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MINI Countryman to be built in India

MINI sells worldwide – even in the US – and, despite claims it was a step too far for the brand, the MINI Countryman has been a big hit for MINI, offering as it does most of MINI’s charm but in a bigger, more family friendly package and with the option of All4 4WD for a degree of off-road ability (well, certainly the ability to treat boot sale car parks with disdain). Now, for the first time, BMW is to build the MINI outside Europe with a new MINi assembly facility coming on stream in Chennai, India, where BMW already makes 3 and 5 Series models as well as the X1 and X3. The plan is part of BMW’s plan of ‘Production follows the market’ where BMW aim to make their cars where they’re sold, so with the MINI brand showing strong growth in India since its launch it makes sense to build them there.

The Rolls Royce Phantom gets a tweak

Ever since BMW bought Rolls Royce, the company has been on the up. First we got the Phantom, which showed the world just how special a Rolls Royce of the 21st century could be. The Phantom spawned the Drophead Coupe and more recently the Phantom Coupe.

Theory driving test cost to be cut

THE COST of the written part of the driving test is to be reduced, the Government has announced. Under Government plans, which are now out for consultation, the cost of sitting the theory section of the test will be reduced from £31 to £25 from October 2014, with a further drop of drop of £2 planned in October 2015. The proposals could save learner drivers in excess of £100 million over the next nine years.