If Volkswagen AG can have a hit with its New Beetle, competing German automaker BMW AG figures it could do the same with the Mini.
The tiny British-made car with a cultlike following will come back to the U.S. market in about 18 months after an absence of more than 30 years.
Tom Purves, chairman of BMW U.S. Holding Corp., told members of Detroit’s Automotive Press Association that a redesigned Mini will be sold and serviced in America’s urban centers by BMW and Land Rover dealers, probably one dealer per major market area. BMW acquired the Mini along with Britain’s Rover Group in 1994.
The new Mini will be aimed at the young, trendy and thrifty, maintaining its history of high mileage and low cost, Purves said. Pricing has not been set.
Scheduled for production in Birmingham, England, the new Mini tentatively is set to debut at the Birmingham Motor Show this fall, with European sales starting late this year or in early 2001. Shipments to the U.S. market are to start about six months later.
The Mini, voted European Car of the Century by journalists there, has sold about 5.3 million units in its 40-year history. This is its first redesign.
Ten feet long, 4 feet high and 4 feet wide, with a 1.3-liter engine and 10-inch wheels, the Mini was launched Aug. 26, 1959, as the smallest car for four adults and their luggage. Developed in response to fuel rationing, the Mini soon became a fashion statement, attracting such celebrity buyers as Peter Sellers, Peter Ustinov, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
The Mini was sold in the U.S. under the Austin and Morris brands from 1960 to ’67, when its American career was ended by safety and emissions regulations.
Purves said the new Mini will be a bit larger than the original but will adhere to the Mini philosophy of economy with style and performance.