On the eve of the US debut of the Countryman (at the NYC Auto Show in a few weeks) the WSJ took a look back and a look ahead at the MINI brand and it’s surprising success in the US market. It’s a fascinating take on the MINI story by a relative outsider to the automotive world let alone the MINI world. Here’s an excerpt:
“It was like a mission for me,” says Jack Pitney, who was BMW’s North American corporate communications chief at the time. “Here was the most successful car in U.K. history, with an uninterrupted production run of 40 years. It needed to be on our roads.” The numbers were against him. “All the classical research said there was no market,” Pitney says. “The Mini brand had less than 1 percent recognition in the U.S.”
A few days back we told you about MINI’s viral campaign in Geneva for the 2010 Motor Show. Today we bring you the real making of the video (as opposed to the faux making of) that shows you how MINI actually did put the words (and questionable ones to English speakers) “MINIWOOD” on the side of a hill overlooking Geneva.
Here are the numbers many of us have been waiting for. Lets start with the most important number to the MINI community; weight. Using the DIN standard the Countryman S weighs in at 2,882 pounds. Using the slightly more conservative EU standard (with average vehicle specification and fuel load – similar the US DOT standard) the number goes up to 3,047. For reference with that same EU standard the stock Cooper S hatchback is 2,651 pounds. The Countryman Cooper squeaks in under the 1.5 ton mark at 2,937 lbs.
So MINI’s first four door crossover isn’t quite as heavy as some had feared. In fact on paper it’s one of the lightest four door crossovers in the world. But will it still handle like a MINI? Only time (and some extended drives) will tell. Stay tuned for that. In the meantime you can see the full rundown on stats below. (After the jump)
Couldn’t make it to Geneva? Due to some last second scheduling issues neither could we. But luckily we have a few friends in the industry there to help us out. So with that said (plus a tip of the cap to Horatiu for the photos) we present you the MINI Countryman at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show.
What can we say. They’re in Geneva. They drive a Countryman. They like shenanigans. But lets back up. MINI created a guerilla marketing campaign in Geneva as they have the past few years. This year they projected the word MINIWOOD (double the size of the Hollywood sign) on the side of the hill above Geneva. The video above is a little behind the scenes of the process. (official release after the jump) continued →
MINI officially introduced the Countryman today in Geneva. The car will be on display throughout the next two weeks there before making its way across the pond to the New York Autoshow. But the big news wasn’t on the MINI stand but the BMW stand.
Official Release: Speech by Ian Robertson: MINI Press Conference, 80th Geneva International Motor Show.
Ladies and Gentlemen— Bonjour! Welcome to MINI! I’m always thrilled to see how many people come to join us at MINI. But that’s what this brand is all about. MINI is simply appealing!
I’d like to talk to you about three topics today.
First: Business at MINI
Second: MINIMALISM
And third, the world premiere of the MINI Countryman
MINI celebrated its 50th birthday last year and it proved that it is, without a doubt, the most exciting small car brand in the world. continued →
Last week MINI introduced the new MINI Connect option on the Countryman crossover. The idea is the first of its kind in the automotive world. The idea is that your iPhone (more on that in a sec) plugs into the car via the armrest. This charges the iPhone and provides a connection to the roof antenna and a hardwire connection for all the data. The iPhone is still via Bluetooth so all the functions normally supported by MINI via Bluetooth are still there.
Why just the iPhone? According to sources MINI has approached several manufacturers but Apple has been by far and away the most helpful in development so at this point the iPhone has the priority. Being the smartphone market leader doesn’t hurt either. However MINI is also working on integrating newer Blackberry handsets in future updates. What’s unclear is whether the first cars with MINI Connect can be updated later to accommodate new phones (i.e. Android handsets).
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1st Gen MINI R50: One & MC Coupe R52: All 1st Gen MINI Convt. R53: MCS Coupe 2nd Gen MINI R55: Clubman R56: One/MC/MCS Coupe R57: One/MC/MCS Convt. R60: MINI SUV
Sections: R60 (Crossover) Mar 16th, 2010 11 Comments 
