New 2014 MINI – Details revealed ahead of debut in November

New 2014 MINI – Details revealed ahead of debut in November As well as new engines, the new MINI will get new transmissions too with the manual option getting a gear sensor to match engine speed when changing gear and the auto ‘box coming with stop-start and input from the SatNav to make sure the car’s in the right gear for the road and terrain. MINI has also updated the chassis with adaptive dampers on offer with two settings – Sport and Comfort – so the MINI can be set up for a blast or a cruise at the flick of a switch. There’s still multi-link suspension at the back, although it’s been heavily reworked, with a wider track all round, variable resistance electric power steering and active rotational damping to keep torque steer in check.

Road users wary of driverless cars

ROAD USERS will be wary of the introduction of driverless cars, motoring groups said today. The AA said Business Secretary Vince Cable was today expected to confirm that the first trials of driverless cars would start in January 2015. But AA president Edmund King said that a recent AA/ Populus survey of more than 23,000 AA members showed that 43% did not agree that UK legislation should be amended to even allow trials of the technology.

Mini may drop Paceman, Coupe, and Roadster

Mini may discontinue the Paceman, Coupe, and Roadster models as it seeks to trim its lineup, following the introduction of the third-generation Mini Cooper three-door Hardtop. Instead, the company plans to focus on three "pillar" models: the Hardtop, the Countryman, and the Clubman. The third model, the Clubman, is technically still speculative as the company presented a Clubman only in concept form at the Geneva Motor Show last week, but given the amount of real-world testing of Clubman prototypes observed, coupled with the production-ready appearance of the Clubman Concept, this model is virtually assured to reach production in its current form.