MINI - Highest Projected Residual Value in Compact Car Segment, Fourth Consecutive Year
Automotive Lease Guide (ALG) has awarded MINI a top spot in their annual 2006 Residual Value Awards for the fourth year in a row. With the highest projected resale value in the compact car segment, the 2006 MINI Cooper is predicted to retain 62% percent of its value at the end of a 36-month lease according to the ALG November/December 2005 Residuals Percentage Guide.
MINI to show special version of Traveller at Detroit show
MINI will present a North American version of the Traveller concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The MINI Concept Detroit, the third appearance for the Traveller Concept, will be transformed into a sport-oriented theme that will be seen only in Detroit.
MINI Concept Detroit places an emphasis on features such as the wheel arches, the shoulder line and the powerdome of the car. Dropping the usual B-pillar, MINI Concept Detroit has an openness usually only found in a coupe or convertible.
The car is inviting to passengers and features plenty of space for sports equipment. Innovative roof carriers and cargo box systems offer additional storage space.
MINI Convertible tops the UK charts as the best-selling convertible of 2005
MINI Convertible tops the UK charts as the best-selling convertible of 2005, as a record 200,000 MINIs leave Oxford.
In a year when UK soft-top sales are down overall, MINI has bucked the trend. The best-selling convertible of 2005 is set to be the MINI Convertible, already scoring 11 per cent more sales by the end of November (YTD) than the best-selling convertible of 2004.
Despite the UK’s consistently changeable climate, MINI drivers are refusing to allow their soggy surrounds to put a dampener on their enthusiasm for open top motoring. In 2005 the MINI Convertible outsold its nearest competitor by a whopping 27 per cent. The MINI One, Cooper and Cooper S Convertibles now account for almost one in every four MINIs sold.
Continue reading Drop-top Top of the Pops
Pepper White MINI Cooper S Convertible destined for its owner in Australia…
The Pepper White MINI Cooper S Convertible destined for its owner in Australia was the 766,290th vehicle built at the plant since MINI production started in April 2001. Nearly all MINIs manufactured at the plant are built to a specific customer order.
It is the first time that the plant has built over 200,000 units in one year since 1988.
Continue reading Record MINI Production in 2005 – 200,000th MINI produced
MINI is more than a car. MINI is a lifestyle.
As of December 14th, 2005
MINI fans will be able to experience this exciting lifestyle in the
capital of Spain. It is in this vibrant city that the worldwide first
MINI LOUNGE opens its doors on Paseo de la Castellana, 123. Bar,
restaurant and nightclub are all housed under the same roof: between
8am and 4am, guests can enjoy a wide range of gastronomic specialties -
varying during the course of the day. The lounge thus creates an
entirely new platform for enjoying and experiencing the MINI brand.
Continue reading World Premiere in Madrid: Grand Opening of the first MINI Lounge
Multi-Functional Jackets and Hypa T Feature Resilient Fabric Structure
Who waits to seize the moment? Urban adventurists make their own moments happen and need stylish, functional apparel that can keep the pace. Designed by Yves Behar of fuseproject in collaboration with DDC lab NY and MINI USA, the new MINI_motion apparel line combines cutting edge new materials with contemporary functional needs.
Drawing inspiration from both MINI’s fun yet functional design and life in and outside the car, MINI USA introduces its second MINI_motion collection ranging from apparel with hi-tech features to accessories and luggage designed to create a seamless connection to life in constant motion.
3 out of 4 All-Star awards for the MINI!
The editors of Automobile Magazine have bestowed the MINI Cooper with honors as an Automobile Magazine All-Stars winner in the January 2006 issue. This award makes it the third time MINI has won a spot on the prestigious All-Stars list in the last four years.
Automobile Magazine awards its All-Stars following a week-long test drive of the most innovative and important cars, taking into account criteria that includes excellent value and performance exceptional design and pure driving enjoyment. After the 1000-mile road trip, the award winners are not determined through an instrumented test process, but by a round-table discussion that results in a vote for the winners.
Continue reading MINI Honored as Automobile Magazine All-Star (Again!)…
“The MINI continues to be extremely popular in all markets”.
BMW Group (Worldwide) has already passed last years total sales figures, this has been helped by the ever popular, and much loved MINI.
The MINI continues to be extremely popular in all markets. In the period up to and including November 2005, sales increased further by 10.3% to 190,401 units (previous year: 172,581). In November 2005, the number of deliveries rose by 3.7% to 15,171(previous year: 14,635) MINI One, MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S vehicles.
With 42,595 MINI convertibles sold in the first eleven months of 2005, almost a quarter of all customers (22.4%) went for the “topless version”. The product mix remains of the highest quality: 52,119 or 27.4% of customers decided in favor of the basic variant, MINI One, but by far the most buyers chose the MINI Cooper (84,538/44.4%) and the top-of-the-range MINI Cooper S was chosen by 53,744 customers (28.2%).
MINI Cooper S Auto gets tuned on
The John Cooper Works engine tuning kit has been a great success since it was launched in 2003. Demand in the UK has seen one in nine Cooper S hatch owners opting for the upgrade. From this month, the tuning kit is now available for MINI Cooper S’s with automatic transmission.
The JCW kit will push the auto-shifting Cooper S to 203bhp at 6,450 rpm with an impressive 0-62 mph in 7.3 seconds; an increase of 33bhp over the standard MINI Cooper S. Offered as an aftermarket kit from all 157 MINI UK dealerships, the cost is £2,999 (excl. fitting).
The Aisin six-speed transmission in a MINI Cooper S auto was developed to maintain the MINI’s traditional zesty drive. The close gear ratio settings ensure sharp gear changes and a dynamic driving experience that complements the sporty character of the MINI Cooper S. The great drive is further enhanced by the high level of standard equipment including Steptronic paddles on the steering wheel, limited slip differential and Adaptive Transmission Control (AGS). AGS allows the transmission to adapt over time to fit with the driver’s individual driving style.
Latest figures from BMW Group USA reflect the MINIs ever increasing popularity stateside
MINI USA have reported that year-to-date sales of MINI automobiles have surpassed the 36,036 reported for the entire calendar year 2004. For the first eleven months of 2004, MINI USA reported sales of 38,384 cars, compared to 32,222 cars in the same period a year ago, an increase of 19 percent. The division also reported monthly sales of 3,171 cars compared to 3,363 cars sold in November of 2004, a decrease of 6 percent.
Interestingly, in November 2005, hardtop Cooper S sales more than doubled hardtop MINI Cooper sales, with sales of the S model at 1,442 units, and the Cooper at 712. The Convertible saw a closer contest, with the Convertible S selling 565, compared to 452 for the MINI Cooper, which is a truer reflection of the sales balance for the year to date.
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