The new MINI First has many an incentive for those on the lookout for a new comfortable, stylish, eco-friendly and economical drive.
Not only will you be getting an efficient and quality assured piece of German engineering, but the MINI First is also set to be the least depreciating vehicle in its class.
BMW expect the MINI First to still be worth 50 per cent of its £10,950 price tag after three years or 30,000 miles: unheard of!
Eco friendly motoring is becoming increasingly vital for our collective carbon footprint and more and more manufacturers are investing in research and development to envelope the best green technology into all types of vehicles.
BMW have won two Green awards in the last 12 months and look set to pick up more in the coming months with the release of the new MINI One D.
With a 90hp engine with 6mg fuel economy, this low end commuter car is a must for those that want a low CO2 emitting little hatchback with high fuel economy.
BMW are set to launch a budget MINI, named the MINI First, that will start from just £10,950 on the road.
Boasting a hugely economical 75 BHP 1.4 litre engine offering fuel consumption of 53.3 miles per gallon, the MINI First is most certainly aimed at first time buyers and those requiring an economical commuter car.
The MINI First may not be that nippy off the mark – 0-62MPH in a painfully slow 13.2 seconds – but with a top speed of 109MPH and the responsive handling and coolness of all other MINI models, this new hatch will sell like hot cakes.
The British icon, the Mini is of course celebrating its 50th anniversary this year but has also recently passed a noteworthy milestone.
BMW’s MINI plant in Oxford has now built more than 1.5 million units of their award winning hot hatch since 2001.
The 1.5 millionth MINI was a MINI Clubman, red of course, was seen heading off the production line by Business Minister Ian Lucas and BMW Group board member Ian Robertson.
Having been acquired by BMW Group, the MINI has been hugely popular worldwide, thanks to the design, ergonomics and engineering excellence of Bavarian Motor Works.
BMW are targeting the US market in a big way by opening 17 more MINI dealerships across America during the next 18 months.
This is just an example of how dominant the iconic hot hatch has become since its reincarnation by BMW in 2001.
The MINI has since been a big success in the US and the inclusion of these 17 new dealerships will take the total US Mini dealerships to 100.
The popularity of the MINI across the Pond has been even higher than BMW had ever imagined and the German car giants aim to better last year’s sales total of just over 54,000 units even though the US is experiencing economic difficulties.
The MINI Cooper S has been named What Car? 2009 Green Car of the Year in the sports car category.
The iconic hot hatch held onto its crown having received the same award in 2008 thanks to BMW’s EfficientDynamics technology.
In keeping against the need to broadcast through each and every medium about green initiatives, BMW have gone about their eco friendly business almost under the radar.
That great British Icon, the Mini celebrates its 50th birthday this year and during the recent celebrations at Silverstone BMW launched three new limited edition Mini models that will have fans of the hot hatch drooling.
Two of the new models – The Mini Camden and Mini Mayfair – will be in production for one year only with the first batch rolling off the production line in August. Both models will be available in Cooper, Cooper S and Cooper D, with the Camden starting from £18,165 and the Mayfair from £18,415.
The current economic climate has affected the car industry as much as any other industry, mainly because even those who can still afford to buy a brand new car are refraining from doing so at the moment simply as they don’t want to take the financial hit in terms of depreciation.
The government scrappage scheme has divided opinion as to whether it will kick-start sales and help out the car industry, but if potential purchasers do indeed take up on the 2 grand discount then value is there to be had…
In a bid to provide ultra-low carbon transport for the nation, the UK Government have pledged between £2000 and £5000 towards the purchase of electric cars for each customer. Supporting this project is BMW Mini and to show their support they are now trialling the Mini E in the UK.
Forty cars are to be produced for the UK market, following successful trials in the US and Germany and Mini see it as a good way of marking their fiftieth anniversary – by showing how they are moving forward in direct demand from the consumer and their environmental concerns.
The new Mini convertible is here – both in Cooper and Cooper S models. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the world’s most iconic cars, MINI are to release four new convertibles – the Cooper Convertible, Cooper s Convertible and later on in the year the MINI One Convertible and a JCW special edition boasting 208BHP.
The latter model will get enthusiasts most excited as with that much power underneath the hood, the MINI will be taken to another level.
Although the design of the new MINI convertibles remains the same there have been a few tweaks.
There are just a few things in life that hold their monetary value. Keep your jeans long enough and they’ll become ‘vintage’ which makes them worth more and hang on to your house long enough (not easy in the current climate!) and that will make you money too. However, buy a car and the general consensus is that you will lose a great deal of money just by driving it off the forecourt.
Not so with that great British classic – the Mini. MSN Autos have labelled the Mini the best new car to hold its value. After three years of ownership, you can still expect to get 67% of its original value in a resale.
My wheels and my music. Here we have two issues, both of equal importance to me but as a busy working parent both are neglected. When I’m in my car I guess I’m pretty much like any other busy parent in that I want to listen to good tunes but my schedule means that I have limited time to sort it out and I end up driving along constantly flicking between radio stations and bemoaning the fact that there’s ‘nothing on’.
In July 2008, Mini were awarded the prestigious accolade of winner of What Car’s Green Awards for their achievements in making a premium small car with little impact on the environment.
However, this simply wasn’t enough and they have pushed themselves for more pats on the head – this time winning the best hot hatch award for the third time in a row at the annual What Car ceremony.
Mini love nothing more than to shake things up a little and that is exactly why they like to bring out one design of Mini and then do regular little adjustments to the design, not necessarily to better it, but just to make it different and keep it fresh. It also means the chances of you ending up with the same Mini as your neighbour are very, very slim!
The current Mini model has just had its fourth variation released – The Mini Crossover Concept. With four doors, four wheel drive, four single seats and at four metres in length you can see a bit of a them going on here.
America may well be famous for super-sizing everything but it seems they have seen the light! Mini have reported a 29 per cent growth in their US sales for last year taking them up to over 54,000 units sold and 54,000 Americans that can no longer afford to super-size their burgers!
The US is now responsible for a quarter of the total Mini sales, showing that they truly have fallen in love with the typically British little car.
At the North American International Auto Show 2009, Ian Robertson – speaking for BMW AG – introduced the audience to the new Mini E. This is the entirely electric powered car suitable for everyday use and is completely emission free, showing that the Americans are taking their environmental responsibilities seriously.