MINI USA anounces MINI_motion in collaboration with industrial designer Yves Béhar. MINI_motion will launch to specialty stores
in Fall 2003.

Woodcliff Lake New Jersey, the world’s definitive small car brand, has commissioned industrial designer Yves Béhar of fuseproject to create MINI_motion, a new signature collection of apparel and products deisgned to enhance the travel experience, whether driving, traveling on foot, the subway or in the air.

MINI recognizes that many urbanites love driving but switch between their car and another form of transport on almost every journey. And so, inspired by the concept of ‘connected urban travel’, MINI_motion makes the change from car to subway to the air that much easier by allowing the user to integrate seamlessly into any form of travel.

Highlights of the collection are:

* An innovative, two-part shoe manufactured by PUMA. This premium street shoe converts into a high technology driving shoe when required. * A unique car pack that attaches securely to a car’s passenger seat belt (thus avoiding spillages) and can also be used as a messenger bag, engineered by Samsonite. * The motion_watch which integrates a soft wrist band, strengthened by a steel spring core, keeping the watch securely on your wrist without a fastener. * An outerwear jacket with details such as map pockets, and an integrated bag that folds down as a seat extension. Useful on the road and on the street.

MINI_motion (represented by the Steven Alan Showroom) will comprise of a select number of limited edition products. The collection will be refreshed seasonally and includes apparel, shoes, bags and accessories

Yves Béhar has created MINI_motion by taking MINI’s inherent design integrity and overlaying his own expertise in various disciplines ranging from fashion to sports to furniture to technology, creating items that allow the individual seamless mobility. The inaugural MINI_motion collection will debut in select specialty stores in the United States in Fall 2003.

“MINI_ motion draws its inspiration from the energy and heritage of the MINI brand and will appeal to those who appreciate design,” explains Rinat Aruh, Lifestyle Development Manager of MINI. “We decided to work with Yves because of his diverse background in designing products in different fields. Yves’ work is dedicated to the development of the emotional experience of brands through storytelling, and we felt that was very in tune with us at MINI. MINI_motion is about connectivity and Yves’ vision for our signature collection created solutions to simple, everyday needs associated with the connection between the user and different modes of transport.”

Béhar: “We spend more and more time driving and yet our lives inside and outside the car are disconnected. MINI is developing a product line that no other car brand
has attempted by creating innovative solutions that fuse the inside and outside experiences. Inspired by people, life observation, design and attitude, the MINI_motion point of view is that the product collection should work just as well in-the-car as out,”

Founder and creative principal of fuseproject, a San Francisco based brand development and industrial design firm, Béhar was born in Switzerland in 1967. Béhar’s designs have garnered him international recognition in museums and competitions, including awards from TIME Magazine, the Businessweek/IDEA awards, ID Magazine; and exhibits in the Cooper Hewitt Museum NY and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

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MINI COOPER NAMED ‘COOL CAR’ BY AAA AUTO GUIDE

MINI Continues its Sweep of Awards in 2003 Woodcliff Lake, NJ March 7, 2003…. Proving that some of the best things come in small packages, AAA has bestowed the
MINI Cooper with the top award for “Cool Car” in their 2003 AAA Auto Guide, continuing MINI’s award-winning momentum in the U.S.

Each year, AAA’s reviewers rate more than 200 cars, pickups, SUVs and vans for the AAA Auto Guide. They rate each vehicle in 20 categories, covering passenger environment, over-the-road performance, workmanship and value. A perfect car scores 10 points in all 20 categories, totaling 200 points. In naming the Cool Car, ‘coolness’ counts more than any scorecard. AAA’s reviewers pick this car based on its unique style and fun quotient.

In addition to style, the MINI Cooper’s ‘cool’ factor is built on substance under the skin. Nimble handling and sprightly performance make the MINI Cooper perfect to carve up twisty roads or cruise all day on the open road thanks to the car’s taut suspension, quick-ratio steering and 1.6 liter 4 cylinder engine.

The AAA award is the latest in a list of over 30 accolades MINI has captured since its debut in the U.S., including North American Car of the Year Award. The list of awards from media, trade and independent consumer organizations exemplify MINI’s exceptional product, unique brand positioning and innovative launch campaign.

Jack Pitney, general manager of MINI USA said: “We are thrilled AAA has awarded the title of “cool car” to the MINI Cooper. MINI is not just about great product and
value, it is also about driving exhilaration and, above all, fun.”