It has been confirmed that something Big is definitely going to happen in the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, and it will be coming in a small package. The Big headline today has it that Mini, the British automotive marque specializing in small cars, will debut its tiny Cooper SD, or the hottest diesel Cooper car.
The latest addition from Mini’s line of small car carries the SD (combining the S from the top-spec gasoline engine with the D from the existing diesel) engine configuration. To date, Mini– owned by
German automobile Giant Bayerische Motoren Werke or BMW–has two diesel cars in its entire product portfolio: the One D and Cooper D. Both cars are under the ‘free to tax’ VED band because of their 99g/km CO2 ratings.
So far no official details or figures are available yet, but reports indicate the Cooper SD could have a power output of 143bhp and as much as 220lb ft of torque. Review sites are currently divided over the allegedly BMW 2.0 litre-four-pot turbodiesel engine. According to carmagazine.co.uk the BMW 2.0 litre turbodiesel engine seems unlikely, adding “BMW is instead more likely to tweak up the existing 1.6 four-cylinder with changes to the turbocharging (including possibly twin-turbos). The existing 1600cc engine shares the same bore and stroke ratios as the 2.0d you’ll find in a 3-series, made out of lightweight aluminium, with direct injection.”
And so the million dollar question of when will the Cooper SD be seen in public? It appears like the S D will be out third quarter of this year. The Cooper SD has already been spied tested, and the Geneva debut hints it will be on sale for the ’61′ registration plate in September 2011. The price is definitely higher than the petrol Cooper S, starting at around £18,500. However, the economy of better than 60mpg should negate some of the extra cost.
Mini cars are assembled at Plant Oxford in Cowley, United Kingdom, where around 4,700 people are employed. Engines for Mini cars are manufactured at the Hams Hall Plant near Birmingham, United Kingdom, which has around 800 employees. Mini sub-assemblies and peripherals such as doors are supplied by a plant in Swindon, United Kingdom, where around 1,000 people are employed. Basically, Minis are primarily developed in the United Kingdom by BMW’s Development Division.
