Every year, the North American International Auto Show takes place in Detroit, spotlighting the newest cars from the giants in the automotive industry. The annual standard-setting show takes place in Detroit, which is why it is often referred as the Detroit Auto Show. The 2015 Detroit Auto Show is set up to unveil many cars, and one of the most highly anticipated is the 2015 MINI John Cooper Works (JCW) Hardtop.
Daily News Autos called the MINI John Cooper Works one of the 10 models to watch out for at the Detroit Auto Show. The new model is "the most powerful Mini the company has produced to date", and it has 228 horsepower (with a 2 liter, 4-cylinder turbo engine that uses "TwinPower Turbo Technology), a significant leap from the 208 horsepower of the last model. The 2015 John Cooper Works Hardtop (named after MINI's founder) also has 236 pound-feet of torque (25 percent more than other MINI vehicles), top speed of 153 mph, and can go from 0 to 60 in 5.9 seconds.
Other features include the electronic differential lock and a Torque Steer Compensation program for electrically assisted power steering. There is also two-mode adaptive suspension as an option for drivers, with sport and comfort settings. The 2015 MINI John Cooper Works Hardtop also has a Brembo fixed caliper braking system that was developed specifically for this year's MINI model. There are a lot of performance upgrades as it has a more noticeable aggressive body kit, large center mounted exhaust outlets and some special John Cooper Works badges. There will also be some exclusive wheel designs and colors.
According to MLive, David Duncan, vice president of MINI of the Americas has said that 2015 "gives us the opportunity to engage with and grow our MINI community", and that the 2015 MINI John Cooper Works is "the highest performing and most fun to drive car" that MINI offers. The new MINI is also made for racing as it will compete in the Street Tuner (ST) class of the continental Tire SportsCar Challenge later this year.
As far as the price is concerned, most sources, including Digital Trends, quote the price at about $30,600, and will be available in the spring. Some quote the price as a few thousand dollars higher such as Autoweek, which put it at about $32,300.
LA Times reports that MINI could use a sales boost as MINI's parent company, BMW, reported that its annual 2014 sales for the MINI division were flat compared with 2013. MINI has always had a reputation of being a cool small car from the United Kingdom. It sealed its place in pop culture as the S models were used in the 1969 British caper film The Italian Job. It will be interesting to see if the 2015 MINI John Cooper Works will bring more fame to the MINI name, and boost its sales for BMW.
