A Mini for the 21st Century
The British may have been angered by the way BMW, after acquiring the Rover Group in 1994, suddenly dumped it last year; Rover being sold off to an independent group and Land Rover being sold to Ford. It was a move that saw even the British government getting involved as the sell-off meant the loss of thousands of jobs.
However, that unpleasant episode can now be consigned to the history books as the Brits are probably delighted that BMW has continued the line of an icon of the British motoring industry – the beloved Mini. In selling off the Rover Group, BMW decided to retain the Mini as a separate brand in its strategy offer a smaller model than the 3-Series Compact.
While some may draw parallels with Volkswagen’s new Beetle, another much-loved small car that was in production for many decades, the difference is that the new Mini developed by BMW faithfully retains the original design and engineering concept whereas the new Beetle is technically different from the original (the engine is at the front). For BMW, retaining the original FWD arrangement is something radical as the company has so far chosen to stick to RWD for all its cars.
In developing the new Mini, Frank Stephenson, its Chief Designer, did not intend to merely offer a retro concept but instead chose to take the original ideas and use the latest technology to replicate them as well as the original concept. In other words, the result was what the original designer, the late Sir Alex Issigonis, may well have created if he had today’s technology to use.
“The new Mini is a future-oriented interpretation of a genuine classic,” declared Stephenson. “On the one hand, it reveals clear reminiscences of the original and on the other hand, it offers the best technology available in this segment of the market today. This is a car that spells out the joy of living, bringing together different groups and classes within society, different countries and generations. And it is exactly the opposite of a status symbol.”
NEW AND OLD STYLES
From any angle, the new Mini will attract attention. Apart from its compactness which makes it ‘cute’, there are also many design elements – modern interpretations of the original – which give it uniqueness in an age of computer-designed minicars. Like the Beetle, the dominating headlights give the car its unique face, always conveying an impression of friendliness. The chrome grille also has a familiar shape but gone are the skinny steel bumpers; in the 21st century version, the bumpers are of lightweight material and tightly integrated with the bodywork. Three non-metallic finishes and five metallic ones are offered, with, predictably, British Racing Green being among them.
The side view is unmistakably Mini and as a BMW Asia manager noted, even his 3-year old daughter could relate it to the original. “When I showed her the new Mini, she immediately said it was “Mr Bean’s car,” recalled Ramesh Divyanathan, PR Manager at BMW Asia.
The extremely short rear end, the steep-rising side sections, and even the shapes of the windows all seem to have some similarity to the original. A particularly impressive feature is the reinterpretation of the rear lights carrying traditional design into the new millennium. The new Mini is one of the very few cars with its rear lights outside of the luggage compartment opening. However, in a departure from the original design, the rear door now opens together with the glass screen, making it a hatchback.
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