OOOOOOOOOO, I like the Loremo a lot. Is there a chance it'll make it to the USA?

       

Kristina

DON'T feed the trolls

if you like the look of the toyota check this out http://evolution.loremo.com/ was seriously concidering one befor i got an assignment

The Smart ForFour was discontinued in the UK last year. Its chassis was based on a Mitsubishi Colt.

Clubman & 1275GT - its hip to be square!

I live in a smal township of only 2,000 people and definietely out in th ecountry (Hughs been here) and there are 4 smarts cars here and countless BINIs. My point is that even Texans with their egos and big attitude are downsizing into wee beasties. At work they previously sectioned off 2 parking spot for motorcycle parking only. Last month they increased it to 8 parking spots and they are filed daily.

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Check The For Sale
1967 Austin Mini Moke & Other Bits

QuickSilversVille: Go Classic Or Go Home

Smart for Four, I didn't know this was even in the works and I've been tracking future compact vehicles waiting for someone to make a sporty, fuel effecient, 3 door hatchback, that is reliable. The Toyota FT-HS and the future CRX (the Honda CR-Z) were the 2 I've been waiting to come to reality. The CR-Z has a long way to go looks wise though. I personally think it's in SERIOUS need of a nose job!

The Smart for Four looks like it has some potential. I'd like it as a 3 door HB and I'd want the body all one color. Lets also give it a full moon-roof and the handling of a BINI. Another one to watch.

Must of missed it 'cause it has four doors, don't want 4 doors. What's with the latest trend to make all small cars 4 doored versions???

edit: After reading a little more on this car I read this: 
"In 2005 Mitsubishi Motors Corp and DaimlerChrysler halted production .

The two automakers had been in talks on ending production of the compact car, after DaimlerChrysler decided to stop making the model as part of its restructuring efforts."

Boy was that ever a bad move!! They'd be  one of the best contenders in the gas crisis if'd they'd stuck with it. Someone has a foot stuck in their bum.

       

Kristina

DON'T feed the trolls

I Like the smart for four when ever it arrives in Canada, I might consider one of those.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Smart_forfour.jpg

BINI is small - at least on the inside. Ever seen one with 4 full sized people in it? Compare the interior room of a BINI with an equivalent exterior size car from Japan.

I am not a fan of the BINI (and i've heard of the reliability problems) but I thought I read that Consumers Report gave it a favorable rating for reliability. Or is that just the latest version?

I certainly hope that doesn't happen. I don't think the MINI has nearly the frequency of problems that plagued British cars of old, but on the other hand the competition is much better than the old days too.

Until recently, MINI is probably the only company that focused on making stylish small cars. Toyota made a small step in that direction with the Scion xB (but IMHO went backwards with the new one, bloating it up and rounding it off.) Ford's original Focus was also a big step in the right direction, but they too gave it all up and backed off, not following up the success and remaining committed to small car evolution. (Conservative, dull, warmed-over current Focus.)

But I see some of the designs Honda has on tap (the future CRX) and the competition is coming for MINI.

 

 

DLY

Ouch ... thats harsh .... but sure seems to be the truth and deserved! What other modern car has issues with strut towers mushrooming, as well as many other somewhat common issues. Knock on wood, mine hasn't had any real problems yet, but after only 10 months and 10k miles, you wouldn't expect any problems either!

Before MINI gets too carried away with their grandiose dreams, they better get their quality control in line. Otherwise, the traditional British car cycle will be repeated (ironic since the Germans own the company.) British car is cool and fun, but comparatively unreliable. Japanese version is bland and uninteresting, but reliable. Japanese keep refining and hammering away at their designs, and suddenly they have a product just as appealing but reliable and dependable. British car dies off.

Hard to believe BMW can't get the quality control up to par. They don't even have to beat the Japanese - if it were as reliable as a Focus they'd probably be OK.

 

DLY

I think that maybe a good portion of the Hummer drivers would turn in their Hummers, for a MINI or some other such vehicle. Wasn't trendiness and fad a big part of the Hummer attraction? If so, why wouldn't they jump to the next fashionable vehicle?

Describing the MINI as tiny is laughable unless comparing it to the Hummersaurous.

What is the status of the Heinz 57? no updates since november??? im dying to see the latest progress.

I'll be buying a Euro fiesta, Euro Mondeo, or more likely a Euro Focus before buying a MINI.

