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Yesterday, we showed you the first photos of the MINI E electric car coming to the Los Angeles auto show. Today, TheCarConnection.com's spies have nabbed the new MINI Cooper Convertible while testing.

These photos show a Cooper S convertible in almost showroom trim, wearing only a small amount of tape around the rear lights, and small details. The psychedelic tape on the rear window is there to hide the fact that the roll bars from the current model now are hidden and pop up only when needed.

Engine options are the same as those in the MINI Cooper. The lineup will include a 95-hp 1.4-liter four in Europe, along with the 120-hp 1.6-liter four and 175-hp turbocharged four-cylinder in the United States. Europe also gets a 110-hp 1.6-liter turbodiesel. MINI also plans a JCW sport package version with a 208-hp twin-scroll turbo.

The Cooper Convertible's world debut is likely to be held at the 2009 Detroit auto show in January.

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On Saturday, BMW Group announced it will be the first auto manufacturer to market with the vaunted lithium-ion battery technology. We knew that BMW was announcing an all-electric MINI at the L.A. Auto Show this November, but were unaware it would be powered by lithium-ion technology.

Currently, lithium-ion batteries allow extended performance in products ranging from laptop computers to mobile phones. But the heat generated by these batteries has posed a challenge in automotive applications--one that BMW has apparently solved.

The MINI E, identical in profile (if subtly different in style, paint and details) to its popular Cooper model, will enjoy its world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show this November 19 and 20. Range is a claimed 150 miles--not road trip material, but more than adequate for most American commuters. For charging purposes, the vehicle can be plugged into any standard household outlet. Quicker charging (roughly 2.5 hours) is guaranteed with installation of the high-amperage wallbox included with every MINI. The wallbox can be installed into owner's garages.

Five hundred MINI Es will hit the road in the hands of private and corporate customers in the pilot project taking place in urban centers of New York, New Jersey, and California. The limited run of this batch of 500 will be produced prior to the end of 2008.

This is huge news for BMW, and likely distressing news for beleaguered domestic automakers. BMW has long been a leader in the technology realm, and its deft guidance of the MINI brand has grown it into a small empire very much in tune with sudden U.S. market shifts toward small, economical transportation.

Along with its less-is-more attitude, MINI E continues the brand's mantra of sprightly performance and athletic responses. In this realm, the MINI E promises to deliver, with a claimed 0-60 mph time of 8.5 seconds from its 204-hp electric motor backed by a single-speed gearbox.

While not as fleet as some of the company's high-performance models in all-out acceleration (i.e., MINI Cooper S), what drivers will notice is the neck-snapping torque available immediately. From 0-30 mph, the realm of commuters and city drivers, the MINI E will likely feel like a hotrod, perhaps even eclipsing its gasoline brethren off the line. Those gasoline MINIs must spin their engines to significantly higher engine speeds to reach peak torque (the shove in the back you feel on quick acceleration). And of course, being all-electric, the benefit to air quality is absolutely zero emissions.

MINI E will ride on a suspension slightly retuned to account for a different weight distribution due to its front-mounted, transversely oriented electric motor.

Many automakers, in the race for electric-vehicle dominance, have pursued perfection of the vaunted lithium-ion battery technology to lengthen electric vehicle range and performance. GM's recent Volt E-REV vehicle relies on their own pending lithium-ion battery development, as do Chrysler's trio of E-REV/all-electric vehicles (which might be stillborn, depending upon resolution of the Pentastar's tenuous financial situation at present).--Colin Mathews

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It was bound to happen sooner or later. The darling of different, the MINI, is ever so slowly creeping toward Maxi. "Continuing its overwhelming story of success," says parent BMW, the MINI brand releases its Crossover Concept today at the Paris auto show, alongside BMW's X1 crossover concept.

The delightfully British-English press release proudly announces that the Crossover Concept is "a new model variant for the first time measuring more than four metres in length, with four drive wheels and four single seats." From the concept renderings we see the traditional MINI funkiness, but hiked up on platforms shoes, stretched, and with a pretty fly 1.5 doors on the driver's side and a full two on the passenger's. Of special curiosity is a protruding, "War of the Worlds"-looking "MINI Centre Globe," which purports to set new standards in consolidating navigation and infotainment functions.

If done as well as MINI's models have been thus far, the brand should have a strong player in the burgeoning cute-ute market. Sales of small SUVs like the Honda CR-V and Ford Escape have risen as big SUVs have slid like a pitonless climber on Annapurna.

The release seems to dwell on the theme of this MINI's greater size and all-wheel drive as lending the concept "more calibre, more options." Predictably absent in the wording was the toll that AWD, presumably higher curb weight, and a lower coefficient of drag take on fuel economy. Be careful, MINI: Maxi ain't in vogue right now.--Colin Mathews

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The 2008 Paris Auto Show is upon us--or, rather, TheCarConnection.com is upon it, since we're just a few Metro stops away and we already have cameras, laptops, and phones charging up for tomorrow's full-on press day.

