Three MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 embark on Panamericana adventure.

Munich/Dallas. Sustainable driving fun on one of the world's dream highways: a Panamericana adventure begins in the city of Dallas, Texas, today for the crews of three MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 (combined fuel consumption: 2.5 – 2.4 l/100 km; combined power consumption: 13.7 – 13.4 kWh/100 km; combined CO₂ emissions from fuel: 56 – 55 g/km). A long-distance run of almost 17 000 kilometres passing through 12 states in North, Central and South America down to the southernmost tip of the continent gives the British premium brand's first ever plug-in hybrid model, which is not planned for the South African market, the perfect opportunity to give a detailed demonstration of its all-round qualities. At the same time it attracts new target groups to electromobility in MINI style.

At the start of their Panamericana tour from Texas to Tierra del Fuego, the adventurers will be meeting up with large numbers of MINI enthusiasts who are themselves taking part in a special marathon: Dallas is the starting point of the fifth stage along the east-west route of the MINI TAKES THE STATES 2018 rally. The one-week convoy run along selected routes in the USA brings together the MINI community from different regions of the USA for a festival of genuine driving fun, at the same time raising money for the aid organisation Feeding America. The campaign ends on Sunday, 22 July 2018 with a large-scale closing event in Keystone/Colorado.

By this time, the three teams taking part in the Panamericana tour will have already crossed the Mexican border. One of their stops along the way will be in San Luis Potosí, where vehicle production is due to start next year at a newly built BMW Group plant. Further sections of the intercontinental tour along the world's longest north-south road link will run through Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia and Ecuador. The route then initially passes through Peru and Chile to cross the South American continent before running down the Atlantic coast as far as Ushuaia in the Argentinian part of Tierra del Fuego. Arrival in the world's southernmost city is planned for 29 August 2018.

For a period of six weeks, the three MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 will be travelling over roads of varying quality as they pass through fascinating Latin American cities and breathtaking natural landscapes. The vehicles have been specially prepared for this challenging road trip: additional headlamps, tyres with emergency running properties and a roof rack to transport a spare wheel mean they are excellently equipped to cope with any hardships.

By means of this spectacular event, MINI aims to present the benefits of electric drive in numerous regions where people are only gradually becoming aware of the necessity of sustainable mobility even though the impact of climate change is being felt particularly harshly. At the same time, the trip will demonstrate in an especially vivid manner the reliability and long-distance capabilities of the plug-in hybrid drive developed for MINI.

The combination of a 3-cylinder petrol engine with an electric drive gives the MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 a system output of 165 kW/224 hp. Its lithium-ion battery allows purely electrically powered travel with a range of up to 40 kilometres – ideal for locally emissions-free mobility in the numerous cities along the route. In addition, the precisely controlled interaction between the front wheels powered by the combustion engine and the rear wheels powered by the electric motor provides an intelligent all-wheel drive system that ensures the traction and drive stability of the MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 along the Panamericana – on gravel tracks and steep mountain passes as well as when venturing into rough terrain.

MINI fans all over the world will find current impressions of the Panamericana marathon tour and the MINI TAKES THE STATES 2018 rally through the USA on the MINI Instagram channel at http://www.instagram.com/mini.news.

Fuel consumption, CO₂ emission figures and power consumption were measured using the methods required according to Regulation (EC) 2007/715 as amended. The information is based on a vehicle with basic equipment in Germany; ranges take into account differences in wheel and tyre size selected as well as optional equipment.

The information has already been calculated based on the new WLTP test cycle and adapted to NEDC for comparison purposes. In these vehicles, different figures than those published here may apply for the assessment of taxes and other vehicle-related duties which are (also) based on CO₂ emissions.

For further details on official fuel consumption figures, official specific CO₂ emissions and power consumption of new cars, please refer to the "Manual on fuel consumption, CO₂ emissions and power consumption of new cars", available at all sales outlets, from Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH (DAT), Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, 73760 Ostfildern-Scharnhausen and at http://www.dat.de/angebote/verlagsprodukte/leitfaden-kraftstoffverbrauch.html. Manual CO₂ (PDF - 2.7 MB)
 

The BMW Group

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises 31 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2017, the BMW Group sold over 2,463,500 passenger vehicles and more than 164,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2016 was approximately € 9.67 billion on revenues amounting to € 94.16 billion. As of 31 December 2016, the BMW Group had a workforce of 124,729 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.

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