Stuff hybrids - all this country needs is a wide range of cars under 2-litres (inlcuding Diesels)...

www.savenetradio.org/

"The brand, with its lineup of trendy, tiny British vehicles,......."

LOL...Tiny?..Isn't it larger than the newer Toyotas, Hyundais and a couple others?  I'm sure if it were of a different name it wouldn't be referred to as tiny.

A FATHER CARRIES PICTURES WHERE HIS MONEY USED TO BE 

1130cc, 12g295, SW5 cam, LCB, HIF38, CA spec.

Right on article and comments by Marcel. But, "with its lineup of trendy. tiny British vehicles.....". Uh !!!!!!!!!!

If he were alive today, I'm sure Sir Alec would be happy to know that his message of 50 years ago is finally being listened to in the USA. Not that he had anything whatsoever to do with the product, just the concept. This story hit the news wires today: 

MINI Banking On Long-Term Small-Car Growth In US

3:45pm ET (Dow Jones Newswires)

By Sharon Terlep Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES   DETROIT -(Dow Jones)- MINI USA plans to boost car sales in the U.S. over the next few years, further proof that the world's auto makers believe America's new penchant for small cars is here to stay. The brand, with its lineup of trendy, tiny British vehicles, will increase U.S. imports in the second half of 2008 and open another dozen or so dealerships by 2011, MINI USA Vice President John McDowell said Tuesday. "The last three months are the best three months we've ever had," in the U.S., McDowell said during a meeting with journalists to discuss the brand. "eople are trading in (Ford Motor's) F-150 pickups and (General Motors' Hummers for MINIs. "Historically, in the United States, you bought as big a car as you could afford, but that's changing." Auto makers from Detroit to Japan are scrambling to satisfy Americans' growing thirst for small vehicles as gasoline prices stay above $4-per-gallon. As major auto makers such as General Motors Corp. (GM) and Toyota Motor Corp. (T) try to keep up with growing demand, luxury and niche nameplates also see increasing opportunities in the U.S. to sell higher-priced small cars to consumers who want a nice ride without spending big on gasoline. Daimler AG's (DAI) Smart Fortwo, the smallest gas-powered car in the U.S. market, already has blown past initial sales estimates in the U.S. The vehicle's sales through June hit 11,400 in the U.S., putting the company well on track to shatter the initial target of 16,000 sales in the first year. An 8 1/2-foot-long, two-seater Smart Fortwo, which gets 41 miles per gallon on the highway, starts at $11,590, not much different than several larger, mainstream subcompact cars sold in the U.S. MINI, owned by luxury car maker BMW AG (BMW.XE), has seen sales soar in the U.S., its second-largest market. MINI's U.S. sales are up 33% through June, to 26,400 vehicles. Vehicles like MINI are likely to have lasting appeal as the U.S. becomes more similar to European auto markets, where consumers can choose from a wide range of stylish smaller cars, said Jesse Toprak, chief economist for car shopping site Edmunds.com. "It's a trend fueled by people who are trying to make a statement," he said. "Consumers who have a $40,000 SUV look at MINI as something that still looks cool but can save gas." MINI's McDowell said the company will build 2,000 to 3,000 additional vehicles to sell in the U.S. this year, but lacks the capacity to expand beyond that. The company builds three MINI models at a factory in Great Britain and will build a new type of MINI at a plant in Austria. A fifth vehicle in the MINI lineup would likely need another plant, possibly even one in the U.S., McDowell said. "That's always under consideration," he said. "But it's not going to happen anytime soon."

"eople are trading in ... Hummers for MINIs"  Um, somehow I doubt that someone with the the mindset to actually own a Hummersaurous* would ever be seen dead in a MINI.

It's also interesting to see that FORD has finally dragged their marketing concepts into the 21st century by saying they will retool in USA and Mexico to build the products they sell in Europe. They were rewarded today with a 16% drop in share prices. I think investors realize that a company that big cannot turn on a dime. It will be 2 years before they can sell a car that the market wants today and in the mean time they are going to continue bleeding red ink.

I wonder what's going on the the big board rooms over at GM? Either "this oil crisis thing is a fad, it will pass" or a load of exec's clutching their chests and looking to cash in their stocks before they are completely worthless (NYSE : GM down 11% today)

* 'the air you breathe is of no concern of to me'. FUH2.com, live the dream. 

 

 

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