MINI E Not EMINI
When the new MINI was born, someone in BMW’s marketing department decided to make it a caps lock affair. As I opined at thetruthaboutgrammar.com, MINI was a stupid, artsy, doomed, graphical mandate. Yes, it differentiated the Bimmer-derived MINI from the much-beloved BMC rust-bucket, Mini. But no one other than designer glasses-wearing car execs gave a damn, really. The MINI sold, and sold well, for reasons entirely unrelated to typography (one presumes). Und now we have the battery-operated MINI, which gives Munich’s marketing mavens a chance to redeem themselves. I mean, eMINI is an Apple-scented slam dunk, a move that would easily justify the original, bone-headed, all-caps affectation. But noooooo. BMW goes for MINI E. How long, pray tell. does one hold the “eee” sound at the end? Anyone remember The Man With Two Brains? Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr. MINI E is like that. Only not so funny.
More by Robert Farago
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Retardedsparks: Ever seen a Mercedes lately?
and then there will be the MINI E John Cooper Works? Or the MINI COOPER E, or Cooperey? Or Clubman E Clubmaney? IS that an adjective or an adverb?
@ Ingvar: OK, except Mercedes! (Although I do wish MB would stop switching back and forth between the letters-first and numbers-first protocol)
In my opinion, the worst offenders are the companies that use 3 letter names for their cars. TSX, MKS, MKT, MKR, RSX, DTS, RST, RIP, SUX.