A 2001 MINI Hatch
Its 20 years since BMW start producing the MINI at the manufacturing plants in Oxford and Swindon. Over the past two decades MINI has built over 5 million cars in the UK.
Here are some of the pivotal moments for MINI since 2001
2001 April 26 – Start of MINI Production at Plant Oxford
July 7 – New MINI Hatch is launched
MINI One and MINI Cooper go on sale on July 7 and come with a vast array of options to add a personal touch to each car. Mini owners have always enjoyed personalising their cars inside and out, and every Mini owner has a view on what represents the ideal specification. New MINI will continue the theme, offering over 40 options, 3 option packages, 3 different alloy wheels and 8 colours available to order at launch.
2002 – May 30 – 100,000th MINI built at Plant Oxford
The 100,000th MINI has come off the production line at BMW Group Plant Oxford today (30 May) just 13 months after the car went into volume production. The car, an electric blue MINI Cooper S, is one of more than 4,000 Cooper S models already ordered by UK customers even before the 163 bhp supercharged top-of-the range MINI goes on sale in the UK on 8 June. Following the launch of the MINI in the UK in July 2001, over 25,000 MINI One and MINI Cooper models have been sold in its home market.
2004 MINI Cooper S Convertible
2004
April 23 – MINI Cooper S Convertible launched
MINI UK is delighted to announce pricing and specification details of its new range topping MINI Cooper S Convertible. The MINI Cooper S Convertible will make its UK debut at The Sunday Times Motor Show Live on 25th May. It will be priced at £17,595 and will go on sale in the UK at the end of August. Just like the MINI One Convertible and MINI Cooper Convertible, the MINI Cooper S Convertible will be built at Plant Oxford in the UK.
2006 – February 21 – MINI Cooper S with MINI John Cooper Works GP Kit unveiled at Geneva Motor Show
The MINI Cooper S with John Cooper Works (JCW) GP Kit will make its first public viewing at the Geneva Motor Show. The fastest, most powerful production MINI ever will reach 62mph in under 6.5 seconds and achieve a top speed of 146mph. The GP has a power output of 218bhp, a stunning 136bhp per litre, and a maximum torque of 245Nm.
August 14 – Second Generation MINI Hatch launched
The overwhelming success of its predecessor, launched in 2001, has paved the way for the new MINI to consolidate and expand its position in the premium segment it created. In five years it has sold over 800,000 around the world, and 200,000 in the UK alone.
The external design of the new MINI has re mained true to its phenomenally successful forebear, yet every body panel is different. The MINI design team rightly deemed evolution preferable to revolution and MINI’s styling remains instantly recognisable. Five years after its launch it still
2007 – January 16 – MINI One and Cooper D introduced to the MINI UK range
The new MINI hatch line-up will soon be complete, when the new MINI One and MINI Cooper D models are unveiled to the public at the International Geneva Motor Show on 8 March 2007. The entry-level One features a perky 95hp 1.4-litre petrol engine, while the Cooper D boasts performance and fuel efficiency from an all-new 1.6-litre 110hp turbodiesel powerplant.
MINI Cooper S Clubman
July 30 – MINI Clubman launched for the first time
The new MINI Clubman will go on sale in the UK on Saturday 10 November 2007. Based on a concept first shown at Frankfurt Motor Show in 2005, the new car is a modern interpretation of its famous Mini predecessors taking into account all the demands and technologies of the 21st century. Available from launch in three engine variants: Cooper D, Cooper and Cooper S, the new model offers flexible use of space, easier access through innovative door concepts, more space for rear passengers and high levels of safety and customisation options, all without compromising the MINI’s revered driving dynamics
2010 – January 20 – MINI Countryman launched (produced in Graz, Austria)
MINI is adding a fourth model to the family, opening up a new dimension of that unmistakable MINI feeling. As a genuine Crossover, the MINI Countryman bridges the gap between the classic concept of the MINI and a modern Sports Activity Vehicle. Boasting enhanced opportunities in urban mobility and beyond, the MINI Countryman offers that unique driving pleasure so typical of MINI to new target groups requiring extra space and flexibility. As the first model in the MINI range with four doors and a wide-opening rear lid, the MINI Countryman provides even greater freedom of space for truly versatile use, a slightly elevated seating position, and optimized driving comfort. Full integration of the passengers within the vehicle creates that driving experience so typical of MINI. And at the same time the MINI Countryman maintains that go-kart feeling likewise so characteristic of MINI, optional MINI ALL4 all-wheel drive offering an additional highlight for the genuine connoisseur. In a nutshell, therefore, the MINI Countryman offers all the characteristic features of the brand in terms of design, premium quality, handling, efficiency and customisation in new, fascinating style.
