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"Open the pod bay door, HAL" "I'm sorry, Jim. I can't do that..."
MINI is introducing a new technology for the hardtop Mini Cooper and Cooper S 50th anniversary Camden package. It's called Mission Control and it's a lot like HAL, but with a sense of humor.
MINI is calling it an “in-car entertainment system” which, in a way, it is. Located behind the glove compartment, the system monitors the car’s data — including fuel economy, safety and the smoothness of your driving - and it is quick to tell you, in a very British accent, how you're doing.
Mission Control has three “characters,” as MINI calls them, one who speaks on behalf of the car, another who speaks for the engine, and a third who chimes in about the climate-control system. Leave the windows open with the AC on and you'll get a sarcastic reminder. Take a corner too hard and you can expect another bit of facetious feedback. Drive with the emergency brake on and you’ll hear, “If you love the handbrake, you must release it.” Depending upon options, you could hear up to 1,500 different admonitions in all. (Gasp!)
And yes, as you were probably wondering, you can turn the system off. And these characters are not related to your GPS character, so no confusion there.
MINI says Mission Control will be standard on the Camden and might be incorporated into other models in the future, but would not confirm anything yet.
They're probably waiting to hear what the system has to say about it.
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