MINI USA has associated its name with Polar Bears International (PBI), a non-profit organization, which is reportedly the only one that helps conserve polar bears and the ice cap that they depend on.
Using the MINI Cooper SE electric supermini, the BMW Group-owned brand is raising awareness, and they have released a CGI showing a polar bear riding shotgun in the zero-emission model. This is a nod to the Bulldog Spike, the company’s mascot shown in the early TV commercials.
“We hope to inspire MINI consumers with a message of sustainability and how together we can protect our planet,” said the brand’s Communications Manager for the United States, Rah Mahtani. “The polar bear is an icon of climate change, and we are highlighting this species in our ‘Big Love Campaign’ with several ways consumers can get involved to protect the planet.”
Besides featuring the Cooper SE, the new campaign is directly involved in the conservation of polar bears via a webpage where U.S. citizens can make donations for this cause, and can also ‘adopt’ a polar bear. If greenhouse gas emissions will not be regulated, scientists claim that there will be an ice-free Arctic summer by 2050. Moreover, most polar bears could be extinct by 2100 due to the lack of ice.
As for the Cooper SE, this is the brand’s first full-production electric vehicle. It looks instantly recognizable as a MINI and carries an MSRP of $34,225 in the United States, before the $850 destination and handling. With 181 hp available via the right pedal, it can hit 60 mph (97 kph) in 6.9 seconds from a standstill. The model supports 50 kW fast charging, taking 36 minutes to be juiced up to 80%. On a full charge, it has an EPA estimated autonomy of 110 miles (177 km).
“We hope to inspire MINI consumers with a message of sustainability and how together we can protect our planet,” said the brand’s Communications Manager for the United States, Rah Mahtani. “The polar bear is an icon of climate change, and we are highlighting this species in our ‘Big Love Campaign’ with several ways consumers can get involved to protect the planet.”
Besides featuring the Cooper SE, the new campaign is directly involved in the conservation of polar bears via a webpage where U.S. citizens can make donations for this cause, and can also ‘adopt’ a polar bear. If greenhouse gas emissions will not be regulated, scientists claim that there will be an ice-free Arctic summer by 2050. Moreover, most polar bears could be extinct by 2100 due to the lack of ice.
As for the Cooper SE, this is the brand’s first full-production electric vehicle. It looks instantly recognizable as a MINI and carries an MSRP of $34,225 in the United States, before the $850 destination and handling. With 181 hp available via the right pedal, it can hit 60 mph (97 kph) in 6.9 seconds from a standstill. The model supports 50 kW fast charging, taking 36 minutes to be juiced up to 80%. On a full charge, it has an EPA estimated autonomy of 110 miles (177 km).