86 replies to this topic

[cliche]

review here

http://www.autoexpre...aceman-pictures

Edited by cliche, 13 November 2012 - 10:18 AM.

[iMurray]

Think that's pretty nice...

"bini bashers"do need to grow up abit.. they are cars in their own right, don't see mpi owners complaining about the bmw influence on their cars...

[sport2000]

What you on about!!!
BMW just continued the Rover brand,they had NO real influence on MPI mini's,other than asset stripping the company for the branding they knew would survive...
That's why BMW are market leaders they generally have a plan that works...

[iMurray]

Surely that's something to complain about.. Asset stripping.


Bmw know what sells, if this is a huge flop I'd be surprised

[Mini_Magic]

What you on about!!!
BMW just continued the Rover brand,they had NO real influence on MPI mini's,other than asset stripping the company for the branding they knew would survive...
That's why BMW are market leaders they generally have a plan that works...

I thought the MPi upgrades came from BMW, to give the Mini a few more years before the new model?

[iMurray]

What you on about!!!
BMW just continued the Rover brand,they had NO real influence on MPI mini's,other than asset stripping the company for the branding they knew would survive...
That's why BMW are market leaders they generally have a plan that works...

I thought the MPi upgrades came from BMW, to give the Mini a few more years before the new model?

+1

[sport2000]

Ner...

[mab01uk]

What you on about!!!
BMW just continued the Rover brand,they had NO real influence on MPI mini's,other than asset stripping the company for the branding they knew would survive...
That's why BMW are market leaders they generally have a plan that works...

I thought the MPi upgrades came from BMW, to give the Mini a few more years before the new model?

+1

The upgraded Mini MPI (Multi Point Injection) range for 1997 with drivers airbag, seatbelt pre-tensioners, door side impact bars and front mounted radiator was a result of BMW's investment in the classic Mini and why the post 1997-2000 classic Mini's exist.............despite Rover's original plan to end Mini production in 1997 due to new European safety and emmisions legislation, BMW's new investment in the Mini and John Cooper's insistence on this last update finally got the MPI into production in 1996, extending the Mini's life by 4 more years until the launch of the New MINI in 2001.

PS. The later classic Mini's even had BMW printed on the back cover of the handbook!
The text reads:
Rover Cars
P.O Box 47, Cowley, Oxford OX4 5NL
© Rover Group Limited 1999
A BMW Company

Quote below from the interesting book 'New MINI' by Graham Robson:
"Soon after buying Rover in 1994 for £800 million cash, BMW promised they would invest a lot more in new-model development than previous British owners BAe had ever managed - at least £450 milion every year instead of £200 million. Much of that money, they told Rover management, would be allocated to the Mini.
BMW it seems, had identified the Mini as a priceless brand - a brand to be rated at the same level as 'Coca Cola', 'McDonalds' and 'Nike' - and they were determined to revive it."

'When they asked us about the Mini' Chris Lee says, 'they were pretty horrified when we (Rover) said that: 'When we can't keep it legal, we're going to let it run down.'

'We told BMW that we had never been able to make a business case for doing a new Mini - that the margins always looked tiny, and that we needed to make a lot of them to get all the scale benefits.'

BMW immediately said: 'We are prepared to fund an all-new small car platform. BMW, in fact, had taken a different view of the Mini from the day that they took control of the business: 'When we had discussions with colleagues from Rover' Torsten Muller-Oervoes recalls, 'we said 'we wanted to make a success of the Mini, they all said: 'Why? Forget it....' - they were not really interested in this little jewel. And it is a jewel - one which just needed to be polished up once again.

'No one at Rover appeared to have a feeling for how valuable the Mini brand could be for them. There was no emotion there - emotion is the key essential for getting premium prices. You are only ready to pay the price if you get that certain gut feeling - I Want This Car And that's the big difference, say, between a VW Polo and a MINI.'

Previous British owners BAe bought Rover off the government in 1988 for a mere £150 million, with an agreement not to dispose of the business for at least 5 years. BAe then did a pretty good job of asset stripping Rover from 1988-1994……for instance, BAe’s property development arm, Arlington Securities saw that the historic buildings at Cowley, Oxford were speedily razed to the ground for short term profit and replaced with ‘Retail Shopping Parks’ so that no trace of Cowley North or South car plants remain and now the remaining highly successful BMW MINI Plant Oxford has little space left to expand its booming UK production lines...........

Edited by mab01uk, 13 November 2012 - 11:19 PM.

[Artful Dodger]

Hah going to say sorry sport2000??

[sport2000]

Nowt to say sorry about!!
I'm not exactly a Bini hater,and I don't believe everything a book says!!
I still wouldn't buy the newest version,maybe previous model though in time as they're growing on me...

[Artful Dodger]

Nope, I tend to not believe books either,but I do believe mab01uk! He rarely gets this thing wrong!

New mini with the supercharger. Yes please!

[sport2000]

I drove a new cooper s with a supercharger a few years ago 54 plate I think... Was very impressive... Supercharger whine was great!!