MINI

MINI USA has announced that the MINI John Cooper Works Team (MINI JCW Team) will enter the 2019 SRO TC America race series (TC America). MINI USA will continue its partnership with Indianapolis-based LAP Motorsports and will sponsor a vehicle in the Touring Car A (TCA) Class of the 2019 TC America, which kicks off at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on March 1, 2019, just outside of Austin, Texas. Most recently, the MINI JCW Team took home the 2018 Manufacturer’s Championship in the Street Tuner class of the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Series, beating the likes of BMW, Porsche, and Mazda.

Mini owners are being offered a fantastic opportunity to be part of the idolized little car’s unmissable 60th birthday party at this summer’s Silverstone Classic (26-28 July). Plans to salute the diminutive icon’s diamond jubilee with the biggest-ever grid of racing Minis has already been announced – but now comes confirmation of an exclusive anniversary track parade and display, too.

MINI USA today announced senior management changes effective March 1st, 2019. Steve Ambeau joins MINI USA succeeding McKenna as Department Head, MINI Brand Communications. In this role, Ambeau will be responsible for shaping the MINI US brand strategy, as well as leading the planning, positioning, and execution of customer-facing communications across MINI’s owned, earned, and paid channels. Patrick McKenna assumes the role of Department Head, MINI Product Planning and Consumer Events. In this role, McKenna is responsible for the MINI USA product strategy for present and future models in the United States. In addition, McKenna is responsible for developing and executing the strategy for consumer events. McKenna will transition from his current role as Department Head, MINI Brand Communications for MINI USA, a position he has held since May 2017.

The 60th anniversary of the extraordinary Mini Minor will be celebrated with two record-breaking races at this summer’s Silverstone Classic (26-28 July). To mark this magical milestone in true Classic style, the packed on-track program will – for the first time ever – feature a pair of very special showdowns dedicated entirely to huge numbers of much-loved Mini racers competing for The Mini Celebration Trophy presented by Adrian Flux. The automotive icon’s enduring popularity with historic motorsport competitors is certain to create the world’s biggest-ever grid of racing Minis and, fittingly, another major crowd-pleasing highlight at this year’s running of the biggest retro-racing festival on the planet.

Dakar 2019 has finished after the tenth and final stage that saw yet another strong performance from the MINI crews. Stage 10 was 359 km in total, of which 112 km were off-road Special Stage and ended with the Dakar competitors’ arrival in Lima, capital city of Peru. Joan ‘Nani’ Roma (ESP) and co-driver Alex Haro (ESP) raced Stage 10 according to plan, which was to place their MINI John Cooper Works Rally in a position that would safeguard their overall ranking of second. Finishing 6th in today’s stage ensured that Roma and Haro were successful and the Spanish duo did indeed secure a well-deserved second-place overall at Dakar 2019.

On 26 August 1959, British Motor Corporation (BMC) proudly revealed a car that captured the imagination of the world and revolutionized the compact car segment. Six decades later, in 2019 MINI marks the brand’s 60th birthday and the extraordinary story of a British innovation that went on to achieve iconic status. To kick-start this anniversary year, MINI is introducing a limited run of 500 very special vehicles for UK customers. MINI is kicking off its 60th anniversary year with the introduction of a limited edition model celebrating the best of MINI. Just 500 examples of this worldwide edition will go on sale in the UK. The car features a new British Racing Green exterior paint finish, black contrast roof, exclusive 17-inch light alloy wheels, and a unique interior.

First Jaguar, now MINI. Brexit is already playing havoc with the business of making cars in the United Kingdom and striking fear into global automakers. BMW said Tuesday that it would shut its MINI factory in England for one month of maintenance immediately after Brexit because it can’t be sure of getting the parts it needs if the United Kingdom leaves the European Union without a trade deal. Brexit will take effect on March 29. The MINI shutdown will begin on April 1. “While we believe this worst-case scenario is an unlikely outcome, we have to plan for it,” said BMW, which employs 4,200 workers at its MINI plant in Oxford.

MINI USA has confirmed that its biennial MINI owners road rally MINI TAKES THE STATES 2018 (MTTS) attracted more than 3,000 owners to event’s finale and that the rally raised more than one million meals for charity partner Feeding America. MINI USA also confirmed that fundraising efforts to support Feeding America will remain open until the end of the year at MINITAKESTHESTATES.com. The biennial trek attracted more than 3,600 MINI owners who took part in the Rally to the Rockies, with 1,000+ MINIs on the road each day. The group of loyal MINI owners travelled more than 5,000 miles through 15 cities and 14 states. At times the group swelled to more than 1,000 owners and 500 vehicles of all shapes, colors and sizes on each route.

MINI USA announces the upcoming debut of the MINI John Cooper Works Hardtop International Orange Edition to occur during MINI TAKES THE STATES, the brand’s legendary biennial owners road rally. During the rally, which kicks off Saturday, July 14, in Portland, OR, and in Orlando, FL, MINI USA will showcase this special edition MINI John Cooper Works model on both the Eastern and Western routes. This boldly-colored, limited production special edition will also be on display in Keystone, Colorado, at the final gathering events July 20 – 22.