The Paris Auto Show has a unique place in our hearts; it's where we got the background on the Ford-Firestone debacle and lost approximately 40 pounds in water weight, since the Mondiale de l'Expo hall has no air conditioning. It's also been the platform on which some very important cars have been launched to the media and the world, cars like the Audi R8, the Ford Mondeo, the current MINI Cooper, and, er, the Dodge Avenger.

This year's show promises to be one of the most chock-full product assaults in Paris in, oh, let's say, 64 years. Here's the first batch of cars we're expecting to see in some form or another on the outskirts of town, down at the Porte de Versailles. Tomorrow morning starts at 7 a.m. with Volkswagen and ends sometime well after midnight, when we bring you the latest details on the BMW X1, the Chevrolet Cruze, the Audi S4, the Honda Insight, Lamborghini's new concept, the Lexus IS Convertible, and the new VW Golf lineup.

Until then, soak up a little joie de vivre with these debutantes:



2011 Chevrolet Volt
The Volt made a splashy debut a few weeks back in Detroit (and here on TheCarConnection.com a little earlier than that).  The $40,000-plus Volt is expected to enter production at the end of 2009, so it could wear a 2011 model-year tag. It'll be shown in Paris, possibly alongside a rebadged version for Opel.

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Honda Insight
At the last Paris auto show in 2006, Honda showed a hybrid coupe concept called the CR-Z. This year in Paris, the automaker will reclaim its Insight name with a new five-door vehicle that bears the hallmarks of its larger, fuel-cell-powered FCX Clarity--not to mention some echoes of the Toyota Prius in its greenhouse. The new Insight seats five, Honda says, and the rear seats fold for improved cargo access. The important innovation in the new Insight is a much less complex, much more affordable hybrid drivetrain, the company says.

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BMW X1

Months ago, BMW confirmed that it was working on a small, new crossover vehicle. There's talk that a concept for the coming 2011 BMW X1 will show up at the Paris Auto Show and that the production version will bow at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show. An eight-speed automatic transmission may be teamed to a new range of direct-injection turbocharged four- and six-cylinder engines. The new X1 will be built by Magna Steyr in Austria.

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2011 Chevrolet Cruze
The new Cruze compact, GM says, "was developed by a global design and engineering team and will be built in multiple locations around the world." At 4.6 meters long--or 181.1 inches--it's a fraction of an inch longer than today's Cobalt. GM also says it will offer "ample interior space and cargo capacity for five passengers, giving it an advantage over competition in the compact segment." It will also sport the new global themes for Chevrolet design, from the bow tie on back. It arrives in American showrooms in 2010.

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Lamborghini Concept
The details are trickling out -- a set of four pictures that hint at a new supercar from Lamborghini--and the official reveal comes the night before the show opens. But what, pray tell, is the new Lamborghini, really? There's every reason to believe it's a four-door sports car along the lines of the Aston Rapide, but Lamborghini is saying nothing more. Stay tuned 9 p.m. Paris time for more on the new concept.

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Audi S4
Audi's new S4 range will ditch its V-8 engine in favor of a new 3.0-liter V-6 with twin turbochargers. Coupled to quattro all-wheel drive and a seven-speed dual-clutch S-tronic transmission, the new S4 and S4 Avant should pose a more serious threat to the BMW M3 range.

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Saab 9-X Air Concept
This new concept's Speedster-like "Canopy Top" gives a different spin on the notion of a Saab convertible, while the rear deck maintains a certain height to provide better crash protection than ordinary convertibles, Saab says in a release. The BioHybrid concept shares the powertrain of the 9-X concept shown last year--a 1.4-liter turbocharged engine that's ethanol-capable.

2010 Lexus IS Convertible
A new hardtop convertible for Toyota's upscale brand, the Lexus IS convertible is based on the four-door sedan that emerged in 2006. No hardtop coupe version is planned in this generation, but the convertible is expected to be offered in Is 250 and IS 350 versions.

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Volkswagen Golf VI
A new Golf range is coming to Paris, though we've heard conflicting reports about when it will show up as a Rabbit in the U.S. The big news in this generation is the concept BlueMotion, which at 62 mpg matches the fuel economy and CO2 emissions (99 g/km) bar set in '06 by the smaller, lighter VW Polo BlueMotion.

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Chevrolet Orlando
A concept pegged as a new global crossover, seven-seat Orlando concept will be in Paris, and is based on the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, a global compact that's coming in a little more than a year to the U.S., but will go on sale next year in other global markets.

Volvo DRIVe Concept
Volvo's new concept small cars use an existing 1.6-liter turbodiesel four and pair it with aero tricks, special Michelin tires with low rolling resistance, taller gearing and other drivetrain enhancements to help the cars eke out lower emissions and greater mileage.

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Mazda Kiyora Concept
The Kiyora is a city car with a mission: lightweight construction and environmental purity, Mazda says. The name means "clean and pure" in Japanese, in fact, highlighting the Kiyora's use of a direct-injection four-cylinder engine.

