That’s gotta hurt. MINI Countryman nose-dives during 360-foot world-record jump

By Joe Mahan Published March 24, 2014

Careening through houses, thumping down stairs, and slipping onto trains are not the only crazy stunts MINIs are capable of. Everything has to be bigger and better, in order to satisfy some strange human lust for seeing small hatchbacks fly through the air.

Tanner Foust set the Guinness World Record in 2011 with an outrageous 332-foot jum p. Foust, however, chose a flying truck instead of a MINI Countryman. So what on earth was going through professional skier and French rally driver Guerlain Chicherit’s mind when he attempted this stunt?

Recommended Videos

Last year Chicherit successfully preformed a back flip in a MINI. The entire car rotated around the engine in midair perfectly. You’d think the team would realize same thing could happen when jumping the Countryman. After all, the four-door MINI has most of its mass up front.

In a bid to beat Tanner Foust, the French rally driver tried to fly an incredible 360 feet. In the video below, you can see Chicherit nearly stick the landing, but the Countryman takes a sever and sudden nose dive. A MINI might look like it can fly, but I wouldn’t wager BMW engineered for flight. Thankfully Chicherit escaped unharmed but went to the hospital for safety measures.

Hopefully the next attempt will be a success; it would be nice to see the king of Hot-Wheels finally get “Fousted”.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Joe Mahan is an intern at Digital Trends working in the Cars section. He is currently a Junior at the University of Portland…

Cars

Toyota unveils 2026 bZ: A smarter, longer-range electric SUV

toyota bz improved bz4x 2026 0007 1500x1125

Toyota is back in the electric SUV game with the 2026 bZ, a major refresh of its bZ4X that finally delivers on two of the biggest demands from EV drivers: more range and faster charging.
The headline news is the improved driving range. Toyota now estimates up to 314 miles on a single charge for the front-wheel-drive model with the larger 74.7-kWh battery—about 60 miles more than the outgoing bZ4X. All-wheel-drive variants also get a boost, with up to 288 miles of range depending on trim.
Charging speeds haven’t increased in terms of raw kilowatts (still capped at 150 kW for DC fast charging), but Toyota has significantly improved how long peak speeds are sustained. With preconditioning enabled—especially helpful in colder weather—the new bZ can charge from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Also new: Plug and Charge support for automatic payment at compatible stations and full adoption of the North American Charging Standard (NACS), meaning access to Tesla Superchargers will be standard by 2026.
Under the hood, or rather the floor, Toyota has swapped in higher-performance silicon carbide components to improve efficiency and power delivery. The AWD version now produces up to 338 horsepower and sprints from 0–60 mph in a brisk 4.9 seconds.
Toyota didn’t stop at just the powertrain. The exterior has been cleaned up, with body-colored wheel arches replacing the black cladding, and a sleeker front fascia. Inside, a larger 14-inch touchscreen now houses climate controls, giving the dash a more refined and less cluttered appearance. There’s also more usable storage thanks to a redesigned center console.
With the 2026 bZ, Toyota seems to be responding directly to critiques of the bZ4X. It’s faster, more efficient, and more driver-friendly—finally bringing Toyota’s EV efforts up to speed.

Cars

Cheaper EVs ahead? GM and LG say new battery cells are the key

2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV front quarter view.

General Motors and LG Energy Solution have announced a new phase in their ongoing partnership: developing a new battery cell chemistry that could significantly lower the cost of electric vehicles. The joint effort centers on lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) battery cells, a variation of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) that’s gaining popularity for being more affordable and less reliant on expensive materials like nickel and cobalt.

This is a big deal because battery costs are still the single largest expense in producing EVs. According to GM and industry experts, LMFP cells could help bring the cost of electric vehicles close to — or even on par with — gas-powered cars. The goal? Making EVs accessible to a broader range of drivers without sacrificing range or performance.

Computing

Waymo recalled 1,200 robotaxis following collisions with road barriers

Waymo Jaguar I-Pace

Waymo’s autonomous-car technology has made great advances over the years to the point where it’s now allowed to offer paid robotaxi rides in select locations in the U.S.

But the development of the technology is ongoing, and the robotaxi rides continue to gather valuable data for Waymo engineers to pore over as they further refine the driverless system to make it as reliable and efficient as possible. Which is why glitches will sometimes occur.