S isn’t for us Yanks. Instead, Fiat is offering the car to our brethren across the Atlantic, a group of individuals who seemingly prefer big infotainment screens over big horsepower figures.
Toyota says it's "bemused" by the Wall Street Journal's recent story that the timing for its next generation of the Prius has been pushed back. Rebutting the story, Toyota issued the following statement:
"We've been very interested to note stories in The Wall Street Journal over the past couple of days purporting that the introduction of a next-generation Prius has been delayed because of the slow pace of development of lithium-ion batteries.
The Journal also claims that those same concerns have postponed the introduction of the use of our Hybrid Synergy Drive, using those batteries, in other Toyota vehicle lines such as the Sequoia and the Tundra.
Of course Toyota maintains detailed schedules for future vehicle development, production and launch--schedules that are under constant refinement as market conditions and consumer needs evolve. But, we've never announced the timing for the introduction of a next-generation Prius, or for any of our other hybrid vehicles. We do, in fact, introduce our vehicles only when they're ready for introduction.
For that matter, we've not shared much information about a next-generation Prius, since--like most companies operating in a highly competitive market--we don't talk explicitly about future product. And we've not discussed the type of battery that any hypothetical next-generation version of Hybrid Synergy Drive might use.
So to suggest that any timing has been changed for the introduction of a vehicle for which an introduction schedule hasn't been finalized and published, using battery technology that we've previously said isn't ready for prime-time, is - well, it's curious and perplexing.
In fact, we have consistently affirmed that there are many issues that need to be resolved, beyond the safety and reliability of lithium-ion batteries, before a commercial lithium-ion-equipped hybrid - and what we're talking about here is the so-called plug-in hybrid, or PHEV - is ready for the market.
These issues include battery cost, availability, performance and packaging. All of the car makers face the same problems when it comes to these issues. The answers, unfortunately, are not just around the corner.
We will, as usual, develop our drive systems, and the vehicles they power, until we get them completely right. Our aim is produce the best hybrid possible, and nothing less. And when it comes to PHEVs, the race to produce a workable, practical PHEV won't necessarily go to the swift. It will go to the company that gets its homework done properly. So rather than be distracted by reports like those in the Journal, we'll work to produce the next generation Prius - and indeed, the next generation of Hybrid Synergy Drive. They will appear only when our high standards are met.
That said, the part that the story's author got correct is our concern with safety, albeit not just battery safety. We're a global car company focused on producing high quality vehicles that are dependable, reliable and fun to drive; cars and trucks that deliver a customer experience that is second to none and one that does not include any compromise on the well-being of our customers. It should go without saying that occupant safety and protection is an element of our business that permeates everything we do-Kaizening relentlessly.
For those of you who don't closely follow hybrid technology, one issue has been that lithium-ion batteries, the same sort of thing used in my laptop at work and my cordless drill at home, can produce heat under certain conditions. That's wasting energy. Our focus is on ensuring we're putting the right lithium-ion batteries in future hybrids-new batteries that are efficient, much lighter, more affordable, worry-free and as durable as the Toyota vehicles they help propel.
In fact, Lithium-ion batteries are in use today in a number of consumer products and even in a Toyota car that we don't sell in the states. A high performance hybrid power management system is employed in the "intelligent package" of Toyota Vitz vehicles sold in Japan.
Other manufacturers who are counting on this technology have also acknowledged the unique challenges. Range per charge is one such obstacle to overcome. A 10-mile round trip to the train station or market in Japan is not at all unusual. But in the U.S., that's a rarity, and consumers will expect considerably more in electric charge capacity-no matter what the battery type.
Prototype hybrids using lithium-ion batteries already exist, but promises of longer driving ranges on a single charge appear to be several years away. Why? Because nobody has fully figured out the optimum use of lithium-ion batteries in automobiles.
Are we working on this? Sure we are. So are others. Prime-time readiness for this technology will come. But there's just no way to tell when the required chemical, engineering and manufacturing breakthroughs will be made.
In the meantime, we continue to use nickel-metal-hydride batteries in our Hybrid Synergy Drive systems. For now, they represent the best technology for this use, and they're safe, reliable and recyclable - so reliable, in fact, that we can warrantee them in our Hybrid Synergy Drive systems for 150,000 miles.
The old brick train station at Santa Anita is the locale for Stan’s marvelous painting depicting a wealthy California developer waiting for the arrival of his special lady. Note the dozen red roses, and the station’s resident feline. The Packard Dual Cowl Phaeton automobile was top-of-the-line, and is prized by collectors to this day.