The Brilliant Mini Cooper Research Program

Dirk Gibson
September 21, 2009

Mini Coopers are cars you tend to love or hate. I own one and love it, but can see how the car isn’t for everyone. What can’t be disputed is the out of the box thinking the company pursues with relish. The latest unique idea comes from the review of the new electric Mini Coopers.

How do you test a car in the real world when you want to know how it really is going to run? Well, you get it out on the road in real world conditions. For Mini Cooper, this means essentially giving the new electric prototype to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for a year. Okay, not giving. The Sheriff is being charged $10 a month for each one. In exchange, the various staff using the car will provide feedback on how it works, the positives and the negatives.

The “Mini E” is an interesting foray into the electric car niche for the company. Owned by BMW, the Mini E is being tested as thoroughly as any car could. The car is a two seater and has been out and running on the road in about every condition imaginable. The company has 600 of the “E’s” out with current Mini owners who are paying $850 a month to test the car out and report flaws to the company. The testing is so thorough that the car isn’t even expected to be available to the public until 2012. The expected price? A shocking $50k.

So, does this mean you’ll see OJ being chased by a heard of Mini Coopers down the freeway? No. The Sheriff is not using the cars for enforcement or emergency situations. They are prototypes. This is another way of saying that Mini Cooper isn’t sure how well they will perform or how reliable they will be. This is why Mini and any car company does testing and research! Still, it would be pretty humorous to see a car chase come to a halt as the cars pull over to recharge!

Dirk Gibson writes for DCJAutoParts.com - your online resource for low prices on quality Mini Cooper aftermarket parts and accessories

Source:  Amazines.com