For 2012, the funky little Nissan Note is getting some upgrading for its top two trims, the oddly named Acenta and N-TEC+, while the Note lineup itself is getting some downsizing. Outside, the Acenta sits on 16-inch wheels now and gets “chrome-effect” caps on the side-view mirrors and around the front fog lights. Inside, items like climate control and automatic headlights are standard, as is a blue cross-stitching on the seats for “a more premium feel.”

Above that, in the UK, the new N-TEC+ trim is now the top-of-the-line model, as the former top-tier Tekna is going away. The N-TEC+ gets rear parking sensors, privacy glass and Nissan’s “Connect” touch-screen satellite navigation.
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Back in October, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating certain turbocharged Mini models for vehicle fires. The investigation came after reports of at least 12 vehicles lighting up, and now the investigation has officially lead to a recall.

NHTSA has announced on its website that Mini will recall 88,911 turbocharged models built between November 2006 and January 2011 for a water pump problem that could result in a fire. The government agency says on its website that “the electronic auxiliary water pump that cools the turbocharger has an electronic circuit board that can malfunction and overheat.” If that happens, the board could smolder and result in a vehicle fire. Read More »

Well, this certainly brings quite literal meaning to the word ‘minivan’. According to Auto Motor und Sport, sources within BMW have reportedly confirmed that a new Mini-branded panel van – possibly dubbed Mini Cargo – will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Read More »

Mini – or Prodrive, the outfit that preps Mini’s rally cars – has inexplicably failed to file for entry into the 2012 World Rally Championship before the series’ December 20 deadline. Mini’s first year back at the top level of rallying as a development team yielded two podiums, and the company hasn’t stepped back from its stated desire to win the whole championship in 2013. Word is that parent BMW is gung-ho to continue but that there are “significant issues which need to be resolved” between it and Prodrive. Read More »

Autocar reports that Mini may be working on a more sinister version of Countryman. The hotter crossover would receive the once-over by the rally kings at Prodrive using lessons learned from the Mini WRC effort. Dave Richards, the head honcho at Prodrive, has made it clear that road-going versions of the Countryman WRC are a possibility, and Autocar was able to snag a few photos an aggressive Countryman wearing a fixed carbon fiber wing and custom alloy wheels. The report dishes on further details by saying that the vehicle will pack a Prodrive Milltek exhaust and a more potent version of the turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder currently available in the Mini Cooper S.
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Mini and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have announced an investigation into certain Cooper S models after reports of engine fires on at least 12 vehicles, five of which resulted in a total loss. Interestingly enough, Bloomberg reports that in eight of those cases, the fires occurred while the vehicles were parked and turned off.
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Car and Driver is reporting that the Mini Paceman has been given the go-ahead for production. The news comes courtesy of company chief Kay Segler, who said that the high-riding three-door is headed to the States. Read More »