MINI Brand Sales For June, MINI USA reported 4,146 vehicles sold, a decrease of 6 percent from the 4,410 sold in the same month a year ago.  MINI sales in June were led by the MINI Countryman (1,471 vehicles).  Year to date, MINI sales remain up 1.9 percent. MINI Pre-Owned Vehicles MINI Certified Pre-Owned sold 1,554 vehicles in June, an increase of 74.6 percent from June 2017. Total MINI Pre-Owned sold 3,435 vehicles in June, an increase of 38.5 percent from June 2017. Note: Press release courtesy of BMW Group.

Word is in on this year’s Auto Express Magazine awards, and Aston Martin, MINI, and Jaguar have all done quite well. Aston Martin Awards In addition to the cars themselves, Aston Martin President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Andy Palmer was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The award – which was presented to Palmer by Auto Express editor-in-chief Steve Fowler – represents an appreciation for his efforts during his long and successful career in the automotive industry.

With just two weeks to go until Goodwood Festival of Speed 2018, MINI UK is excited to confirm two concept vehicles making their UK debut. MINI will offer a glimpse into the future direction of the brand with the MINI Electric Concept showcasing its design vision for a fully-electric model. Also a UK first, and inspired by the carmaker’s legendary motorsport heritage, the MINI John Cooper Works GP Concept will be on display as part of MINI’s activation at the 2018 festival. The MINI Electric Concept features an iconic design with clean-cut surfaces for a minimalist impression and will be the first fully electric MINI. The concept offers a thrilling preview of the all-electric production vehicle due to be unveiled in 2019.

MINI USA announced today that the 2019 MINI Hardtop 2 Door has earned a “2018 Top Safety Pick” award by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The MINI Hardtop earns this designation when equipped with Active Driving Assistant and newly available LED headlights. The 2019 MINI Hardtop 2 Door received a “Good” rating across a wide range of crashworthiness tests, including “driver-side small overlap front”, “moderate overlap front”, “side, roof strength” and “head restraint” tests.

MINI USA today announced the official list of sponsors for MINI TAKES THE STATES (MTTS) 2018. The biennial road rally for MINI owners will take place from July 14 – 22, starting simultaneously from Orlando, Fla., and Portland, Ore., and ending at Keystone Resort in Keystone, Colo. Earlier this year, MINI USA announced that Feeding America is again the Official Charity Partner of MTTS 2018. This summer’s rally will see the return of several sponsors from the 2016 rally, Shell V-Power ® NiTRO+ Premium Gasoline,  Pennzoil with PurePlus™ Technology motor oil and Pirelli®, which offers MINI approved star marked tires. New sponsors to the MTTS rally include KIND® Snacks, MapQuest, who will for the first time bring a custom turn-by-turn navigation application to MTTS, and Harman Kardon.

That there was a pent-up demand for a replacement MK1 Mini bodyshell was not in doubt, but British Motor Heritage (BMH) has nevertheless been stunned at the scale of orders since first displaying its prototype shell at the 2016 NEC Classic Motor Show. Dramatically rising values are at the heart of the demand Commented BMH’s Managing Director John Yea: A few years back, though values of good Mini-Coopers were climbing steadily, the limited worth of their 850 cousins made comprehensive restorations hard to justify. The picture is now very different, and enthusiasts are busy rejuvenating all versions of Issisgonis’ immortal baby at an ever-increasing rate. As a result we are constantly having to raise our production targets, and that’s without taking into account the shells we are creating for David Brown Automotive’s impressive Mini Remastered programme. At just £9,950 inc. […]

The MINI JCW Team and MINI USA continued to show their dominance in the quest for a series championship in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Series during this weekend’s Mid-Ohio 120 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. The series last visited the track in 2013, creating a unique opportunity for a level playing field for the two hour endurance race. This was also the first time the MINI JCW Team had ever raced at the 16-turn, 2.4 mile race track 60 miles north of Columbus. The team successfully navigated a number of challenging blind turns and elevation changes to bring home the 1 – 2 finish over the very competitive Porsche and BMW teams. Nate Norenburg continued his excellent qualifying form, putting the #37 MINI JCW on the front row for the third straight event. Norenberg showed that […]

MINI UK is celebrating a key milestone with the 25th anniversary of the MINI Convertible, first on sale in 1993. The iconic vehicle is similarly celebrating another ground-breaking landmark as the bestselling convertible model in the UK. 1993 Mini Cabriolet The Rover Mini Cabriolet was introduced in June 1993, following a previously successful UK trial of the Mini Lamm Cabriolet in 1991. During the trial, German-based Lamm Autohaus removed the roof of the vehicle prior to sale in the UK and it was an instant hit with all 75 vehicles selling immediately – making it one of the rarest Minis ever produced. At launch, Mini Cabriolet cost almost double that of the 1993 Classic Mini and was available in two colors, Caribbean Blue with a Grey hood and Nightfire Red with matching hood, and featured new 12-inch diameter Revolution wheels […]

MINI is proud to announce their support non-profit Best Friends in its mission to save animal lives. To date, MINI has loaned four MINIs to help Best Friends transport animals to vet appointments, pick up supplies for the clinics, even drive once homeless pets to their new homes. In 2017, MINI USA donated four fully leased MINI Countryman cars for use in the Best Friends program cities of Los Angeles, New York, Salt Lake City and Atlanta. Since the day the cars arrived in the respective cities, they’ve been turning heads and safely getting pets from point A to point B. In Atlanta, the MINI might get a dog or cat to a vet appointment one day, and to a television appearance the next. It’s also a quick and efficient ride for staff to run errands or travel to a […]