• Detroit Free Press , Wednesday, July 23, 2008 10:45 AM

Sales for the BMW Mini soared 33.9%, to 26,400 cars, for the first half of 2008 in the U.S., and the British brand is preparing to launch its first electric vehicles here in 2009 -- and a small crossover utility vehicle not long after. Mini will add 2,000 to 3,000 vehicles to the allotment its U.S. dealers get this year.

Mini would also like to offer a diesel engine if it can develop one that gets at least 50 m.p.g. on the highway in EPA tests and meets strict emissions standards in California and northeast states, says Jim McDowell, vp of Mini USA. "The world is moving in our direction," he says.

The electric cars will have a "modest impact" on the auto industry unless they offer a groundbreaking technology that increases their range considerably from previous electric vehicles, such as the Saturn EV1 and Toyota RAV 4 EV, says Joe Phillippi, principal of AutoTrends consulting. The crossover is expected to debut at the Paris auto show in October.

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