all my life i known Mini to be British.. however, someone on supercars net says since a German car bought it and redisgned it , it becomes German... i told him that's fairly idiotic, but he still believes the Mini is German. i then did the analogy that Ford bought Jagusr and redesigned the XK in 1996. We all know the XK isn't American. The Mini looks British, is built in the UK and has a British heritage. could anyone kindly explain why its all of a sudden becomes German? If that's possible... thanks for any help I'm still saying its British though
Re: Mini British or German People say it's German because BMW owns MINI, and BMW is German. I don't know, though.
Re: Mini British or German If Mini is german, Opel has to be american. Or maybe Lamborghini is German too? I don't think that if the mother-company is nationality X, do all the other companies it owns have to be nat. X also. I'm not sure if I wrote this correctly, my English is not very good, sorry.
Re: Mini British or German see that's my point Mini had been British ever since, till BMW bought it.... does it now become magically German.... the argument is, that the BMW redesigned the mini... counter argument is BMW didn't create the MINI. you got the opal example... you even got the XK from Jaguar, which was designed by Ford in 1997. Is that American? FOr me I think where the car came from on, which you found on the sticker. Car is made in UK.... had to be British... however correct me if i'm wrong
Re: Mini British or German they are everywhere in england, and no where in germany, so obviously they are english
Re: Mini British or German The reasoning is that the original mini is a cult car with a cult following. It was produced until 1999 or 2000 in the same british factory. Any change to the mini is seen as foreign by the "true enthusiasts," but this is a british car made in a british factory with a british heritage, just by a company owned by bmw. Eventually it will be accepted by the die-hard mini fans.
Re: Mini British or German the way i think of it as, all that is german is the NEW mini. the mini marque is still british, the car is technically british, being built in britain and designed by british employees. but the new car is technically a BMW MINI Cooper (although they say the only correct way to write it is as MINI Cooper). the original cars are still very much british with zilch germ blood in them. but bmw has contributed a lot to the new car, the only british part is the design, where it's built, and the marque. the rest of the car is essentially a german bmw. or bavarian, should we say.
Re: Mini British or German Hello Russus. Thanks for writing into MINI. Let's see if we can clear things up for you a little bit. We get many questions regarding the differences between the MINI and BMW brands and makes. The answer is surprisingly simple. MINI and BMW are two completely different and separate brands and makes. The MINI Division, which is a division of BMW of North America, LLC, began distributing MINI motor vehicles in the United States in March of 2002. Prior to this time, MINIs had last been distributed in the United States in 1967. MINIs are supplied to the MINI Division by a MINI factory in Oxford, England. In addition, MINI has its own dealership network and staff. This arrangement is similar to other corporations, like Ford and GM. For example, Lincoln, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Volvo, and Land Rover are brands and makes that are all owned by Ford Motor Company, but they are not Fords. In short, MINI is a unique brand and make that has started with two models for the U.S. marketÂthe Cooper and Cooper S. These are MINIs and not BMWs. Have you signed up for the mission yet? Why not? For details, please visit www.mission-mini.com. LET'S MOTOR. James Frost MINI Division Customer Relations there we go, right from Mini.. they're not BMWs... therefore pure UK
Re: Mini British or German Hello again Russus. Thanks for replying back into MINI old chap. I am sorry that you didn't feel as though I answered your inquiry. Let's see if we can make it a little more clear. The MINI make is a passenger car that is extremely fond of fish and chips, the Queen, football (soccer) and a few pints. The MINI is undoubtedly English. LET'S MOTOR. James Frost MINI Division Customer Relations
Re: Mini British or German I bought my MINI because of my preference for british cars. My friend owns a Lotus Elise and I regularly install myself on his passenger seat and enjoy the ride. The next best thing for me was a MINI in terms of affordability. Anyway, sure it's german as well. The radio is unmistakably a BMW unit. The icons on the buttons look very BMWish. But let's not forget that the little car that started it all, the initial Mini, was designed by a greek: Sir Alec Issigonis! I just think that the car is what you want it to be. The Brits, the Germans and the Greeks all have an equal right to claim it theirs...
Re: Mini British or German Don't let the post scare you because its a good analogy Ask yourself this, Whats your Background Heritage? Then Ask yourself if you are born in America are you American? What do you claim first? If your of lets say African decent but born in America, which one do you claim first? Are you American or African? If you would claim African Heritage First, then your likely to believe the new Mini is British raised in German upbringing. But if your American first your more likely to claim this as a German car with British heritage.
Re: Mini British or German as stated, and confirmed by Mini PR, and the description of Mini new ads, it's simply british.
Re: Mini British or German it's not simply british. it has a very rich british heritage, which i love, but this car wouldn't exist if it wasn't for BMW.