This scenario has occurred to me more than once.

Other person: What kind of car is that?
Me: It's a Mini Cooper
Other person: Who makes it?
Me: Well, Mini Cooper
Other person: Is that the name/brand?
Me:Yes
Other company: Which country
Me: England
Other person: Really? / They make cars?
Me: Yes they do

 

Normally I get "Well who makes it?"
Me: "MINI"
Clueless person: "Yeah, but who makes it?"
Me: "The company that builds the car is called MINI, they have a plant outside Oxford England."
Clueless person: "But who owns them?"
Me: "BMW owns MINI, but it's a seperate entity, much like how Jaguar and Ford operate."
Clueless person: ""

 

Extraordinary. Maybe if you had mentioned BMW there would have been a spark of recognition. On second thought. No. Not if people don't know that cars are made in England. Got it! They were infants.

Simiar thing happened to me in San Francisco. Last fall on the way to the airport I stopped at a local chain store (Peet's Coffee) to get coffee beans for a friend in Hong Kong. When I told the counterperson I did not want them ground she asked where I was bringing them. I replied, "Hong Kong." She said, "I didn't know they drink coffee in Japan."

I conclude that tales of PhDs mowing lawns to earn a living are greatly exaggerated. There's still a need for greater investment in education.

 

Nah you dont want to say "BMW MINI Cooper"... thats just like saying "Oh this is my BMW Rolls Royce Phantom."

 

Had this same scenario happen three times in the last two weeks. Once it was in the middle of Kansas, so not unexpected. But the other two times

 

In 1978, I was in South Carolina putting gas in a Porsche I had at the time.

A guy at another pump asked me, "What kind of car is that?"

I answered, "It's a Porsche."

He responded, "Who makes that, Ford?"

 

Sorry, but I won't mention BMW unless I have to fully explane the relationship. The car isn't a BMW so I try and prevent people from jumping to that conclusion...

 

As the owner of a BMW I can tell you that there are many similarities between the MINI and a BMW. The DNA is clearly present. No harm in telling someone it's made by BMW.......because it is.

 

Not made by BMW it's Brand name,"MINI" is owned by BMW. Made by MINI. Seperate plant, seperate....

 

It does state on the plate on the door jamb "manufactured by Bayerische Motoren Werke". Pretty hard to dispute.

 

Owning two other BMWs, this car is as much a BMW as either of them. Yes Mini is a seperate entity, and yes it was manufactured by Mini, but how come so many of the parts in the car come from the BMW parts bin in Germany?

 

I mention BMW. Truth is, I think of my MINI as a reasonably priced, entry level BMW, even though I can't imagine that the Bimmer would be nearly as much fun to drive or own.

So sue me.

 

The truth is said. MINI is a BMW, and in some parts better. Don't read this if you dislike BMW .

 

The parts that make up a MINI come from all over the world

The money comes from BMW to do the engineering, marketing, design, and R&D, well most of the R&D, I think they use owners on the software issues

 

I think of a 325i as an entry level BMW. I own a 330Ci and a MINI Cooper S. I don't buy entry level cars, and neither did you.

Truth be told, the MINI is in a class by itself. Even though BMW is definitely in the operational management mix, there are WAY too many things that seperate MINI from being a BMW.

It's not like Ford, who designed a Jaguar based on the Ford Contour. BMW is smarter than that...let the MINIS be MINIS.

 

Surprise! Yet another useless thread.

 

Yup, pretty much.

 

...ever furthering the rift between the "MINI is a MINI" and the "MINI is a BMW" camps...can't we all just get along...

 

That's a good one. They should give us a bigger discount, to up our pay. I think we work very hard to help them out.

 

Twice I've been asked if it's a hybrid and twice I've been asked how hard it was to federalize it for import

 

Yes, I know there are many common parts between the MINI and BMWs, but as has been pointed out many times here... Saying a MINI is a BMW is like saying that a Volvo or Jaguar is a Ford, a Dodge is a Mercedes, a Saab is a Chevy, etc...

None of the people who make the MINI is a BMW conclusion would believe that a Saab is a Chevy, when in fact unlike with the MINI in some plants around the world Saabs and other GM brands are built on seperate assembly lines in THE SAME PLANT!

Did you know that the new Chevy Monte Carlo is based on the Australian Auto Maker Holden's Monaro and is actually built in Australia in the Monaro plant? Good luck trying to convince your average American that the car is a Holden...

Why not provide the people who are asking with accurate information instead of dumming down our responses for them?

 

0k, we all agree that MINI is an unique car, is not based or have any other platform from other cars, correct?

I say that whether you look in the MINI you can see BMW's quality, and in some parts is better than an "original" BMW.

I give a small example:

the Crossfire is Chrysler or Mercedes? forget who sells it, just be honest to yourself .

 

The worst comment I have recieved is:

Person: What kind of car is that?
Me: MINI Cooper S.
Person: Who makes that?
Me: MINI.
Person: Are you Sure?
Me: Yes.
Person: I've seen that logo before, Are you sure it's not a Chrysler?
Me: Yes! It's a Mini!
Person: Are you Sure? Then, who makes it? It looks like the Chyrsler logo.
Me: Yes. it's a MINI, made by MINI. Not made by Chrysler. Have a good day.
Person: (Walking away whispering to his girlfriend) I think it a Chrysler.

This occured at a groceery store parking lot in Alexandria Va last September.

 

The Saab 9-7x is a Chevy, it is even built in Ohio. The 9-2x is a Subaru.

 

I always run down British cars that people might be more familiar with when I get the "Brits making cars!?!: Rolls, Jag, MG, Bentley, Healeys, A-Martins, Land Rover, etc.--then they usually say, OH--I thought those were German cars--I reply, well, no they are not... It is not a hard concept to grasp, that the car is a MINI, produced by MINI. Is it?