FRANKFURT (Reuters) - BMW (BMWG.DE) has delayed the development of its next generation Mini as it seeks to cut costs and as uncertainty over Britain’s trade relations with the European Union make long-term investment decisions harder.
FILE PHOTO: BMW i8 is displayed at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S., November 20, 2019. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
The German carmaker has developed three generations of the Mini since buying the marque from Rover Group in 1994, keeping each vehicle in the market for about six years.
The current Mini hatch model, which has been on the market since 2014, is built on the company’s technological platform called UKL1.
“The lifespan of this platform has been extended,” BMW spokesman Maximilian Schoeberl told Reuters. “For cost reasons and because of Brexit.”
Pressure has risen on carmakers to free up resources so they can shoulder hefty investments to build next generation low emission electric, hybrid and connected vehicles.
The combustion-engined city car has suffered as customers migrated toward larger sports utility vehicles and as tightening emissions rules force carmakers to include costly modifications to exhaust systems.
Anti-pollution rules and cost pressure have already forced Opel and Vauxhall to drop the Adam and Karl models from sale. Mini’s sales fell 4.1% last year to 346,639 cars and showed an 18% drop in registrations in December.
In March BMW said it would seek 12 billion euros ($13.3 billion) in cost savings and efficiency gains by the end of 2022. To reach its goal BMW is cutting the number of available engine and gearbox combinations by 50% and slashing vehicle development costs.
New vehicle platforms cost around 1 billion euros in research and development costs and are used for around six years, Juergen Pieper, an auto analyst at Metzler told Reuters.
It is for this reason that several carmakers have sought to carry over as many common components into next generation vehicles. Volkswagen’s Golf 7 and 8 models share common underpinnings.
BREXIT UNCERTAINTY
The Mini is currently built in Oxford and in Born, the Netherlands, and any next generation car would require investments into the production lines of both factories.
BMW will not make large scale investments until there is greater certainty over the outcome of negotiations between Britain and the European Union over a trade deal.
“If tariffs are in the range of zero and 5 percent, the business case would not dramatically change,” BMW Chief Executive Oliver Zipse said last year, referring to Oxford’s status as a production and export hub for the Mini.
But higher tariffs on exports to and from Britain may force BMW to consider shifting more production to the Netherlands.
BMW produced 211,660 cars in the Netherlands in 2018, a 39 percent increase from 2017. BMW uses contract manufacturer VDL Nedcar to build the BMW X1, the Mini hatch, Mini convertible and Mini countryman models at its Dutch plant.
BMW’s plant in Oxford made 234,501 Minis in 2018.
Reporting by Edward Taylor; Editing by Josephine Mason/Keith Weir
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - BMW <BMWG.DE> has delayed the development of its next generation Mini as it seeks to cut costs and as uncertainty over Britain's trade relations with the European Union make long-term investment decisions harder.
The German carmaker has developed three generations of the Mini since buying the marque from Rover Group in 1994, keeping each vehicle in the market for about six years.
The current Mini hatch model, which has been on the market since 2014, is built on the company's technological platform called UKL1.
"The lifespan of this platform has been extended," BMW spokesman Maximilian Schoeberl told Reuters. "For cost reasons and because of Brexit."
Pressure has risen on carmakers to free up resources so they can shoulder hefty investments to build next generation low emission electric, hybrid and connected vehicles.
The combustion-engined city car has suffered as customers migrated toward larger sports utility vehicles and as tightening emissions rules force carmakers to include costly modifications to exhaust systems.
Anti-pollution rules and cost pressure have already forced Opel and Vauxhall to drop the Adam and Karl models from sale. Mini's sales fell 4.1% last year to 346,639 cars and showed an 18% drop in registrations in December.
In March BMW said it would seek 12 billion euros ($13.3 billion) in cost savings and efficiency gains by the end of 2022. To reach its goal BMW is cutting the number of available engine and gearbox combinations by 50% and slashing vehicle development costs.
New vehicle platforms cost around 1 billion euros in research and development costs and are used for around six years, Juergen Pieper, an auto analyst at Metzler told Reuters.
It is for this reason that several carmakers have sought to carry over as many common components into next generation vehicles. Volkswagen's Golf 7 and 8 models share common underpinnings.
BREXIT UNCERTAINTY
The Mini is currently built in Oxford and in Born, the Netherlands, and any next generation car would require investments into the production lines of both factories.
BMW will not make large scale investments until there is greater certainty over the outcome of negotiations between Britain and the European Union over a trade deal.
