MINI gets a 'screaming V8'

How would you like the incredible sound of a BMW M3 V8 engine to accompany your every MINI adventure?

Sadly, there isn't an eight-cylinder MINI in the pipeline (although imagine that?) but the next best thing is in the works - and we've heard it. During an exclusive technology showcase in Munich, MINI gave Yahoo! Cars an earful of a system it calls 'Active Sound Design', which can simulate the sound of any engine through the car stereo.

Our demo car featured four preset sounds, each with the characteristic of a different type of engine which could be accessed by pressing one of four buttons on the dashboard. The realism of the noise is genuinely startling, filling the cabin with either the bellow of an American muscle car or the high-rev frenzy of a highly-strung racing car.

It works by linking the throttle to a sound signal that's channelled through the stereo speakers. At the same time, the sound of the actual engine is muted slightly, though there are no mechanical adjustments to the engine or exhaust; nobody outside the car will be any the wiser about the drama inside the cabin. The stereo's capacity to play music is unaffected too. According to MINI, the system is production-ready, but the maker will gauge reaction before deciding whether to put it into production or not.

And that's not the only sound revolution happening inside MINI. We'll be revealing the full details very soon - and they're well worth coming back for: indicators that drum to the beat of your music, anyone?

Mark Nichol