–
Enlarge
–
Mini celebrates in 2021 two decades since BMW resurrected it as an exclusive brand in 2001. This has been the history of one of the youngest but at the same time more retro brands on the market.
–
In 2001 the first Mini of the new era was presented, a new model that would end up becoming a brand pulling on nostalgia, a masterpiece of BMW. The history of Mini as we know it today began on January 30, 1994, the date on which BMW acquired ownership of the British group (which owns the brands MG, Austin, Rover, Land Rover, etc.) for a sum of 60,000 million pesetas, about 360 million euros to change.
Of the whole package, BMW is especially interested in the Range Rover division and Mini, immediately giving a “door” to the others, which will be sold to other companies. His interest in Ranger Rover was in his know-how in the field of luxury 4 × 4 and would pay off with the first generation of the BMW X5. After some years learning from the British in exchange for mounting their engines in Range Rovers, BMW also got rid of this brand once it obtained what it was interested in until it only kept control of Mini, for which it would have other plans.
The truth is that the British brands were mortally wounded, something that has been demonstrating over the years since then. They have continued to change hands (first with Ford, now with Tata) and they have never finished coming out of the red clearly. It is curious that, the one that was almost the first to disappear completely, is almost the only one with a guaranteed future, MG, thanks to its Chinese masters. BMW proved to have a crystal ball in detecting the potential of the charismatic Mini to carry out its plan and make it a brand unto itself.
–
7 photos
–
Enlarge
–
The truth is that the British group already had some projects to update the Mini and BMW saw in them an interesting feasibility. The success of the critics and the attention that the ACV30 concept car (name that referred to the 30th anniversary of the victory in Monte Carlo in 1967) managed to capture in 1997 was the definitive accolade to the Bavarian plans.
Building on this enormous success, BMW put all the meat on the grill to develop a new Mini model, retro in style but completely new in concept, and in 2001 they had the result ready, which became a resounding success from the first moment.
20 years of Mini with a German accent: kill the original
–
7 photos
–
Enlarge
–
BMW commissioned the design of the new Mini to the American Frank Stephenson, creator among other models of the also retro Fiat 500, the first generation BMW X5, the Maserati MC12 or the Ferrari F 430, among others.
Undoubtedly resembling in some respects the Mini ACV 30 concept presented in 1997, the first result of Stephenson’s sketches is presented at the 1999 Paris Motor Show and the reviews could not be more positive. BMW continues with its plan to relaunch the model as a new brand. The project is progressing smoothly, but they are clear that his new creature must arrive on the market with nothing to steal his prominence.
In this way, the new owners of the British company announced that the mythical Mini would cease to be produced in the year 2000 after more than five million units produced over 41 years of life. The arguments presented for such a decision were the problems in adapting the model to the new safety and environmental standards. I do not doubt that there was some truth in it (although the Defender lasted in production for almost twenty more years with the same limitations or more), but it also suited them to put an end to the charismatic classic so that it would not steal prominence from the new one and thus pave the land.
Said and done, the success story of the original Mini born in 1959 closed its last page with the entry into the new millennium and in the year 2000 the production of the Mini ceased, the best-selling British car so far with 5.3 million units produced.
20 years of Mini with a German accent: 2001, a new era begins
–
7 photos
–
Enlarge
–
A few months after the cessation of production of the old Mini, BMW presents its new creature and the first Mini of the new era is launched on the market, a compact model with a design that you have to surrender to. It’s really reminiscent of the classic, but it doesn’t really look like that at all. While the original sought the maximum use of space, in the new one, practicality remained in a third plane compared to style and cache.
In addition to its retro design both on the outside and inside, one of the keys to the success of the new Mini (and a gold mine for the brand) will be in the endless customization possibilities and the huge catalog of extras and accessories perfectly designed for the model.
Immediately, the Mini becomes one of the most chic cars of the moment. The classic Mini was born with the idea of being an inexpensive utility vehicle, but that concept was a failure in its early years. The true success of the classic came when the wealthy classes adopted it as a luxury item and it began to be popular with stars such as Peter Sellers, the Beatles or even the British royal family. The new Mini would not make the same mistake as the classic and from the beginning BMW was clear that its new creature would never pretend to be a utility for the masses but a whim.
The formula was a success that is no less than 20 years old and has a long future ahead of it thanks to electrification.
20 years of Mini with a German accent: from Michael Caine to Charlize Theron
–
7 photos
–
Enlarge
–
One of the keys to the success of the classic Mini was, without a doubt, in its leading role in the cinema. Of the multitude of blockbuster movies in which he appears (such as The Pink Panther with Peter Sellers), The Italian Job starring the formidable Michael Caine is the one that had the most impact. Shot in 1969, with the Mini sweeping Monte Carlo and in various sports competitions, the crazy escape of the 3 Mini Cooper through the streets of Milan after stealing a gold bullion truck is one of the most legendary car scenes in movie history.
Shot almost as soon as the new Mini left the production lines, in 2003 the remake of The Italian Job was released, in which Charlize Theron drives a classic Mini as a daily car and three copies of the brand-new Mini Cooper are in charge of stealing a van with gold again. Another successful marketing masterpiece from BMW that helped underpin the Mini’s out-of-the-box car image.
The cinema has always been an excellent catapult to elevate certain vehicles to myth, such as the Vespa and Roman Holidays, the Mustang and Bullit, the Beetle and Herbie, etc.
You are interested in: movie cars
20 years of Mini with a German accent: Clubman and Countryman, the family grows
–
7 photos
–
Enlarge
–
In 2005 comes the convertible version of the Mini, on 2008 the Clubman Y in 2013 the Countryman and the Mini family grows so much that the brand goes from a single model to having a fairly complete catalog that ranges from a compact 3-door to a 5-door SUV, all with a very defined style that distinguishes itself from other brands.
Although it does not have a model in each segment, the Mini range is very well planned and its models cover the market segment that generates the most sales, with models around 4-4.5 meters, compact and SUV. Since then, the models of the Mini ranges are already in their second generations and electrification opens up a new future for them that guarantees that this story could be even longer than that of the classic Mini and its 41 years of life.
20 years of Mini with a German accent: Roadster and Paceman, not always right
–
7 photos
–
Enlarge
–
Of course, it is not always correct. Sometimes the idea is good but it doesn’t come at the right time. Mini introduced a coupe version of the Countryman called Paceman that was barely in production because its sales were not as expected and the problem was quickly resolved. Presented as a concept in 2011 and marketed in 2014, it was barely two years in the catalog.
Something similar happened with the Mini Roadster, a two-seater version of the Mini that was presented as a concept car in 2009 and launched on the market in January 2012. Sales were not as expected and production was quickly ceased.
View model information
–
