BMW Press Release
04/12/2007

Munich/Shanghai. The new MINI continues its worldwide triumph. At the 12th International Automobile & Manufacturing Technology Exhibition – or Auto Shanghai 2007 for short – the new MINI Cooper will be the central focus of the brand’s presentation. The new generation of the MINI is now causing a stir in Asia’s growth markets, thus again confirming the global popularity of the fascinating brand MINI. In the Chinese business metropolis of Shanghai, MINI also presents another facet of its characteristic combination of driving pleasure and youthful lifestyle from April 22nd to 28th: the MINI Cooper Convertible, the world’s only premium category vehicle to offer driving pleasure for four people under the open sky.

With its completely renewed design, which nonetheless represents an evolutionary development of its essential features, the new MINI Cooper will be presented to a Chinese public interested in both stylistic originality and pioneering technology in equal measure. The new MINI Cooper is powered by a completely newly developed 1.6 litre 4-cylinder engine with 88 kW/120 bhp. In conjunction with the 6-speed automatic transmission – which is standard on the Chinese market – it accelerates to 100 km/h in just 10.4 seconds and has a top speed of 197 km/h. Its average fuel consumption is 6.7 litres.

The second highlight at China’s most tradition-steeped international automobile fair is the presentation of the MINI Cooper Convertible, whose 4-cylinder engine delivers an output of 85 kW/115 bhp from a capacity of 1.6 litres. The MINI Cooper Convertible is supplied in China as standard with a continuously variable CVT automatic transmission. The open-top four-seater accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 11.2 seconds and achieves a maximum speed of 182 km/h. Its average fuel consumption is 7.6 litres per 100 kilometres.

With the new MINI Cooper and the MINI Cooper Convertible, two vehicles will be at the centre of attention in Shanghai which not only have fascinating charisma and uniquely agile handling to offer but also lasting value. The two models lead a ranking list published by the German automobile magazine “Auto Bild” based on the value retention of all motor vehicles available on the German automobile market. With an estimated resale value of 70 per cent and 69 per cent respectively after a period of three years, the MINI Cooper Convertible and the new MINI Cooper won the title of “World Champion 2007″.

Yes, a little plastic bubble of radio-controlled goodness arrived in the mail last night. It is my official MINI motorby keyfob which magickally controls the billboards across the nation, broadcasting custom messages to all who, well, motor by it! Here’s pics and details, direct from the ingenious minds at MINI and BSSP who created the campaign:

This is the box the motorby keyfob came in.

This is the box, opened.

This is the little instruction thingy that came with it.

Here’s a closeup image of the thingy with my MINI keychain (yeah, that’s a classic Mini Cooper keyfob from John Cooper garages in UK, and a Mini-sized pewter statue of Yoda ‘judge me by my size do you? size matters not!’ etc).