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Lorien · May 16th, 2002, 01:08 PM

16.05.2002, Brands and Products

Diesel MINI announced

Following the MINI One and MINI Cooper launch in 2001 and the impending arrival of MINI Cooper S on June 8, it was confirmed today at BMW Group's Annual General Meeting that a diesel MINI will be available in 2003.

Specification and technical details are still to be announced, but Professor Joachim Milberg, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, confirmed that a 1.4-litre diesel engine has been sourced from Toyota Motor Corporation. The engine, recently introduced into the Toyota Yaris line-up, will be built in Japan and modified for performance and physical fit into MINI's engine bay. The Oxford production plant will build 10 - 20,000 diesel MINIs per year.

Trevor Houghton-Berry, General Manager for MINI UK said: "We're pleased the deal has been done and are looking forward to adding another chapter to the MINI story. This is a great little engine that will complement MINI's renowned chassis and handling. It is important that MINI is represented in the growing market for small diesel cars and, as with MINI One, Cooper and Cooper S, we'll ensure that the diesel MINI will be the most desirable small car in its field."

Editors notes:
Diesel powered cars now account for 14 per cent of all cars on UK roads (approximately 3.5 million).
Diesels accounted for 16 per cent of new car sales in 1997, but 23.2 per cent in April 2002.
The small-car segment has grown by 30 per cent since 1997 and total sales last year of superminis and city cars reached a record 780,000.

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May 16th, 2002, 01:08 PM	#1
Lorien GP 1986 My Classifieds Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Provincia di Cuneo Local Time: 03:24 PM Posts: 401 Offline	Diesel MINI announced 16.05.2002, Brands and Products Diesel MINI announced Following the MINI One and MINI Cooper launch in 2001 and the impending arrival of MINI Cooper S on June 8, it was confirmed today at BMW Group's Annual General Meeting that a diesel MINI will be available in 2003. Specification and technical details are still to be announced, but Professor Joachim Milberg, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, confirmed that a 1.4-litre diesel engine has been sourced from Toyota Motor Corporation. The engine, recently introduced into the Toyota Yaris line-up, will be built in Japan and modified for performance and physical fit into MINI's engine bay. The Oxford production plant will build 10 - 20,000 diesel MINIs per year. Trevor Houghton-Berry, General Manager for MINI UK said: "We're pleased the deal has been done and are looking forward to adding another chapter to the MINI story. This is a great little engine that will complement MINI's renowned chassis and handling. It is important that MINI is represented in the growing market for small diesel cars and, as with MINI One, Cooper and Cooper S, we'll ensure that the diesel MINI will be the most desirable small car in its field." Editors notes: Diesel powered cars now account for 14 per cent of all cars on UK roads (approximately 3.5 million). Diesels accounted for 16 per cent of new car sales in 1997, but 23.2 per cent in April 2002. The small-car segment has grown by 30 per cent since 1997 and total sales last year of superminis and city cars reached a record 780,000. ********************