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2014 MINI John Cooper Works Concept revealed ahead of Detroit debut

The 2014 MINI John Cooper Works Concept (pictured) will debut in Detroit next month The new MINI was revealed just last month, and it sounds the gong for the start of the race to churn out as many variants on the MINI as BMW can manage. And the first of what will be many variants to come of the new MINI is this – the new MINI John Cooper Works Concept – revealed this morning ahead of a debut in a few weeks at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show. MINI aren’t letting on what’s under the bonnet of the new MINI JCW, but it seems almost certain it will be a more powerful version of the new 2.0 litre petrol for the Cooper S, which gets 189bhp in the Coopper S but will doubtless get something north of 200bhp in the new JCW.

Hyundai Suicide ‘Advert’ causes a rumpus

It’s not easy advertising your wares and finding the right balance between mainstream and innovative to capture attention, as Hyundai has found out to their cost with an ‘advert’ for the hydrogen powered ix35 FCEV which, rather distastefully, depicts a man trying to commit suicide by running a hose from the tailpipe to the cabin before realising he can’t achieve his aim as the FCEV’s only emissions are water. It’s a proper cock-up from Hyundai – usually so sure-footed with their PR – but, despite Hyundai US putting the blame at the door of Hyundai UK, there’s more to this suicide ‘advert’ than meets the eye. It seems the suicide video was put together by Innocean – a European Ad Agency owned by Hyundai’s Chairman Chung Mong-koo and his daughter, and responsible for much of Hyundai’s marketing output – and was a clumsy attempt to gauge reaction to the somewhat macabre take on the benefits of an FCEV.

Hyundai arrives in Piccadilly Circus

Hyundai arrives in Piccadilly Circus If you want a clear sign of how mainstream Hyundai has become, the news that it’s taken over the iconic billboard display in Piccadilly Circus from Sanyo is as much evidence as you need. Piccadilly Circus is the UK version of Times Square, and the neon signs have been a splash of international colour washing over Eros for a century, during which time there have been just fifty brands showcasing their wares to the 50 million or more passing Londoners – and visitors – every year, not counting the millions more who see the signs on Piccadilly Circus postcards that still wing their way round the world. The new Hyundai spot – which has been the Sanyo space for the last 33 years – is the last of the spaces to rely on neon lights to get its message across.