New to this... how is MINI and BMW affiliated? Isn't MINI from England? BMW from Germany? Does BMW make MINI or use their parts? Thanks for any input.

 

i might be wrong... BMW bought MINI..

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MINI_%28BMW%29

 

That's how I understand it too. BMW bought the Mini brand or the rights to the brand and then created the modern MINI.

 

BMW bought the Rover group in 1994 which consisted of Rover and Land Rover, as well as the names Mini, Riley, Triumph, MG, and Austin-Healey. The MINI was then developed (long, complicated, and slightly biased story here). Before the MINI was released, BMW sold Land Rover to Ford and Rover to a private group. They also sold some of the names that were bought, but kept the Mini (the car and the brand) and the remainder of the names.

 

The original Mini was still built in Cowley, Oxford until 2000. In 2001 they stared production on the New MINI

In 2000 Rover and MG were sold to an American investor who wasn't able to turn these companies around even though he had moderate sucess with the MG brand after they released the MG Z cars(based on Rover 25 and 75 cars) and the new MG F(renamed TF), and sold them to them to Chinese investor who still make MGs in China.

 

... and the R55 and R56 use a French engine, with a German engineered valvetrain, built in England.

 

It's slightly more complicated than that. The MG Rover Group sold its intellectual property rights to a company called SAIC owned by the Chinese government. However, when the company went bankrupt, the physical assets were sold to a company called NAC, also owned by the Chinese government. The two companies fought over who actually had the legal right to build the cars and were eventually ordered to merge by the Chinese government.

It's actually quite a fascinating story if anybody gets has the time to read into it.

 

As noted above, the MINI brand name was acquired by BMW. Other than the brand name (and the aesthetic similarities), the new MINI has nothing to do with the classic Mini Cooper that was manufactured by BMC. MINI is an operating division of BMW and is not even incorporated as a separate company.

 

Many have said it, BMW is the parent of Mini.
BMW calls the shots.

 

Cool... thanks.

 

We have a winner! Basically a Mini is a BMW brand manufactured in England, much like a Caddilac, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Saturn, Buick are all General Motors products. The new Minis are referred to historically as BMW Minis. PS: If you pick up past issues of MC2 Magazine they chart the Mini from the very beginning to present.

 

It's a little more complicated than that, to steal a phrase. The second-generation engines are through a consortium consisting of Mini, Peugeot and Citroen.

It's still a mystery about the engine manufacturing. My R56 vehicle disclosure sticker says my engine was built in Japan.

 

oh rly?

just kiddinggg...but seriously it does?

 

Are you sure its the engine? The automatic transmission is from Japan but we have never heard of the engine being built there.

 

My window sticker (printed 20060422) lists:

US/Canadian Parts Content: 5%

Major Source of Forign Parts Content:
United Kingdom: 35%
Germany: 25%

Country of Orign:
Engine: FRANCE
Transmission: JAPAN
_________________________________
(only the Automatic's are JAPAN)

 

As far as I knew the original MINI was built at Longbridge, not Cowley. When I lived in Cowley in 1984, I'd see newly built Maestros and Montegos parked there but no Minis (and no Metros I think).

 

I stand corrected. thank you!

To bad Longbridge doesn't physically exist anymore.

 

Yes, it's the engine. There was a lengthy discussion here about it last year, but no answer.

Here's a scan of the disclosure label:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sowellman/2573116363/

 

Then why oh why did those guys go ahead and do this ->

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2008/01...ate-5door.html

That and can you get me a link to the story please?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MG_Rover

Also check out chapters 7, 8, and 9 here: http://www.aronline.co.uk/index.htm?wsindexf.htm

That Mini looking, uh, thing has nothing to do with any of the companies (distantly) related to Mini.

 

Wow! I wonder if that was an error on the sticker. Does anyone know who in Japan would manufacture the engine? I already know that Asin, partly owned by Toyota makes the automatic tranny.

 

And this is part of why Rover went belly up (the Monego and Maestro's - awful cars)

 

Wrong. The original Mini was built at the Longbridge plant until October 2000. Longbridge was going to be the manufacturing point for the New MINI, but BMW changed its mind at the last minute and moved all tooling to Oxford, where most Rover vehicles were being built.

 

The original minis were not only built in England but also built in several countries all over the world. My knowledge of the original mini is limited but the demand was so great I know there were several locations that built them.

As with any auto produced today, the assembled parts are from several different countries.