Australia Allocated 200 Additional MINI RAYs

THe MINI RAY has been available locally in Australia for only three months and has already proven to be a sales success. With the original allocation of 300 units now all going to new homes, and despite significant demand from all international markets, MINI Australia has managed to secure an additional 200 units for the year.

In Australia, the model will set you back a hefty AUD28,800 and is powered by the naturally aspirated 1.6 litre engine with VALVETRONIC valve operation ensuring efficient delivery of torque and fuel consumption. Despite not being all that powerful, the RAY can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 10.5 seconds, just one tenth of a second slower than the Cooper automatic.

Coinciding with additional MINI RAY units for 2011, MINI Australia has also announced an even more spicy deal: the once optional Chilli package is now standard.

“With an existing take up rate of over 60 percent, we are thrilled to announce the Chilli features as standard across MINI Hatch, Cabrio and Clubman models,” said David Woollcott, National MINI Manager, who added that the Chilli Package has always been a proven favourite amongst customers.

“With an existing take up rate of over 60 percent, we are thrilled to announce the Chilli features as standard across MINI Hatch, Cabrio and Clubman models,” said Woollcott.

While there are a number of variant and trim levels, each will have air conditioning, and cloth / leather combination upholstery.

BMW’s MINI brand is doing exceptionally well in Australia, having delivered 53.7 percent more vehicles in July than a year ago. With 226 customer deliveries, it was the strongest July on record.