A second blow against the concept is the fact that DaimlerChrysler's smart brand has officially canceled its
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| BMW announced during the first quarter of 2005 that it would be upgrading and expanding its MINI plant in Oxford, England. The expansion would make room for new design derivatives. (Photo: Artist's Rendering) |
formore junior-sized SUV. Ideally, this plastic-bodied soft-roader would have been the MINI SUV's main opposition, but now that it has disappeared the idea and the public's reaction to such a product is now blanketed in a shroud of uncertainty. The challenge to smart, however, is lagging sales of its fortwo and forfour with an associated lack of profits, plus the need to develop an all-new all-wheel drivetrain.
On a more positive note, BMW announced during the first quarter of 2005 that it would be upgrading and expanding its MINI plant in Oxford, England. Currently, the factory has the capability of churning out 190,000 units, which by 2007 would be increased to up to 250,000 units. Between the new MINI, and expected offshoots, the SUV could fit neatly into the extra 60,000 units of capacity.
Meanwhile, the Getrag-designed all-wheel drive system itself, now named Twinster, is popping up again on the
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| The sketches of the Canyon Carver could be a glimpse of MINI's future lineup. (Photo: BMW DesignWorks) |
regular three-door MINI Cooper. Insiders suggest that the next-gen Cooper S Works, with its 230-horsepower 1.6-litre turbocharged motor, could be mated to the all-wheel drive system. Having already impressed BMW's own engineering boss in a specially-made variant, the AWD model would have massive advantages over the standard front-wheel drive model, turning the already fantastic Cooper into the perfect corner carver. Such a model would tentatively be called the "MINI Monte Carlo," after the famous red-and-white '60s Austin Cooper 1275S that dominated the annual Monte Carlo Rally.
