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| Future trends in vehicle dynamics | |
June 2008 |
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| Mini Dr Fred Nitschke, head of development "Minis provide stability and simple fun at the wheel. We reached this go-cart like handling with a very long wheel case and wide front rear tracks. We also have a very low centre of gravity and an excellent seating position for the driver. In some other front-wheel drive cars, the seat is not on the same axis as the steering wheel and pedals.
"The Mini’s chassis parts are connected with ball joints instead of rubber bushings and the body is very rigid. This means that when you turn the steering wheel, you get an immediate reaction. "With BMWs, we balance the front and rear weights 50-50. We can’t reach this with the Mini, but with a special multi-link rear suspension that’s more like the sort you would find in a rear-wheel drive car, we get close to neutral feeling. "We’re working to reduce the weight in an intelligent way, particulary addressing the suspension parts that move, but not just putting all chassis parts in aluminium. "To develop the chassis for the next generation, you can do a lot of things with electronic features. The next generation of electric power steering will allow us to remove the negative influences of poor road surfaces on the steering feel. We can use such technologies them, but I’m sure that our mechanical systems are will still be the basis."
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Dr Fred Nitschke,
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