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Say It Ain't So -- Mini Goes Crossover

Once upon a time, "niche" automakers had unique appeal that wasn't for everyone. Model line-ups were simple, say a luxurious sedan and a sporty roadster, and produced in low volume to assure a measure of cachet. But the auto market got so damn competitive -- there are now 38 brands offering somewhere between 280 and 300 models -- that niche players felt pressure to compete in new segments. Never in a million years would you thought you'd see an SUV, much less a sedan, from iconic sports car maker Porsche. And while Cayenne delivered boatloads of cash to the bottom line, it pissed off more than a few loyalists. In a Cayenne-like departure from brand character, Mini's announced a crossover concept it'll debut at the Paris Motor Show. It is cleverly titled the Mini Crossover Concept.We are not naïve about how tough it is to stay alive in the car business these days, and we'll be the first to say the Clubman was a no-brainer for Mini. It offers a perfect solution for those who can't live with the tiny hatchback and adds utility/rear legroom while still exuding British character and great performance. But the Crossover Concept is more than a bit out of place for a brand that's made being small a point of pride. In fact, Mini almost brags in their press release, saying the concept is "the first MINI to measure more than four meters [about 160 inches] in length". Overall, the concept is about six inches wider and taller than the Clubman. Unlike the front-wheel-drive Cooper and Clubman, the Crossover sends power to all four wheels. It also offers four individual seats and five doors. The passenger side sports two conventional doors, but the driver's side features a sliding door like a minivan. A hinged tailgate brings up the rear, a departure from the center opening barn doors of the Clubman. A trick folding roof structure runs the entire length of the car and reminds us of the optional Ski Slider Roof feature on Jeep Liberty. In a cool touch, the roof structure may be opened both from the front and from the rear, which is helpful for long items that wont fit inside. Staying true to Mini's love of Flavor Flav-sized instrument dials, the crossover concept features a humongous, 3-D information display that is shaped like a fish bowl and reminds us of that weird globe-thing Ford put in the Explorer America concept. The "MINI Center Globe" is a futuristic attempt at interior control integration and the driver/front passenger can operate it by a touch-sensitive surface, a trackball on the steering wheel, buttons and slide controls in the lower section of the fish bowl, and a keyboard on the front passenger's side extending at the touch of a button from the dashboard. To clearly present all information at all times, the fish bowl uses laser projection technology and is also able to separate the display into two hemispheres. These adjustable, moving hemispheres allow the passenger to surf the web while the driver views vital driving statistics like MPG, MPG, etc. Mini has said an SUV-like vehicle is in the pipeline, so this concept is likely a preview of what we will see. Mini plans to assemble the SUV at a rate of up to 50,000 per year at production specialist Magna in Graz, Austria. It is expected to go on sale in North America in 2010 and will likely share its platform with the forthcoming BMW X1 Crossover, itself based on the current 1-Series. Photos by Mini.

KTM's 240-Horsepower X-Bow Coming to America

KTM is best known here in the states for rip-snorting dirt bikes and the go-anywhere, do-anything Adventure motorcycle, but the Austrian firm also builds a 240-horsepower tarmac-terrorizing car that it now plans to bring to America -- and make street legal. It's an about-face for the company, which had long said it would offer the X-Bow only in Europe and Asia and only as a track day weapon that couldn't (legally) be driven on the street. "We will do whatever is possible to bring the car to the United States -- that I promise," says Hubert Trunkenpolz, managing director of U.S. sales and service, according to Dealer News. There's already a long line of people waiting to get one.Dealer News says 600 people have expressed interest in buying one of the cars, which feature the same 240-horsepower (Hell for Leather says it's 237, but what's a couple of horsepower here or there?) 2.0-liter turbocharged engine used in the Volkswagen GTi. "We need the support of the VW/Audi Group and we need  to overcome some legal hurdles regarding licensing, but at the end of the day we want to see this vehicle on the streets of America," Trunkenpolz says. So do we, because the X-Bow (Crossbow) is supposed to be a blast to drive. With a carbon-fiber monocoque and minimal accoutrements, the X-bow weighs 1,543 pounds -- about 500 pounds less than the Lotus Elise SC. The chassis was developed with help from Italian race-car builders Dallara and Loris Bicocchi, who had a hand in making the Bugatti Veyron and other superexotics handle so beautifully. The chassis produces enough downforce to achieve 1.5-g cornering loads, and the X-Bow accelerates from zero to 62 mph (100 kph) in 3.92 seconds. That's just a few ticks shy of the Ferrari Enzo. Evo magazine put an X-Bow through its paces and called it "terrific." KTM plans to build 1,000 X-Bows a year at a plant in Graz, Austria. No word on when it'll arrive in the states, but Hell for Leather predicts we'll see it in 2010. It remains to be seen what they'll cost, but they go for about $70,000 in Europe.

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Film star Troubled singer Pete Doherty is to show an unseen home movie about his life. The 29-year-old will play the footage at the NonStop Kino cinema in Graz, Austria.