2006 MINI Cooper Convertible Wins Total Quality Award TM, Total Value Award (TM) and Most Delightful Vehicle Award in “Convertible Under $30,000″ Segment

Woodcliff Lake, NJ - March 08, 2006… The 2006 MINI Cooper Convertible has been bestowed three distinct honors in the latest Strategic Vision Annual Vehicle Experience Study (TM). Specifically the MINI Cooper Convertible won a Total Quality Award (TM), Total Value Award (TM) and was named “Most Delightful Vehicle” in the “Convertible Under $30,000″ segment. More significantly, this has been the fourth consecutive year a MINI has won its respective category in each of the three Strategic Vision surveys. The MINI Cooper Convertible also joins it’s BMW Group sibling - the BMW 3 Series - as one of only two passenger cars to take top honors in all three surveys in its respective category.

The Strategic Vision Total Quality Index (TQI) measures quality from a variety of perspectives including product experience, vehicle reliability, dealership experience and emotional response to the vehicle. The Total Value Index (TVI) adds to the TQI the dimension of economic consequences and expectations. This encompasses issues such as the negotiated price, warranty coverage, resale value and expected operating costs. The Customer Delight Inde(TM) (CDITM) assesses the customers’ responses to specific aspects of their vehicles and captures the strength of the emotional response to what the vehicle delivers.

Dr. Darrel Edwards, CEO, Founder and Creative Director of Strategic Vision states, “The ability of a vehicle to lead in Total Quality, Customer Delight, and Total Value means that it delivers a completely, positive emotional experience that is worth the price. Total Quality and Total Value address the rational aspects of the experience. Customer Delight provides an emotional bridge that looks at tomorrow. These vehicles can be expected to be strong for years. These vehicles are exemplary of what the industry should deliver.”

“We are extremely pleased with the MINI Convertible’s results in all three of Strategic Vision’s 2006 surveys, yet more impressively we are thrilled that MINI has been a consistent winner in all three surveys for the last four years” said Jim McDowell, Vice President, MINI USA. “It is clear that “MINI instills a strong sense of passion and delight in our customers and the results of these surveys underscore the quality and value our owners experience throughout the complete ownership experience.