Audi A6 and RS6
The 2009 Audi A6 already has been shown at the Moscow auto show, but it's also coming to Paris. Audi released photos and details of the updated A6 earlier this month, describing its more efficient engines, improved suspension tuning, and upgraded Multi-Media Interface (MMI) controller. The RS6, meanwhile, ditches the V-8s of lesser A6 derivatives for a 5.0-liter V-10 with twin turbocharged and quattro all-wheel drive. Audi says it draws 580 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque from the engine, which it teams with a six-speed automatic transmission with quicker shift reflexes. Quattro, in this setting, gets its power biased toward the rear for more agile handling. Audi promises acceleration to 60 mph in less than 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 174 mph.

BMW 7 Series
BMW has de-Bangled the big 7 Series somewhat for 2009, and refined its iDrive controller and its interior. It sports a new tail, a markedly cleaner interior, and a more refined silhouette. The new 7er will bow in Paris along with an ActiveHybrid version that could significantly boost fuel economy in the big sedan.

Ferrari California
Ferrari's first folding-hardtop car will get a splashy, no doubt overattended press conference in Paris's steamy Expo. A new 4.3-liter V-8 powers the California, and Ferrari promises it'll develop 460 horsepower and have "a torque curve that enhances vehicle dynamics and provides maximum driving pleasure which is typical for Ferrari." Teamed to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, the engine will push the California to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds.

Kia Soul
After a long trip around the auto show circuit as a "concept," the 2009 Kia Soul gets its worldwide coming-out bash in Paris. Few details have been confirmed on the production version of the Soul, but Kia promises that owners will be able to customize their Soul "through a variety of options, accessories and colors." There's also a Soul Hybrid for those who mix their Al Green with unapproved hints of jazz.

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If you're like most of America, gas prices have made a huge impact on how you drive, how you live, and what you expect from your next new car. Prices are heading higher, gas is less available in some areas (here in metro Atlanta, it's hit or miss finding a fully supplied station, much less premium fuel).

With the obsession over gas prices likely here to stay in the near-term--and who knows where prices will go once the economy stabilizes--TheCarConnection.com's editors have sifted the data from our latest car reviews to bring you the best vehicles for great fuel economy.

TCC rates vehicles by weighing our and other reviewers' opinions of a vehicle's styling, performance, comfort and quality, safety, and features to arrive at an overall number from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest possible score in each attribute. At first, we planned to rate only vehicles that offer 30-plus mpg in the EPA's highway cycle. However, neither the van nor the truck categories yielded any vehicles that could touch 30 mpg. In those cases, we looked for vehicles getting 25 mpg or better in highway mileage, which eliminated a huge swath of vehicles from contention--much as it's doing today at auto dealerships across the country.

Not surprisingly, gas-electric hybrids won three of our six categories: sedan, SUV/wagon, and green car. The van category, a field dominated by V-6s, was swept by a cleverly packaged compact van. Among trucks, a stalwart four-cylinder took top honors. And among two-doors, one automaker proves efficiency can be thrilling.

Follow the links below to find out more about our numeric ratings and to read full reviews of the winners:

Sedans: The Honda Civic Hybrid, combining Honda's IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) introduced back on the original Honda Insight, a diminutive four-cylinder, and a continuously variable transmission ring in at 40/45 mpg city/highway EPA and nets our top pick as a fuel-sipping sedan. The Civic Hybrid also took our honors for the Green category, beating out the Toyota Prius by 0.6 point.

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Two-doors: Proving, as we mentioned, that fun can also be quite frugal, the BMW-designed MINI Cooper Convertible gets our nod for highest-rated, fuel-efficient two-door. The second-gen MINIs benefit from a new engine design with ultra-efficient direct injection, and in either naturally aspirated (23/32 mpg) or turbocharged (21/29 mpg) EPA form, the MINI Cooper Convertible is a well-designed, frisky runabout with go-kart reflexes and plenty of power.

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SUVs/wagons: FoMoCo's well-designed (and freshly updated for '09) small SUV gas/electric hybrid duo, the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner, won our SUV/wagon category. Employing a newly designed 2.5-liter four that uses miserly Atkinson-cycle technology, the Escape and Mariner hybrids are capable of electric-only propulsion at low speeds and manage stellar EPA mileage ratings of 34/31 mpg.

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Vans: Mazda's funky-yet-sensible Mazda5, our pick for the Van category, makes the most of its Mazda 3 underpinnings to offer respectable interior capacity while delivering better mileage than the competition. We found that "clever engineering makes good use of what space is available," and in a thirsty segment the Mazda's 22/28 EPA mpg (with five-speed manual) are downright impressive.

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Pickup trucks: As mentioned, there's not a lot in the realm of fuel-efficient pickups, and even mid-size and small trucks make do with older-tech gasoline engines that, when combined with a truck's aerodynamic inefficiencies, don't do much for mpg. Our highest-rated, most fuel-efficient pickup was Toyota's Tacoma 2WD four-cylinder, which was ranked at 20/25 mpg city/highway by the EPA.