BMW are celebrating a landmark achievement after selling one million MINIs in the spiritual home of the iconic car.
Though many will argue that under its current guise it is a MINI in name only, the hatchback has proven to be a huge success since launching in 2000. BMW have sold 5.1 million MINIs globally in the last two decades, but it is in Britain that they dominate.
“To have sold over one million MINIs in just 20 years is a remarkable milestone; we are all extremely proud,” said David George, Director of MINI UK.
“This achievement is testament to the fantastic cars we’ve built and launched during that time, our customers’ continued love for MINI, and the strength and unwavering dedication of our retail network.
“As we see the increasing demand for our MINI Electric and MINI Countryman Plug-In Hybrid models, which account for nearly a fifth of global electrified sales, we’re excited to see what the next twenty years hold, as we transition into our fully electric future.”
The Mini brand of course dates back to the 1950s, but even the super-sized MINI we currently see is in its third generation, originally designed by Frank Stephenson and launched at the Paris Motor Show, Stephenson’s MINI Cooper was the first European car to win the North American Car of the Year Award.
MINI will launch its final combustion engine model in 2025 and by 2027 it is expected that more than 50 per cent of the brand will be all-electric, with the aim of making MINI the first BMW brand to go fully electric by the 2030s.