catch – Engine Icon https://engineicon.com Latest car news and advice blog Tue, 14 Jul 2026 02:07:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 https://engineicon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/cropped-ME_favicon-1-32x32.png catch – Engine Icon https://engineicon.com 32 32 Mini’s Stylish Paul Smith Edition Arrives In America With A Pricey Catch https://engineicon.com/minis-stylish-paul-smith-edition-arrives-in-america-with-a-pricey-catch/ Mon, 25 May 2026 07:52:28 +0000 https://engineicon.com/minis-stylish-paul-smith-edition-arrives-in-america-with-a-pricey-catch/

Mini’s Designer-Themed Cooper Arrives in America

After debuting at last year’s Japan Mobility Show, Mini Paul Smith Edition is now officially available in the US, following Mini’s earlier confirmation. The American launch took place at the Paul Smith Melrose store in Los Angeles, which makes sense for a car that’s as much about fashion as it is about British motoring.

This isn’t the first time Mini and Sir Paul Smith have teamed up – their partnership goes back almost three decades. Some might remember the limited-edition classic Mini from the late ‘90s, the bright anniversary concepts, or the pared-down Mini Strip from five years ago.

For 2026, the Paul Smith Edition keeps things familiar, using Smith’s “classic with a twist” style on the current Cooper lineup instead of starting from scratch. So if you’ve been waiting for this stylish Mini to show up in America, now’s your chance. Just be ready for a price that might give you pause.

Mini

What Exactly Do You Get?

You can get the Paul Smith Edition on the Mini Cooper 2-Door, 4-Door, or Convertible. The look is more about small details than flashy colors. There’s a choice of Statement Grey, Inspired White, or Midnight Black Metallic, with Nottingham Green accents on the mirrors, grille, wheel hubs, and optional roof graphics – a nod to Paul Smith’s hometown. It also comes with unique 18-inch Night Flash Spoke Black wheels.

Inside, there are Nightshade Blue sport seats in Vescin, a knitted dashboard, Paul Smith’s signature stripe on the steering wheel, and special display themes for the round infotainment screen. There’s also a handwritten “Hello” projected onto the pavement when you open the door, a rabbit graphic on the floor mat, and “Every day is a new beginning” etched into the door sill.

Mini

And Then There’s The Pricing

The Paul Smith Edition is only available on gas-powered Cooper models with the Iconic Trim package, so you’re already looking at a higher starting price before adding the special edition. In the US, the Paul Smith package itself costs another $1,400, but you need to add the $4,100 Iconic Trim first.

So a base Cooper 2-Door jumps from $29,500 to $35,000, and a Cooper S Convertible comes in at $43,400 before destination and fees. For what’s mainly a styling and exclusivity package, that’s a big step up. But then, designer collaborations are almost never cheap. Pre-orders start June 3, and cars should reach dealers in early August.

Mini


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]]> Market Insight: Electrified vehicle sales catch up https://engineicon.com/market-insight-electrified-vehicle-sales-catch-up/ Mon, 19 Jan 2026 16:05:12 +0000 https://engineicon.com/market-insight-electrified-vehicle-sales-catch-up/

ELECTRIFIED vehicle sales – including those with hybrid, plug-in hybrid, hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric powertrains – are making ground on the total share of diesel models sold Down Under. 

 

Data collated from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) VFACTS report and the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) most recent statistics show electrified vehicle sales now trail those of all diesel-powered vehicles sold by just 8716 units – or 0.7 per cent of the total number of vehicles sold for the 2025 calendar year. 

 

And while diesel numbers remain steady as a whole, the data shows electrified vehicle share is consistently eroding that of petrol-powered models, which have decreased in volume by 4.4 per cent since the start of the decade. 

 

It is a trend that appeared to accelerate late last year, as in December 2025, electrified vehicles edged ahead of their petrol counterparts by 499 units and outdid diesel by nigh-on 6900 deliveries. 

 

In 2025, Australian new vehicle buyers purchased a total of 475,279 petrol-powered vehicles, 54,070 fewer than at the beginning of the decade. By contrast, diesel-powered vehicle sales have increased by 73,594 units, led largely by the popularity of dual-cab light commercial utilities. 

 

But by far the largest incremental shift is in the uptake of electrified vehicles. Combined, sales of all electrified models have increased by a staggering 293,848 units against the 2020 calendar year, an uptick of 473.6 per cent. 

 

VFACTS data shows 199,133 hybrid vehicles were sold in 2025, a 16 per cent share of all vehicle sales for the calendar year, and a five-year increase of 239.9 per cent. 

 

Plug-in hybrid vehicle sales reached 53,484 units at the end of last year, up 3,063 per cent. 

 

Battery electric vehicle sales compiled from VFACTS and Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) data – due to Polestar and Tesla reporting exclusively to EVC since July 2024, following a dispute with the FCAI over New Vehicle Efficiency Standard lobbying- have increased from 1769 units at the start of the decade to 103,270 units at the end of 2025, or 5737.8 per cent up since 2020. 

 

However, the 2025 result marked a reduction from the 114,672 battery electric vehicles sold in 2024, their popularity most likely eroded by plug-in hybrid sales, which more than doubled to 53,484 units last year. 

 

On the whole, the figures indicate a marked shift in buyer preference toward greener vehicle technologies as a greater number of more affordable ‘new energy’ entrants arrive in the market. 

 

It is a trend that will continue in the years ahead as the federal government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard wields an increasingly big financial stick against vehicle importers that sell a lot of high-emitting models. 

 

With penalties on higher-polluting vehicle types expected to inflate retail prices of diesel- and petrol-powered models commensurately, it is indubitable that the trajectory of electrified vehicle sales will continue its steady ascent. 

 

Electrified vehicles catch up to diesel as petrol flatlines

Breakdown by electrified propulsion type 

EVC figures (Tesla and Polestar) 

 

*Data supplied courtesy of the FCAI and EVC

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