This news comes from frequent contributor Lee Johnson:

I finally got around to the business section of today's NY Times and in the “Openers” section on page 2 there is a brief comparing the MINI and the Hummer under the headline Goliath Stumbles, But David Keeps Humming Along. Here's the text:

“A decade ago, after another Iraq war, one Arnold Schwarzenegger spied a hulking military vehicle and decided it was the chariot for him. The seeds of the Hummer craze were sown, blossoming when the Hummer H2 military chic for the leather-seat-and-cupholder set appeared in 2002.”

“That same year, in a parallel automotive universe, BMW was thinking far smaller, introducing its retooled Mini to American drivers.”

“Both cars were hits, and the Mini the ultimate anti-S.U.V., at least until the even more minuscule Smart Car arrives on these shores still is. But whether it's because of war weariness, surging gas prices or drivers fed up with righteous glares from Mini drivers, the Hummer is fading. Sales have dropped for eight consecutive months. Now, in fact, dealers offer rebates, though the Terminator would surely wince at the word.”

So keep up those righteous glares: It's working!

Lee