R50/53 Mini in the Wall Street Journal Today
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Page D4 - Luxury Cars Coming to a Showroom Near You
"MINI Cooper: What's this car doing in a review of new luxury models?
BMW, the makers of the MINI, would argue that the MINI Cooper belongs here because it defines its own segment, that of the truly premium small car.
Certainly, the new MINI, due out late this year, intends to emphasize the "premium" part of its brand mission. The forthcoming second edition of the highly successful MINI Cooper, built by BMW, won't be as "mini" a MINI anymore. BMW has added 2.87 inches to the length of the standard MINI, mainly to accommodate new safety features, the company says. The new MINI faces some of the same challenge as the new Audi TT. It's not as if the world had a big problem with the styling of the old car. Indeed, MINI can claim credit, along with the oil companies, for igniting a renaissance of subcompact cars in the U.S. market.
But now that rival auto makers have had time to craft their own responses to MINI's discovery that there could be such a thing as a "premium" small car, MINI has to evolve. MINI's designers have lavished attention on the car's interior, hoping to convince new buyers that the MINI is even more premium than before, without losing some of the old car's iconic features. The big center speedometer remains, now upgraded to accommodate navigation and other electronic hardware.
The bottom line: A cool, tiny car looked cute when gasoline was cheap. Now, it looks like genius."
"MINI Cooper: What's this car doing in a review of new luxury models?
BMW, the makers of the MINI, would argue that the MINI Cooper belongs here because it defines its own segment, that of the truly premium small car.
Certainly, the new MINI, due out late this year, intends to emphasize the "premium" part of its brand mission. The forthcoming second edition of the highly successful MINI Cooper, built by BMW, won't be as "mini" a MINI anymore. BMW has added 2.87 inches to the length of the standard MINI, mainly to accommodate new safety features, the company says. The new MINI faces some of the same challenge as the new Audi TT. It's not as if the world had a big problem with the styling of the old car. Indeed, MINI can claim credit, along with the oil companies, for igniting a renaissance of subcompact cars in the U.S. market.
But now that rival auto makers have had time to craft their own responses to MINI's discovery that there could be such a thing as a "premium" small car, MINI has to evolve. MINI's designers have lavished attention on the car's interior, hoping to convince new buyers that the MINI is even more premium than before, without losing some of the old car's iconic features. The big center speedometer remains, now upgraded to accommodate navigation and other electronic hardware.
The bottom line: A cool, tiny car looked cute when gasoline was cheap. Now, it looks like genius."
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