MINI Coupe sneak preview at Vista MINI

The all-new MINI Coupe is almost here, and you can catch a sneak preview this weekend at our showroom. The latest member of the MINI family will be here for one night only and under the spotlight to flex its muscles before its legions of adoring fans.

This muscular two-seater may pamper you in the cockpit, but on the streets it means business. Boasting 121 galloping, frothing horses under the hood of the base model (208 on the JCW variant!) , the 2012 MINI Coupe is designed to deliver exhilarating performance and heedlessly devour any stretch of tarmac you point at it. The typical go-kart handling and sport-tuned ensures you'll expertly come rolling through every curve you hurl it through, and the unique MINI styling will keep those heads turning even quicker than your wheels. Some neat technological highlights are the dash-mounted DTC button, which, when pushed, allows the MINI Coupe to swing and slide a bit before the stability control kicks in, and the rear-mounted air wing which pops out, Transformers-style, when you hit 50 MPH.

In other words, the 2012 MINI Coupe, with its extroverted styling, entertaining road manners and welcoming accommodations is designed from the ground up to inspire the daredevils in us all. And it would be a shame if you missed its South Florida debut, so make sure you come see it in person. It will be here August 14-16 2011. Stop in for some complimentary hors d'oeuvres and refreshments, and welcome MINI's newest family member to South Florida.

The attached video is a little low-energy at first, but it does give you an extensive review of the MINI Coupe's features and styling. Feel free to advance the video to the on-road performance, if the reserved review of the aesthetics and accommodations gets you a little heavy-lidded.

MINI wants to "Man" handle you

Gotta love MINI. They dedicate a whole ad campaign around the century-old manual transmission. As the world gets progressively more automated, the manual transmission seems ready to disappear in all but the most dedicated sports cars. MINI doesn't want that to happen. Like they say "Manuals have more fun". Not to mention get better fuel economy.

Now, MINI definitely has the largest percentage of stick-driving owners than any brand out there, but they want more, so in order to introduce as many drivers as possible to the joys of using your hands, they are offering a limited-time bonus of $500*. They want "stick" to happen to you, so if you buy a manual MINI, you'll enjoy an instant $500 off the price. Toss in the fact that a manual MINI is already priced lower than an auto AND you'll also be saving money at the pumps, we should all give MINI a hand!

*Give us a call today and we'll be happy to tell you all the details of this offer.

Study shows shocking results

Electric cars. Most studies insist that by 2018 over 15% of the cars on the road in America and over 23% of the cars in Europe will be powered by electricity. As the electric powertrains get more and more efficient and more fun to drive, and as we slowly wean our way off of our century-long dependency on fossil fuels, many of us wonder whether an electric car would serve our lifestyles as well as our good old combustion engines.

That's the purpose of the study conducted by BMW Group and UC Davis. They just completed the largest study of electric car users ever undertaken to see how satisfied the owners were in their transition to electric. The study included over 120 families driving the fully electric MINI E automobile more than one million miles in such states as California, New York and New Jersey for a period of one full year.

What was the result? A surprising success. Over 90% of the participants felt the electric MINI met their daily driving needs. These folks found the MINI to be "fun yet practical, easy to drive and recharge". Many said they would buy an electric car in the next five years. Several key findings for the report were:

• 100% of the respondents said the BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles) were fun and practical for daily use.
• 90% said the MINI E met their daily driving needs.
• 71% drove fewer than 40 miles a day. 95% drove fewer than 80 miles a day.
• 99% said home charging was easy.
• 71% said they are now more likely to purchase a BEV.
• 88% said they were interested in buying a BEV or plug-in hybrid in the next 5 years.

These are the highlights from the BMW Official release. The more extensive report provided insight in other things like user behavior, infrastructure use, costs, environmental benefits and the other aspects of BEV ownership.

Hard Rock hosts the World Poker Tour

Good news for you poker players out there: The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is kicking off their Summer Splash Poker Open, beginning August 12th. The event takes place on hotel property, and is hosted by the illustrious World Poker Tour.

The World Poker Tour is THE name in internationally-televised poker playing tournaments. They have led poker's climb into the spotlight since 2002, igniting the global poker boom with their unique television show depicting high-stakes poker tournaments.

This month, they are starting off the WPT Regional main event at South Florida's own premiere gambling destination, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel. The Summer Splash Poker Open guarantees a $250,000 prize pool, plus additional events with other prize pools. On-site registration for the WPT Regional Main Event is open each day, so if you fancy a hand or two of poker and the chance to win some hefty cash, stop in and register. The deal begins August 12 and runs to the 22nd. Contact the hotel for additional details*