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| Re: New MINI Cooper - first unmasked pic -
01-28-2006, 08:03 AM
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Originally Posted by shonguiz I thought that designworks usa was responsible for the style, but it seems that giugiaro designed it... | Not really. Next Mini has Italian Roots
Italdesign handles body engineering, chassis, tests for BMW
By AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
AutoWeek | Published 01/24/06, 1:12 pm et
MUNICH – When the second-generation Mini is launched late this year, its engineering will be Italian, not German like parent BMW or British like the brand.
Instead, BMW hired Italian design house Italdesign Giugiaro to coordinate the engineering.
BMW styled the new Mini and designed the Mini’s powertrain jointly with its cooperation partner PSA/Peugeot-Citroen and it will be built at Mini’s UK plant. But Italdesign is handling all other development – including developmental engineering of the body, structure and chassis – and parts validation.
Italdesign’s role
Italdesign is subcontracting some parts of the engineering that it cannot handle by itself, such as road testing.
BMW says it chose an outsider to handle the development because it lacked capacity in its Munich headquarters and engineering facilities.
“It is a question of capacity within the company,” said Burkhard Göschel, BMW board member for research and development.
He said it is normal to outsource some engineering, but acknowledged that BMW decided to pool development at Italdesign instead of coordinating its suppliers. “Italdesign has experience with small cars,” Göschel said.
The Mini will be assembled in the current Oxford, England, plant, which will be expanded to produce around 240,000 units annually. Later, the car will add a station wagon and a convertible derivative. The current model comes as a two-door hardtop and cabriolet.
Source: AutoWeek |
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