MINI Cooper Info A place to learn about the MINI Cooper
Winding Road Cooper S Coupe First Impressions
MotorTrend Shootout – Guess who WON
MotorTrend recently tested the MINI against some pretty stiff competition. Head to head against the Scion tC, Honda CR-Z, Volkswagen Beetle, Hyundai Veloster and the Fiat 500. Their verdict – The MINI took first prize. You can read the full article hereMINI USA/Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship Sweepstakes
MINI USA’s Facebook page has launched a competition with a prize so cool it will literally take the winner’s breath away.
The MINI USA/Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship Sweepstakes will give the lucky winner and his or her companion two VIP tickets to the opening event of the 2012 Championship in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on January 14. Entries can be submitted at www.facebook.com/MINIUSA.
This will be the first USA-based event in the world series for Ice Cross Downhill – a sport in which some of the world’s toughest ice-hockey players, downhill skiers, and speed skaters race on a steep downhill course. Jostling shoulder-to-shoulder at speeds of up to 45 mph, they have to negotiate chicanes, jumps, rollers and hairpin bends.
The chance to witness this icy sporting spectacle will include two round-trip plane tickets, hotel accommodation, meal costs, and VIP access to the Red Bull Energy Station and Red Bull After Party. But thrill-seekers who hope to enter will have to get their skates on as the sweepstakes closes at 4.00 PM EST on January 3.
The winner will be selected at random, with no purchase necessary. Entrants must be aged 18 or over; full competition rules can be found at www.facebook.com/MINIUSA.
MINI is the official partner of the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship 2012 and will present the Rookie Award at each of the series’ four events. After appearing at Cathedral of Saint Paul in Saint Paul, MN, on January 12-14, competitors move on to Valkenburg, Netherlands (February 2-4); Aare, Sweden (February 16-18); and Quebec City, Canada (March 15-17).
For more information on Red Bull Crashed Ice, please visit www.redbullcrashedice.com.
MINI and Banana Republic team up – win a MINI
Woodcliff Lake, NJ– November 30, 2011 — Today MINI USA and Banana Republic announced the launch of “Gifts come in all Sizes,” a campaign that is not only fun for shoppers, but also gives back to local communities this holiday season. As part of the campaign, Banana Republic customers will have the opportunity to win one of five MINI Coupe vehicles (five one-year leases) and donate toys to the Boys and Girls Club of America that MINI Coupes will deliver from select Banana Republic locations. On December 1, 150 Banana Republic stores across the USA will celebrate the launch of the campaign with holiday parties for customers. During the parties, attendees will receive instant game pieces. Once opened, the game piece will reveal either a winning discount or a one-year lease of a MINI Coupe.
As part of both companies’ commitment to give back to those in need this season, four stores will be collecting toys for the Boys and Girls Club of America. From December 1 through December 15th, residents in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and the Bay Area can donate at the following Banana Republic locations: The Grove (Los Angeles), Rockefeller Center (New York), Woodfield Mall (Chicago) and Corte Madera (Bay Area). An extension of the campaign continues on Banana Republic’s Facebook page with a “Gifts Come in All Sizes” game, which will be live from December 2 – 24, 2011.
Fans are encouraged to play the game daily for a chance to win a year-long lease for a MINI Coupe, Virgin America flights, Banana Republic shopping cards and donations to the Boys and Girls Club Of America under the fan’s name. Every day is a new chance to win a gift from Banana Republic and MINI USA this holiday season. “This partnership with Banana Republic is another example of MINI taking a different approach to our marketing efforts,” said Tom Salkowsky, Manager of MINI USA Marketing. “It allows us to engage in helping our community, and extend that opportunity to customers and fans alike. It also ensures MINI is visible in some of the highest traffic retails locations this time of year, building brand awareness and introducing our newest model.” “Banana Republic is excited to be partnering with MINI this holiday. Our ‘Gifts Come in all Sizes’ campaign is an extension of the community service our associates already do in stores, bringing joy to those who need it most,” said Chris Nicklo, Vice President of Marketing, Banana Republic.
Mini launches teen driving school at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
MINI has teamed up with the new teen driving school Miles Ahead to bring licensed youth to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and train them to drive properly. Indy 500 veteran Stephan Gregoire founded the effort to combat the high number of crashes, injuries and deaths involving teenage drivers.
The chance of a teen crashing in the first three years of driving is 82.9 percent, according to Mini, and a 16-year-old is 20 times more likely to be killed in a crash than an adult. Furthermore, in 63 percent of teenage passenger deaths, another teenager is driving the vehicle.
Mini has supplied 12 copies of the Cooper hardtop to be used for half-day courses at the Speedway. The courses include on-track and classroom instruction.
Instructors for the program come from either the Izod IndyCar series or the Firestone Indy Lights series. For 2011 and 2012, the roster of instructors includes Dillon Battistini, Dan Clarke, Conor Daly, Alex Lloyd, Philip Major, Stephen Simpson, Stefan Wilson and James Winslow.
MotorTrend – First Test: 2012 Mini Coupe John Cooper Works
From Motor Trend…. Call it what you want — just don’t call it boring. If you’re struggling for a descriptor, call it a trailblazer, because the all-new 2012 Mini Coupe touts some significant brand firsts: It’s the first Mini with room for only two; the first to have active aerodynamics, and the first to be engineered with what designers call a three-box structure. (More on this later.) And here comes the biggie: Nearly everything about this Mini — particularly in sportier John Cooper Works form — is honed specifically for “optimum performance” and supposedly entertains drivers “even better” than the rest of the lineup. Full article here.