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Who Makes Mini Cooper Engines And Are They The Same As BMW’s?
Among the three car brands owned by BMW, Mini Cooper represents the youthful, urban-friendly option, while Rolls-Royce focuses on opulence and luxury. BMW stands in the middle as a premium offering with a clear emphasis on driving pleasure. While all three cater to different segments of the market, they still share components with one another. In the modern-day auto industry, parts sharing is standard practice, and Mini Cooper and BMW are no exception.
Most Mini Cooper engines are either straight-up BMW engines or developed by BMW for the Mini brand. During the early 2000s, the Tritec engine family was co-developed by BMW and Chrysler, yet within the BMW umbrella, it remained unique to Mini. The later Prince engine era was a direct consequence of a BMW and Peugeot-Citroën (PSA) joint venture. The current era of Mini engine technology relies heavily on BMW’s B-series of engines, more specifically the B37, the B38, and the B48. All three of these are very similar to what you can find powering many contemporary BMWs. Here is everything you need to know about who makes Mini Cooper engines.
A modern history of Mini Cooper engines
In the late 1990s, BMW (through Rover) and Chrysler were looking to develop a new series of engines that would ultimately power Mini and Chrysler models through the early 2000s. This venture concluded with a new factory in Curitiba, Brazil, and an engine family named Tritec. The Tritec series of engines was used in Mini Cooper models and shared with the Chrysler PT Cruiser and the Chinese Chery A15.
After BMW decided not to renew the contract with Tritec, it partnered with PSA for the Prince series of engines, which was used in both BMW and Mini models until 2014, when it was gradually discontinued in favor of the newer BMW-designed B37, B38, and B48 engine family. The B48 debuted with the 2014 Mini Cooper S, and today many cars rely on BMW’s B48, including higher-performance Mini Cooper and BMW models, the Morgan Plus Four, and even the new Toyota Supra. Even though the BMW B48 indeed has its share of common problems, it is one of BMW’s most well-regarded engines.
The B37 diesel engine is used for diesel Mini models, while the three-cylinder B38 powers base Mini and BMW models. Out of these three eras of Mini Cooper engines, the Tritec engine was used almost exclusively by Mini, while the Prince was shared among BMW, Mini, Peugeot, and Citroën models. Lastly, the BMW B-Series of engines is fully embraced by both BMW and Mini.
Why car brands share parts
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Designing and making cars is an expensive process, especially today, since cars have to meet stringent regulatory standards. It’s much easier and cheaper to use off-the-shelf parts, and many companies do just that. Parts sharing is commonly seen in sister companies such as BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce, or Audi and Lamborghini. Some only share complex powertrain components and platforms, while others share a lot more.
The Lamborghini Urus and Audi Q8 are two luxury SUVs that are a perfect example of how far parts sharing between sister companies can go, since these two SUVs use the same Volkswagen Group MLB Evo platform, and many other parts. Moreover, parts sharing can also be seen with completely independent companies. For example, Aston Martin uses Mercedes engines, as well as parts within the interior. Brands do this to save money since they don’t need to develop different parts for different vehicles.
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