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Avenue of the Giants Weekend Run - Sat. March 23, 2024

Saturday will be a very full day of cruising from Novato up through the Avenue of the Giants and ending at Eel River Brewing in Fortuna. Sun...

Dr. Norbert Reithofer Reports to BMW AG



Dr. Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, reported to BMW AG today at their 90th annual general meeting. The full report can be viewed at BMW PressClub USA. Here is what he had to say about MINI:







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BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce are launching a total of 17 new and updated models between October 2009 and December 2010.
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Good news for all MINI fans: The MINI family continues to grow.
September will mark the launch of the MINI Countryman. It is our offering for those customers who are looking for a bit more MINI. It is all about the number four here:
The Countryman is the first MINI with four-wheel drive,
four doors,
four individual seats, and
about four meters in length.
Another two new models will follow suit: the MINI Coupe and the MINI Roadster.
In the first four months of this year, MINI sales have soared again and are up 10 percent compared with the prior-year period. MINI is and will remain the original. MINI has an easily recognizable face, a unique history and well over 1.5 million fans worldwide. With MINI, we have successfully established premium in the small car segment. And MINI is self-confident enough to handle competition.
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Now, the time is ripe for the broad-based application of this technology. We have taken the initiative. Our global field test with the MINI E is a great success. Today, there exists an international MINI E community.
Our customer Tom Moloughney from New Jersey has already covered more than 25,000 miles or 40,000 kilometers with his MINI E. And he writes about it in his blog.
Our customer Hudson Ledwon says about his experiences with the MINI E:
“I have driven about 5,000 kilometers in Berlin over the course of a good six months. I am fascinated by new technologies. And as I like to share good things with others, I also lend my MINI E to my friends. The fastest feedback came from a friend who texted me: So great! I want one too.”
In our latest annual report, we introduce some test drivers.
We asked all MINI E drivers about their experiences with e-mobility in everyday use:
On its suitability: More than 90 percent of all regular mobility requirements were met by the MINI E.
On its range: Drivers felt either slightly or not at all limited by its range.
On charging it: Most drivers recharged the battery at home or at work – every two or three days on average.
And last but not least, the test drivers agreed that they wanted to use environmentally friendly electric power.
So, what conclusions can we draw from their response?
Many enthusiastic customers for e-mobility already exist today.
We will not have to wait until conditions are ideal for e-mobility, with a network of electric fillings stations in place, etc. We can implement e-mobility today.
E-mobility has a future. However, we need global standards. And we need partners such as electricity suppliers and politics.
We are taking action. This year we are launching our MINI E fleet in France and China. Next year, the BMW brand will also provide customers with an electric car test fleet. These cars will be built at our Leipzig plant.
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. . . Growth in the small car segment: In the future, we will record growth both in the large and small vehicle classes. The small car segment in particular is expected to improve. This represents a global trend. Buyers in this segment also demand premium products. Our success with MINI is proof of that. Another advantage of this segment is that it allows us to turn young customers into fans of our brands, people who will continue to buy our cars throughout their lives. All the more reason for us to offer new models in the small car segment in the future – at MINI and at BMW.
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