In the past fews months I have become some what infatuated with MINI. A fervent SUV driver for most of my life, I have fallen in L.O.V.E. with this car and all that it is about, right here at Vista MINI. I also happen to adore G Love and Special Sauce, so when you put it all together- this is what you get, check it out.
Sir Alec Issigonis, easily considered the single mind behind the creation of the MINI way back in 1959, designed a compact car with the intent to bring a fuel-efficient option to the British market. England needed transportation that could provide relief to ever-climbing petrol prices that could easily manage Europe’s narrower streets, nooks and crannies. Back then, and even recently, compact cars had very little market share in America. Where Europeans were interested in smaller vehicles, over here in America, our focus was always on bigger, taller SUVs and meaty sedans and coupes.
So, it was a huge surprise that the debut of MINI in the US in 2002 was a tremendous success. Sales of the MINI grew along with its reputation in North America, and now MINI’s mother company BMW can proudly announce that America is MINI’s number one market. That’s right – more MINIs are sold in America than anywhere else, with 2008 showing more MINIs sold here than even in its birthplace country, Britain.
What makes MINIs so alluring for the United States? Part of it has to do with how the MINIs handle. They grip turns, rocket through straights and brake on a dime. With consumption at a meager 37/28/32 Highway/City/Combined for the Cooper Hardtop, for example, the MINI brand also does much to sooth hurting budgets in an environment of spiking fuel prices.
It seems MINI and its success here has done much to help change our minds about how we view the compact class of personal transportation. Thanks to MINI, we now see we can get remarkable efficiency from a vehicle without a sacrifice of luxury or performance. As a result, MINI has consciously begun developing for the US market, and it looks like we have finally discovered the magic in compact performance vehicles.
As a result of MINIs North American success, they are expanding the product line. With the MINI Coupe and Roadster being introduced for the 2012 model year, and the Countryman to arrive later this year, there’s plenty of MINI goodness headed our way, giving us proof that we can be comfortable, shrouded in luxury and focused on performance without having to “go big” and spend a fortune at the gas pumps. 2010 really looks to be a true “year of the MINI”.
