Photo: MINI
Long before the MINI became its own thing with uppercase letters, the British Motor Corporation introduced the original in 1959. Masterminded by legendary designer and engineer Alec Issigonis, the Mini soldiered on with many improvements and variations until the year 2000. During this period, no fewer than 5,387,862 examples of the breed were sold globally.
Of those, nearly 1.6 million were sold in the United Kingdom. Under the guidance of Bavarian automaker BMW, the MINI lineup sold a little over 5.1 million vehicles worldwide. One million of them were delivered in the United Kingdom, which is quite remarkable at first glance. But is it really?
In the first instance, let’s hear what UK and Ireland head honcho David George has to say: “This achievement is testament to the fantastic cars we’ve built and launched during that time, our customers’ continued love for MINI, and the strength and unwavering dedication of our retail network.” I have to say that fantastic and cars don’t mix on this occasion because the British marque is well known for rather poor quality and reliability.
As for the strength and unwavering dedication of the retail network, David George may not be aware of how much time a MINI spends in the forecourt in comparison to segment rivals. As for the elephant in the room, we should remember that the classic Mini lineup didn’t even have a crossover or all-wheel drive in the 1990s when the crossover boom started.
5.1 million vehicles in 21 years is remarkable for a niche automaker, I can’t deny that, but MINI gives off the sense that it could’ve done better if BMW allowed it to spread out its wings. The attached press release lays out a rather ambitious plan for the marque, which intends to launch the final internal combustion-engined vehicle in 2025. By 2027, the share of full-electric vehicles in global sales will be at least 50 percent according to MINI.
Remember how BMW experimented with EV tech by field testing the MINI E before the official debut of the i3? History will repeat itself in the 2030s because MINI will be the first group brand to go fully electric, not BMW.
In the first instance, let’s hear what UK and Ireland head honcho David George has to say: “This achievement is testament to the fantastic cars we’ve built and launched during that time, our customers’ continued love for MINI, and the strength and unwavering dedication of our retail network.” I have to say that fantastic and cars don’t mix on this occasion because the British marque is well known for rather poor quality and reliability.
As for the strength and unwavering dedication of the retail network, David George may not be aware of how much time a MINI spends in the forecourt in comparison to segment rivals. As for the elephant in the room, we should remember that the classic Mini lineup didn’t even have a crossover or all-wheel drive in the 1990s when the crossover boom started.
5.1 million vehicles in 21 years is remarkable for a niche automaker, I can’t deny that, but MINI gives off the sense that it could’ve done better if BMW allowed it to spread out its wings. The attached press release lays out a rather ambitious plan for the marque, which intends to launch the final internal combustion-engined vehicle in 2025. By 2027, the share of full-electric vehicles in global sales will be at least 50 percent according to MINI.
Remember how BMW experimented with EV tech by field testing the MINI E before the official debut of the i3? History will repeat itself in the 2030s because MINI will be the first group brand to go fully electric, not BMW.
Google News