[BruceK]

Quote:

On 26-10-2001 12:12 James_CooperS wrote:
....I am also quite sure that BMW did not jointly \"design\" the current Crysler engine :? they are infact not happy with the current engine in direct comparison to the smoothness of their existing BMW 4 pot units. The only reason for sourcing outwith BMW was because current BMW 4 pots will not fit and Chrysler have a good reputation for very strong reliable units. 8D ….

The MINI does not use a \"Chrysler\" engine. It is a Tritec engine, developed and manufactured by Tritec Motors Ltda., in Brazil. Tritec is <i> jointly </i> owned by BMW and DaimlerChrysler. An agreement between the two companies was signed in 1998 resulting in a huge factory capable of producing 400,000 engines per year being built. Of course, besides being used in the MINI, versions of the Tritec engines also find their way into export versions of Chrysler products such as the Neon. Perhaps that\'s where the confusion lies.

Quote:

....BMW is indeed going to be developing a smaller engine for the new 1 series. This engine will also be used in the MINI from 2003…..

Perhaps that\'s true, but having this happen in 2003 seems highly unlikely. It is hard to believe that BMW would decide to put a different engine in the MINI after only one and half years of production with the current powerunit. The costs would be staggeringly high to work on packaging the new engine into MINI now. New ancillaries, new testing, new certification, changes to the production line, etc. Based upon labor costs alone, an engine made in the UK would likely cost more than one made in Brazil. And what would the long list of benefits of this massive, expensive change be? A reportedly \"smoother\" engine? |o