Daily News: Tuesday 9/5/17

 MINI John Cooper Works GP Concept: Please Sir? 

While concept cars tend to be outlandish and garish to the point that they obviously can never enter production, MINI’s new John Cooper Works GP Concept tones it down to the point of hopefulness. I want this car, the black and orange be-winged box you see above.

Introduced at the IAA Cars 2017 show in Frankfurt the Works GP Concept takes inspiration from the Monte Carlo Rally, which the Classic Mini had great successes at 50 years ago. As such, the goal of this concept was to show how extreme MINI could get with a ‘fun car’, meant for both the street and the track.

To this end the body is suitably bulged and pointed so as to let observers know it means business. Exactly what this business is, MINI is keeping close to its chest: all performance figures and engine specifications were kept secret.

On top of the performance-looks, the MINI concept also seeks to demonstrate MINI’s next goal in increasing customer customization. While the interior is stripped a la racecar, bold, colorful accents do exist, which MINI has 3D printed. They are looking to bring this technology to bear to enable immediate customization on a tool-less production line.

While the MINI John Cooper Works GP Concept is still just a concept for now, let us keep our fingers crossed that it will make it to the streets.

2018 Mazda CX-9 Receives Safety Upgrades

Mazda’s three-row SUV is relatively new to the market, yet is already receiving more standard technology across the model range in a slight model year update from Mazda. Central to this upgrade package is the inclusion of more standard safety technology across the entire selection of trims. This safety technology includes automatic braking under 19mph, as well as Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert.

Besides these updates, a new color is available–Soul Red Crystal–and all CX-9s come standard with Mazda’s torque-rich, turbocharged and efficient SKYACTIV-G 2.5T engine, paired to a 6-speed SKYACTIV-DRIVE automatic transmission. Front-wheel is standard for CX-9 Sport, Touring and Grand Touring models. Mazda’s predictive i-ACTIV all-wheel drive is available on all three trim levels and standard for CX-9 Signature.

Pricing is as shown below:

The 2018 Mazda CX-9 will arrive at dealerships nationwide this month.