BMW Wants To Shrink It's Mini. What Will They Call It?
Automobilwoche [sub] has it on good authority (Mini chief Wolfgang Armbrecht) that BMW plans a minier than Mini car. They want to show a prototype at the Detroit Auto Show next year. They probably can bring it as carry-on.
Armbrecht calls it “the next spectacular idea out of the house of Mini” (Legoland?) Not much more is known. Except that it will be much smaller than the current Mini. So what will it be called? Maybe the video will inspire you.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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Well what else are they going to do with the brand? They have already made the Clubman (bigger) and the Countryman (even bigger) SUV mess, so why not go smaller? On a list of dead brands walking Mini gets my #1 vote. Its as silly as Hummer... logic says you can't have a dealership or brand based on a single vehicle at some point they'll run out of version of the same theme. Now, where is my Mini pickup?
It's been done before > http://www.eglobe1.com/2007/03/09/mini-cooper-soapbox/
The MINI is a pretty small car. It is larger than the original mini which was only ten feet long and less than 5 feet high or wide. But, it is very much in the B segment or subcompact range. The king of that segment in the US is the Honda Fit: Length 156.9' Width 66.7' Height 60.0' Here is the MINI: Length 145.6' Width 66.3' Height 55.4' A Kei Car in Japan is an official segment that is smaller than the Fit or the Mini. By law they cannot be more than 134 in long or 58 in wide. They are limited to a 66o ml engine that cannot be more than 63 hp. Most Japanese OEMs have entries in that segment, but very few have ever been imported. The Smart is also less than subcompact in size, but it has not been a roaring commercial success. A MINI in the A segment makes sense, but only for Asia and Europe. I doubt that you will see them here.
I know some people in the advertising world, and this is what I'm hearing the tagline in their ad campaign for the new MINIer will be: "It's like, how much more mini could this be? And the answer is 'none'. None more mini."