MINI UK’s charity partner KidsOut is set to hit the jackpot this year. The Italian Job, a charitable pan-European rally now in its 19th successful year, has committed to making KidsOut the primary beneficiary of its fundraising efforts from 2008 onwards.
The January blues have been well and truly beaten by MINI in 2008 with new year awards from Top Gear, What Car?, BusinessCar and Parker’s Car Guides. With successes in these publications that cover retail and fleet, new and used car sales, the champagne is off the ice and the detox will have to wait!
The new MINI Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) will be built by Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik in Graz, Austria. The vehicle concept, devised by MINI Design and BMW Group engineers, has been entrusted to Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik for series development and for later production. The cooperation with Magna Steyr is an efficient way for BMW Group to ensure the planned profitable growth through new model launches set out in the company's strategic alignment.
MINI USA and RIDEMAKERZ have teamed up to create the smallest MINI ever - the RIDEMAKERZ MINI - a 12-inch, completely customizable toy replica of the iconic MINI Cooper S - and have guaranteed a holiday donation of 2,000 of the new toy MINIs to Toys for Tots - the companies jointly announced today at an event celebrating the launch of the new MINI RIDE.
The 2008 MINI Clubman, an all-new addition to the MINI model line, has just made its North American debut today at the Los Angeles International Auto Show, bowing to the audience most unconventionally, with its rear-end first! With a little more room in the back and an innovative door configuration, the eagerly anticipated MINI Clubman defies convention in its concept and style. This all new addition to the MINI family will go on sale in the US February 19th, 2008 as both a Cooper and a Cooper S model. The MINI Cooper Clubman will be offered with a MSRP of $20,600 while the MINI Cooper S Clubman will come with a MSRP of $24,100. Both prices include a $650 Destination charge.
MINI, the world-famous premium manufacturer, is celebrating a very special debut in Asia at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show, with the new MINI Clubman to be admired for the first time in the capital city of Japan from 26 October - 11 November 2007 at the Makuhari Fairgrounds. Approximately one year after the launch of the new model generation, MINI is enlarging its model range by an equally innovative and irresistible car concept scheduled for introduction in the Japanese market in February 2008.
MINI UK has achieved a record sales month; the highest since MINI went on sale in July 2001. 150 UK dealers sold 8,764 models in September 2007*. Year-to-date figures are running higher than the previous record year of 2005, at 36,969 models, making the outlook for a new record sales year certainly look more likely than snow on Christmas day. As announced at Frankfurt Motor Show last month, global sales figures are heading for the 220,000 mark in 2007.
MINI has taken a green P1 in the Autocar 2007 Green Grand Prix with its combination of great economy, low carbon dioxide emissions and renowned fun-factor. Tested against some of the UK’s most environmentally friendly cars, MINI Cooper D triumphed in both absolute fuel consumption (which is directly related to CO2 emissions), and in how close its consumption figures got to the manufacturer’s stated economy figures. So, with MINI, it does what it says on the tin and you can have your cake and eat it. The only cliché it doesn’t fulfil is that going green means driving dull.
One year after the launch of the new generation, MINI has extended the range of models with the MINI Clubman. The car has a unique rear-end design and new proportions that distinguish it from other members of the MINI family.
Confusion surrounding alternative fuels and related technologies is leading new car buyers to miss a trick. A recent YouGov Plc survey commissioned by MINI found that diesel-powered cars are thought to be way behind hybrid models for cleanliness. Yet the 104g/km CO2 emitted by the sporty MINI Cooper D is a figure that equals, and in many cases beats other cars using alternative technologies – including hybrids.
