Yes, they have sold and delivered 1 million MINI cars in England since BMW took over the brand.
When BMW took over the Mini brand there was some worry that the MINI charisma and quirky nature will be lost. Well, it has been more than 20 years since the BMW Group took control of MINI brand with its parent Rover. In September 2020 they celebrated this 20-year relationship and the previous sceptics might not be customers, but MINI is not worried as they have captured a brand new generation of fans and buyers in the past 20 years.
Today, MINI has shown its closest rival, the Volkswagen Beetle how to re-ignite interest in an iconic brand and name plate, year after year. The Volkswagen Group retired the iconic Beetle in 2019 citing financial losses. The production of the first Beetle was in December 1945 and announced its sad retirement in September 2018 with a special farewell edition. (pictured below)
Meanwhile it is interesting to note that the the first MINI was launched in 1959 making it a younger nameplate and car to the Beetle and the product planners and designers at the BMW Group have done real justice to its engineer Alec Issigonis and owner, Sir Leonard Lord.
PRESS RELEASE: MINI has sold over 5.1 million cars globally in the past two decades, and the UK is the brand’s largest market.
David George, Director of MINI UK, said: “To have sold over one million MINIs in just 20 years is a remarkable milestone; we are all extremely proud. This achievement is testament to the fantastic cars we’ve built and launched during that time, our customers’ continued love for MINI, and the strength and unwavering dedication of our retail network.
As we see the increasing demand for our MINI Electric and MINI Countryman Plug-In Hybrid models, which account for nearly a fifth of global electrified sales, we’re excited to see what the next twenty years hold, as we transition into our fully electric future.”
MINI will launch its last model with internal combustion engine in 2025 and, by 2027, the share of all-electric vehicles in global MINI sales will be at least 50 percent. In the early 2030s, MINI will be the first BMW Group brand to go fully electric.
In case you did not know this, with its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises 31 production and assembly facilities in 15 countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.