“If tariffs are in the range of zero and 5 percent, the business case would not dramatically change,” BMW Chief Executive Oliver Zipse said last year, referring to Oxford’s status as a production and export hub for the Mini.
But higher tariffs on exports to and from Britain may force BMW to consider shifting more production to the Netherlands.
BMW produced 211,660 cars in the Netherlands in 2018, a 39 percent increase from 2017. BMW uses contract manufacturer VDL Nedcar to build the BMW X1, the Mini hatch, Mini convertible and Mini countryman models at its Dutch plant.
BMW's plant in Oxford made 234,501 Minis in 2018.
(Reporting by Edward Taylor; Editing by Josephine Mason/Keith Weir)
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - BMW (BMWG.DE) has delayed the development of its next generation Mini as it seeks to cut costs and as uncertainty over Britain’s trade relations with the European Union make long-term investment decisions harder.
FILE PHOTO: BMW i8 is displayed at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S., November 20, 2019. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
The German carmaker has developed three generations of the Mini since buying the marque from Rover Group in 1994, keeping each vehicle in the market for about six years.
The current Mini hatch model, which has been on the market since 2014, is built on the company’s technological platform called UKL1.
“The lifespan of this platform has been extended,” BMW spokesman Maximilian Schoeberl told Reuters. “For cost reasons and because of Brexit.”
Pressure has risen on carmakers to free up resources so they can shoulder hefty investments to build next generation low emission electric, hybrid and connected vehicles.
The combustion-engined city car has suffered as customers migrated toward larger sports utility vehicles and as tightening emissions rules force carmakers to include costly modifications to exhaust systems.
Anti-pollution rules and cost pressure have already forced Opel and Vauxhall to drop the Adam and Karl models from sale. Mini’s sales fell 4.1% last year to 346,639 cars and showed an 18% drop in registrations in December.
In March BMW said it would seek 12 billion euros ($13.3 billion) in cost savings and efficiency gains by the end of 2022. To reach its goal BMW is cutting the number of available engine and gearbox combinations by 50% and slashing vehicle development costs.
New vehicle platforms cost around 1 billion euros in research and development costs and are used for around six years, Juergen Pieper, an auto analyst at Metzler told Reuters.
It is for this reason that several carmakers have sought to carry over as many common components into next generation vehicles. Volkswagen’s Golf 7 and 8 models share common underpinnings.
BREXIT UNCERTAINTY
The Mini is currently built in Oxford and in Born, the Netherlands, and any next generation car would require investments into the production lines of both factories.
BMW will not make large scale investments until there is greater certainty over the outcome of negotiations between Britain and the European Union over a trade deal.
“If tariffs are in the range of zero and 5 percent, the business case would not dramatically change,” BMW Chief Executive Oliver Zipse said last year, referring to Oxford’s status as a production and export hub for the Mini.
But higher tariffs on exports to and from Britain may force BMW to consider shifting more production to the Netherlands.
BMW produced 211,660 cars in the Netherlands in 2018, a 39 percent increase from 2017. BMW uses contract manufacturer VDL Nedcar to build the BMW X1, the Mini hatch, Mini convertible and Mini countryman models at its Dutch plant.
BMW’s plant in Oxford made 234,501 Minis in 2018.
Reporting by Edward Taylor; Editing by Josephine Mason/Keith Weir
The 2020 MINI Electric (also known as the MINI Cooper SE) is the more traditional looking EV from the BMW group. It borrows many electric powertrain components from the popular BMWi3, but it repackages them in a less polarizing front-wheel drive vehicle whose aim is to offer the same experience as a normal MINI, just without an internal combustion engine.
And on first impressions, according to those who have had a chance to drive it, that’s exactly what it offers. It’s a bit slower than the gasoline-burning Cooper S on paper, but off the line and just generally accelerating from low speeds it feels quicker thanks to the instant torque delivery.
Inside, there is little to distinguish it from other MINIs and even though the interior design still polarizes opinion, at least it’s something buyers are expecting. There are some subtle yellow details that do announce this isn’t your typical MINI, but nothing is especially obvious; it does have the new digital gauge cluster, but that won’t be exclusive to the electric model and it will be added to the rest of the MINI range this year.
The same goes for the exterior where the grille, rims and badging are all that set it apart. If you don’t like the rims, whose design imitates a U.K. power socket, then you can opt for more conventional ones that help the car blend in even more.
Out on the road, reviewers say the car certainly feels nippy and it picks up well even at higher speeds. The overall experience is distinctly MINI-esque, and according to these first drive impressions, it’s a pretty good package, if what you’re looking for is a second car to travel around town in (a proposition very similar to the Honda e).
