BMW Malaysia today introduced the all-new MINI Coupé – the car arrives in a single engine form, in this case the Cooper S guise. No surprises with the 1.6 litre turbocharged car’s output figures, with 184 hp at 5,500 rpm and 240 Nm at 1,600 to 5,000 rpm, with overboost taking this to 260 Nm at 1,730 to 4,500 rpm.

It’s the brand’s first model to adopt a three-box body structure, with a strikingly stepped rear end setting it apart from the rest of the MINI family, with the low-slung silhouette and expressively styled “helmet” roof adding to things. Speaking of the roof, it’s painted in a contrasting colour as standard; a new take on Sport Stripes is among the additions available as an option.

Elsewhere, an active rear spoiler, fitted for the first time on a MINI, is also integrated in the boot lid. The spoiler pops up automatically when the Coupé reaches a speed of 80 km/h, with the four-part control mechanism returning the spoiler to its rest position at speeds of under 60 km/h. This visually striking mechanism serves to reduce lift at the rear axle, optimising both aerodynamic balance and grip levels of the new MINI Coupe.

Inside, the Coupé – which sits on 17-inch Conical Spoke alloys – features typical MINI style cues, among them the large centre speedo and a rev counter positioned directly behind the steering wheel, and the interior comes finished in a Carbon Black shade, replete with a Black Chequered interior surface.

Oval recesses in the roof liner help create extra headroom for taller drivers; the absence of a rear seat bench means you get more in the way of boot space – the boot features a 290 litre capacity, with a large, high-opening tailgate and a high through-loading system that can also be opened from the driver’s or passenger’s seat.

A host of exterior paint finishes are available for the Coupé, eight in all, these being Chilli Red, Pepper White, Spice Orange, Midnight Black, British Racing Green II, Eclipse Grey, Lightning Blue and White Silver, while the roof is painted as standard in a contrasting colour, with a choice of Jet Black or Pure Silver to pick from.

The retail price (on the road, without insurance, with the MINI Tender Loving Care service package) for the MINI Cooper S Coupe is RM 249,888.

There’s also an optional MINI Connected package, which allows iPhone users to stay connected when on the move. An onboard monitor allows passengers to receive RSS news feeds as well as Facebook and Twitter posts, displaying them on the on-board monitor and have them read out using the MINI Connected voice output function.

Included in the RM14,988 MINI Connected package is a 10-speaker, 480 watt DPS amplifier Harman/Kardon HiFi loudspeaker system and Radio MINI Visual Boost with a 6.5-inch high-resolution colour LCD screen.

BMW Group Malaysia today launched the BMW EfficientDynamics showcase at Pavillion, Bukit Bintang, with the centrepiece of the exhibit being the BMW Active E electric coupe that we test drove last week. Read our test drive report to find out more about the EV coupe.

“The BMW Active E is BMW’s next systematic step towards an emission-free mobility solution and demonstrates our leadership and commitment in Sustainable Innovation as facilitated through the BMW EfficientDynamics strategy,” said BMW Malaysia’s MD Geoffrey Briscoe.

The showcase intends to provide Malaysians an understanding of the various technologies that the premium automotive industry employs to improve fuel efficiency and allow for greener motoring.

“The Malaysian government’s extension of full exemption of import duty and excise duty on hybrid and electric cars until 2013 is an important first step as it also initiates the momentum towards the establishment of a roadmap for mass adoption of clean and green technology in the automotive industry. However, more can and should be done to include immediate technologies available today such as advanced petrol and diesel engines which run on lower sulphur content Euro IV specification fuel, as well as the introduction of incentives for all hybrid technology including those for hybrid vehicles above the 2 litre capacity,” said Briscoe, in reference on the recent Budget announcement.

“BMW Group Malaysia has made strong commitments to the country in its efforts to promote the use of clean and sustainable technology which has led to the introduction of advanced assembly techniques and technology to the country, first with the introduction of Advanced Diesel technology and hopefully with other sustainable drivetrains in the near future,” said Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan, Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry, who officiated the showcase.

BMW has quite a few strategies for fuel efficiency and green motoring in their stables – they’ve got the EfficientDynamics diesel models, the ActiveHybrid petrol electric hybrids, and an upcoming range of plug-in charging pure electric vehicles. They also dabbled with hydrogen power in the past.

But according to Malaysia’s NAP, only hybrid and electric vehicles are able to get duty exemptions, so none of BMW’s EfficientDynamics diesel models qualify to be brought in with a tax break. And these (models like the 320d and 520d EfficientDynamics) are the only BMW models that are relatively affordable – the petrol hybrids are all expensive high end items and the EVs are not mass production ready yet.

As it stands, none of the BMW ActiveHybrid models qualify for tax breaks because of engine sizes of over 2.0 litres in displacement – Malaysia’s hybrid tax breaks only allow for engine sizes of 2.0 litres and below, which explains why the Toyota Prius can be sold here, but not the Camry Hybrid.

For some reason BMW finds the need to equip its hybrids with turbocharged inline-6 and V8 engines when they now have smaller engines at their disposal. I had hoped for the ActiveHybrid 3 to get their new 2.0 litre inline-4 turbo engine so the Lexus CT 200h will have some competition in the premium segment.