BMW/Toyota joint venture has progressed to the stage that Magna Steyr in Austria will be the build base.

BMW and Toyota have picked Magna Steyr to build their upcoming roadster developed from a joint platform, according to a report.

The next generation BMW Z4, likely to be called the Z5, and the Toyota Supra successor will run off the assembly line in the contract manufacturer's plant in Graz, Austria, starting 2018, the Kleine Zeitung local newspaper reported. It said annual production of 60,000 cars is planned for the two models.

BMW has said it will contract Magna Steyr to build a new model next year after it decided to end production of the Mini Paceman and Countryman in Graz this year but has not named the model. The Countryman likely will be built at the VDL Nedcar factory in the Netherlands that already produces the Mini hatchback, although BMW has not yet disclosed the new production location. The Paceman is being axed.

A Magna Steyr spokesman said the company was not yet permitted to say which BMW model would replace production of the Paceman and Countryman.

Spokespeople at BMW and Toyota Europe declined comment on the Kleine Zeitung report.

The current Z4 has been on the market since May 2009 and BMW executives said early this year that no final approval had been given for a replacement despite the completion of feasibility studies.

Demand for two-seaters is largely dormant, which prompted BMW to ax the Mini Coupe and Roadster, along with the Paceman. Z4 sales fell 47 percent in the first quarter and the model accounts for just three-tenths of 1 percent of BMW brand’s volume.

When asked then by Automotive News Europe whether it was still financially worth competing in the roadster segment, BMW CEO Harald Krueger said the company's cooperation with Toyota would help. "BMW has a long roadster tradition," he said. "We will occupy the segment once more. It's not big, but it's important for the strength of the brand."

Magna Steyr is a unit of Canada's Magna International and its specialty is building low volume cars, ideal for a niche model like a roadster. The Graz factory currently builds the Mercedes G class SUV and will add an as yet unnamed Jaguar Land Rover model in 2017. Production of the Peugeot RCZ coupe at the plant ended last year.

Earlier this month Magna Steyr said retooling works at the Graz plant are on schedule and will be completed next year. It forecast that annual production at Graz will surpass 200,000 vehicles in 2018. Last year Graz built 103,904 cars.

Christiaan Hetzner

Report Here

BMW will end Mini production at Magna Steyr in 2016.

BMW Group will end production of Mini cars at Austrian contract manufacturer Magna Steyr in 2016, a report said.

Magna Steyr currently builds the Mini Countryman and Mini Paceman. Production of the two models will move to Mini's factory in Oxford, England, and the former Mitsubishi NedCar factory in the Netherlands, where Dutch group VDL is due to start Mini production this year, the Kleine Zeitung reported on Thursday.

Magna Steyr parent, Magna International, said in a statement Thursday that it will continue its collaboration with BMW through a new vehicle manufacturing contract.

"The new production program would start following the end of production of the current Mini models Mini Countryman and Mini Paceman being assembled by Magna Steyr in Graz," it said in the statement.

The statement did not give details of which BMW Group models Magna Steyr will build under the new contract.

The Kleine Zeitung said Magna Steyr will not be assigned particular BMW Group cars but will reserve capacity for various models depending on demand. The paper said the contract manufacturer would likely build high-volume models, which could include the BMW 5 series and the 3 series.

The agreement is likely to cover annual output of more than 100,000 vehicles over six to seven years, the paper said.

Magna Steyr declined to comment on the Kleine Zeitung report. BMW did not immediately return a request seeking comment.

Global sales of Mini cars rose 1 percent last year to a record 305,030, BMW said earlier this month.

Magna Steyr also builds the Mercedes G class and Mercedes SLS AMG body, as well as the Peugeot RCZ.

Paceman and Countryman comes with new Black finish

• Striking body colour available in limited edition for the MINI Countryman and the MINI Paceman - elaborate surface treatment highlights the powerful proportions of the two models.

MINI is extending its program of exterior paint finishes for current models to include an exclusive new variant. Frozen Black metallic paint is now available as a limited edition colour for the top of the range MINI Countryman and MINI Paceman models. This innovative paint which has a textured, shimmering matt finish, gives the car a striking and expressive appearance. The new colour and finish is available for the MINI Cooper S Countryman, MINI Cooper SD Countryman, MINI Cooper S Paceman, MINI Cooper SD Paceman, MINI John Cooper Works Countryman and MINI John Cooper Works Paceman.

The Frozen Black metallic paint finish is created using a complex manufacturing process exclusive to the BMW Group. This special painting procedure, which involves not just innovative technology but also a high level of manual craftsmanship, is now being applied for the first time by Austrian production partner Magna Steyr in Graz where the MINI Paceman and MINI Countryman are produced. The special surface treatment encompasses the base layer for grip and corrosion protection, the colour layer as well as the clear lacquer finish which has added silicates to create the matted impression as well as the velvet effect which can be seen and felt.

Attached exterior parts such as the model-specific front and rear aprons and the exterior mirror caps are finished separately in the paint finish Frozen Black metallic. Due to the labour intensive process used to apply this exclusive body colour during production it is limited to a restricted number of cars.

Frozen Black metallic is of the same high quality as the other paint finishes available for MINI in terms of abrasion resistance and colour fidelity. The finish is completely weather resistant and car wash resistant, however hand washing does require special care as spot cleaning of the surface using wax or polish can leave an unwanted gloss effect. For this reason the BMW Group offers care products developed specially for treating the Frozen Black metallic paint finish.

£2.16 million inc £130,000 watch leather, gold and diamonds.

Over on "AUTOCAR", The UK motoring magazine, it is reported by Mark Tisshaw, of a new Hypercar, based in Beirut with only 7, yes 7 will be made.

A £2.16million supercar has been revealed at the Qatar motor show. Just seven examples of the W Motors Lykan Hypersport will be made.

Beirut-based W Motors has equipped the radically styled Lykan Hypersport with a mid-rear mounted, twin-turbocharged flat-six engine producing 740bhp and 737lb ft of torque. The engine is understood to have been supplied by German-based specialist Porsche tuner RUF.

This helps propel the car from 0-62mph in a claimed 2.8sec and onto a top speed of 245mph. That top speed is just 22mph shy of the speed achieved by the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport in setting the fastest-ever speed achieved by a production road car.

The car is the work of company chairman Ralph R Debbas, who studied on the Automotive Design course at the Coventry University School of Art and Design.

W Motors describes itself as the maker of the “most exclusive, luxurious and technologically advanced high-performance sports cars “.

To back the luxurious side of this claim up, features of the Lykan Hypersport include diamond-coated LED headlights and gold stitching for the lather seats. Buyers will also get a special Cyrus Klepcys watch with their purchase, which is worth more than £130,000.

There’s no word on where the car will be built, but it’s previously been indicated by W Motors that Austrian automotive specialist Magna Steyr is involved in the project.

A 'Supersport' version of the car is also understood to be in the works.

 by Mark Tisshaw