MINI Countryman
December 19 – MINI Paceman concept unveiled
2011
24 February – MINI Rocketman concept unveiled at Milan Fashion Week 2011
Underpinning this success has been the creative use of space, a principle that enters new territory with the MINI Rocketman Concept. The study car, which will be revealed to the public worldwide for the first time at the International Geneva Motor Show (3 – 13 March 2011), harks back to the classic Mini in terms of its exterior dimensions, while its technology points to the future of automotive design. A 3+1-seater with 3 doors and a length of just over 3 metres (approx. 10 ft.), the MINI Rocketman Concept responds to the fundamental requirements of mobile lifestyles in the big cities of the future by pooling the brand’s core values in concentrated form. Ingenious functionality, smile-inducing agility, exceptional efficiency and irresistible design come together into an extraordinarily attractive and ground-breaking, yet typically MINI, subcompact car concept for the premium segment.
23 September – MINI Coupé announced
First two-seater sports car from MINI;
– Typically MINI: characterful design, signature go-kart handling, high standard spec including unique active rear spoiler, extensive personalisation programme.
– John Cooper Works variant has range-topping acceleration and top speed.
– Four-model engine line-up; three petrol, one diesel.
– Built in Britain at Plant Oxford.
– On sale 1st October 2011 priced from £16,640 OTR.
2013
8 March – Celebrating 100 years of car-making in Oxford
12 March – 250,000th MINI Countryman leaves the factory
21 March – MINI Paceman unveiled
A sporty new exterior design, lowered suspension for a dynamic ride and an exciting reinterpretation of the familiar interior – feast your eyes on the all-new MINI Paceman. Styled as a coupé interpretation of the Countryman, five versions are available from launch, including the MINI Cooper S Paceman which has a 0-62mph of just 7.5 seconds. The seventh unique member of the family, it sells alongside the Hatch, Clubman, Convertible, Countryman, Coupé and Roadster.
The Third Generation MINI Hatch
2014 – 13 March – Third Generation MINI Hatch launched
Even though the new MINI Hatch is instantly recognisable – something which comes from having such a globally identifiable design – the car is completely new from the ground up. Every component has been back to the drawing board in an effort to optimise its function, performance and style. The result is ‘The New Original’, a MINI which is distinctly familiar but enhanced in every single way. It features significant improvements in technology, engine efficiency and power delivery, driving dynamics, quality and – of course – personalisation. Inside, the new MINI Hatch is quieter than the outgoing model, with improvements to acoustic refinement inside the cabin.
4 June – First ever five-door Hatch unveiled
Just months after launching the new MINI Hatch, MINI has today expanded its model range with the addition of an entirely new body variant – the MINI 5-door Hatch. It’s the first time in the history of the brand that the Hatch has been offered with two rear doors, and the new model promises to combine the hallmark driving fun, distinctive character and refinement of its 3-door sibling with enhanced practicality. This brand new model features enhanced interior comfort and practicality thanks to the extended wheelbase. Rear passengers now have 72 millimetres more legroom compared to the 3-door Hatch, while the increased space also provides room for a third seat in the back row. The two rear doors make access to the enhanced rear seating more comfortable.
2017 30 August – MINI Electric concept announced at Frankfurt Motor Show
Almost 10 years after MINI E laid the foundations for production-standard battery electric vehicles within the BMW Group, MINI is now offering a window on the future of urban electric mobility. With a focus on driving excitement and inspiring design, it moves the brand’s urban tradition into the electric age and in doing so spices up the conventional notion of electric mobility. A production version of the MINI ELECTRIC CONCEPT will be unveiled in 2019.
9 July – MINI Electric announced
MINI has today unveiled the new MINI Electric at the Oxford plant, the home of the brand where the very first Mini was built 60 years ago. A
2020 – January – MINI Electric customer production begins at Plant Oxford . The MINI Electric is fully integrated into the production process at Plant Oxford, making it the first BMW Group Plant to have electric running down the same line as the combustion engine models, allowing flexibility in production according to global demand. By the end of 2020, a total of 17,580 were sold and delivered to customers around the world, 3,385 of which in the UK.
2021 – 17 March – MINI confirms its last combustion engine model will be launch in 2025 and the brand will become electric only from the early 2030s.
The MINI Electric Pacesetter
30 March – MINI announces MINI Electric Pacesetter car for Formula E, inspired by John Cooper Works.
The MINI Electric Pacesetter inspired by JCW is the new Safety Car for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race series. As such, it connects the brand’s electrified future with the rich racing history of John Cooper Works. The car was created out of the new MINI Electric as part of an unprecedented collaboration between MINI Design, BMW Motorsport, the FIA and the Formula E.
10th May 2021
