The British Motor Corporation (BMC) launched the original Mark I MINI in August 1959. Fast forward 65 years later, the BMW Group is celebrating this important milestone. It’s worth noting the standalone namesake brand wasn’t founded until a decade later, in 1969. A quarter of a century after that, BMW put MINI under its corporate umbrella by acquiring the Rover Group in 1994.
The first modern MINI hit the market six years later. Also in 2000, the final units of the classic model rolled off the assembly line, ending a tremendously successful product. It is believed more than 5.3 million examples of the original car were assembled from 1959 until 2000. MINI has changed a lot since BMW reinvented the brand nearly 25 years ago.
The British brand has renewed almost its entire lineup in these last few months. It has also added a new member – the Aceman subcompact crossover. This fall, the wraps will come off the John Cooper Works hot hatches with gasoline and electric power. Before the year’s end, the Aceman is going to receive the full-fat JCW treatment as well. Sadly, the manual gearbox is dead and is not coming back.
What else should we expect from MINI in the coming years? New convertibles, complete with combustion engines and electric powertrains. But ICE is on its way out as the BMW Group brand has pledged to go fully electric around 2030. Around the same time, Rolls-Royce will build its final V12 cars. The core BMW brand will continue to make gas cars well into the next decade and maybe even after 2040.
There are also some corporate changes at the very top of the company. Earlier this month, Stefanie Wurst stepped down from her role as Head of MINI after only about two years on the job. Going forward, Stefan Richmann will be in charge of the company.
Source: BMW