(Reuters) - Olympic modern pentathlon champion Chloe Esposito has withdrawn from the Australian squad for this year's Tokyo Games as she is pregnant with her first child, the 28-year-old has said.
With the Games set to begin on July 24, Esposito's child is due to be born in August.
"A wonderful unexpected surprise has happened. My husband, Matt Cooper and I are bringing a Mini Cooper into the world this August," Esposito said on Instagram, adding that she had no plans to retire.
"Defending my title will have to wait another four years.
"My priorities will change but the challenge of pregnancy to podium is a powerful dream. Very excited for a life changing 2020."
Esposito won the Olympic title at Rio to become Australia's first pentathlon gold medalist before taking a year-long break.
She returned to the top of the world rankings in 2018 after winning the World Cup final in Astana (Nur-Sultan) but endured a frustrating time last year due to a hamstring problem.
Australian Olympic Committee President John Coates was confident Esposito would be back representing the country in Paris 2024.
"While disappointed our Tokyo team will be missing one of its brightest stars, we're delighted with her news," Coates said in a statement.
"Chloe has been a wonderful ambassador for her sport, Australia and the Olympic movement. I'm sure we'll see her back in Australian colors to recapture the title she won in Rio."
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
So much of Apple’s history is tied up between two periods: Pre-iPod and Post-iPod. The iPod took Apple from a computer company, and it set them up to become a consumer electronics company that would go on to become one of the most valuable companies in the world. What most people forget is that the iPod didn’t become the iPod until the iPod mini was released. The original iPod was $399, where the iPod mini had a lower price of $249.
Despite holding including 4GB of storage compared to the 20GB model that the “Classic” introduced that year, the iPod mini is what caused the iPod line to take off. The HomePod is at that exact point in its timeline. The HomePod needs its iPod mini moment.
HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.
The HomePod was announced back in 2017, but it was delayed until 2018. We’re getting close to two years since the HomePod hit the shelves, and while the software has evolved, the actual hardware hasn’t. The HomePod started at $349, but it has since seen a price cut to $299. Over at 9to5Toys, it was around $199 over the Christmas holidays at various retailers. It’s clear Apple is letting retailers tinker with the price to see how it affects sales.
The HomePod, by all accounts, is a fantastic speaker, but if there is one thing we learned from the iPod, it’s that a large portion of users don’t care about the absolute best sound. I think it’s okay for Apple to target this market, but they’ve left a massive price umbrella under the HomePod, where folks like Sonos, Amazon, and Google can offer lower prices on lower-end products. What Apple needs for HomePod is to create a HomePod mini and expand out the product line. HomeKit is a fantastic platform, but every Christmas that goes by with Amazon selling $10 speakers connected to Alexa is another Christmas that Apple lets those folks further invest in another platform.
The HomePod mini
The HomePod mini should be $99, but it can be drastically smaller and worse quality than the current HomePod. It could provide HomeKit hub support, AirPlay 2, multi-room playback, and Siri access in every room of the house. We’ve got multiple Echo Dots around our house, but I don’t love them. Despite the claims that Alexa blows Siri away, I find it to be finicky. Devices that support both HomeKit and Alexa routinely stop working on Alexa until I reboot them. Opening skills can often be hit or miss in my experience.
Zac Hall had a smilar case for a HomePod Mini in April 2019.
I believe that’s what people mean when they say HomePod should cost $100 to $200. I don’t know how much it costs to make a HomePod (or how much it needs to cost to be worth making for Apple), but selling the current hardware for less than $200 doesn’t seem realistic.
What people who balk at the price of the current HomePod really want is a HomePod lineup, like the new iPad lineup (and the Amazon Echo lineup). HomePod mini at $99 and HomePod Air (or just call it HomePod) at $199 would make the current HomePod (call it HomePod Plus or HomePod Max) at $299 feel so much better.
He’s exactly right. What I want is the ability to have Siri in my bedroom to interact with HomeKit and play Apple Music. I am not going to spend $300 on multiple speakers around my house, and I don’t think I am alone here. Just as Apple has found compromises to make lower-cost iPhones and iPads, they need to do it with HomePod. It’s not just about selling HomePods, though. It’s about promoting HomeKit, explaining why HomeKit Secure Video is important, and promoting the overall ecosystem. The HomePod is a great speaker, but it’s time for the HomePod mini to take its rightful place as the mass-market Apple speaker.
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