Interview: Mike Peyton, Head of MINIUSA on the Future of the Brand
Gabe had the chance to Interview Mike Peyton, VP MINIUSA, recently. If you are fan of MINI from the old days and are part of the “they are ruining the brand” club, might we highly recommend you listen to this interview. This will also appear in the White Roof Radio feed shortly if your prefer.
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<p>My favorite part of Motoringfile is when you guys do something like this so thanks, and thanks to Mike Peyton for giving you his time.</p>
<p>My scattered late night thoughts:</p>
<p>— I think Mike’s Harley background is perfect for MINI</p>
<p>— He is basically sticking to the script (which is what I would do in his shoes if I wanted to keep my job)</p>
<p>— It’s important to remember how radical the BMW MINI was when it first came out. Not radical in a futuristic way but because it so thoroughly and unapologetically embraced a geniuine late-60’s “Swinging London” aesthetic. By comparison VW’s “New Beetle” was a cheap knockoff. It was an exciting time in autos — the original Audi TT came out not long before that — probably the two most thrilling car debuts of my life were the TT and the first gen MINI Cooper.</p>
<p>— Like the current TT, the MINI Cooper has had its specificity watered down by corporate design trends, by mandated safety standards, etc. I’m pretty sure one of the original TT’s was displayed in the Museum of Modern Art, and I’m pretty sure the 2019 model would never be.</p>
<p>— BMW’s MINI upon introduction changed American automotive culture in some way. They can’t be afraid to lead again, as opposed to fretting about market trends.</p>
<p>— I found Mike’s referencing of Porsche totally on target, because to me MINI is kind of a middle-class Porsche for people who 1) can’t afford a Porsche (obviously); 2) are uncomfortable with the Porsche socio-economic connotations; but 3) desire the purity of design and purpose in an automobile that Porsche offers to their customers.</p>