Yep, Driven (part of uber cool Urban Daddy, our friends in the know since tie immemorial) got their hands on a MINI Coupe, and with cameras in hand took to the posh part of New York City for a day’s outing. Set to a catchy technopop music score, follow a man, the car, his self-pampering and sight-seeing adventures (the back stories with the women seen getting picked up and dropped off will stay a mystery, sorry..) and we are glad they are sharing the video with Vimeo (who we also use when we get sick of YouTube’s ever changing policies and site designs)

Well, take a look:

Driven & Mini Coupe from UrbanDaddy on Vimeo.

Urban Daddy describes the experience as thus, “We’ve been watching MINI pretty closely since we launched DRIVEN. Something about the marque—maybe the combo of a rich heritage, a modern design and a scrappy bravado—suits us. So when we got the opportunity to take a look at their new Coupe before it hit the streets, we politely and quickly agreed. And we brought a camera along… We picked up the brand-new lightning blue Cooper S two-seater and put it through the paces of a typically daunting day in the life of DRIVEN in New York City: a stop at the tailor, some breakfast, a shave on the LES and plenty of time to just zip around town. Zip is the right word. This car—loaded with a Gertag six-speed transmission, a MacPherson suspension and a 181-horsepower turbocharged engine—sort of feels like a souped-up go-kart, and New York is the perfect track. Just know that when you hit 50 mph, the rear spoiler automatically raises and dares you to go faster. So we did…”

[Source: Urban Daddy/Driven, Jan 11 2012]

Urban Daddy:
UrbanDaddy is a free exclusive email magazine (for men, duh!) devoted to keeping you in the know. And yeah, they have an app for that.

Driven:
Sometimes seeing is believing, so we bring you Test Drive, a series of DRIVEN original videos where we take beautiful cars and film them doing beautiful things in beautiful places.

MINI looks back on a record breaking 2011 and looks forward to more adventures in 2012

It’s a MINI New Year quiz – so it’s only got one question! When Prime Minister David Cameron drove the two millionth MINI off of the production line at Plant Oxford in August last year, how far would all of those cars stretch if placed bumper to bumper?

That production landmark was just one of a host of achievements during 2011, the most significant of which was that MINI recorded its highest ever UK sales since launch in 2001 and captured a record 2.58 per cent of the market, with sales of 50,138 vehicles, an increase of more than 14 per cent compared to 2010.

April saw the launch of the Cooper SD, the most powerful diesel MINI ever. Available in all body types, the 2.0-litre 143hp four-cylinder engine delivers more power, better fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions.

Soon after came the all-new MINI Coupé, the first two-seater sports car in the brand’s history. Bringing the fun and personality of MINI to a new sector, it offers a dynamic performance that owners are already growing to love.

And in October came first details of the sixth unique MINI model; the Roadster. The taut-handling Roadster is packed with MINI character and will offer open-topped thrills to a new type of customer when it goes on sale in the spring.

The MINI Inspired by Goodwood limited edition made its European debut at the famous Goodwood Festival of Speed in June. A unique collaboration between Rolls-Royce and MINI, it blends the best elements of both brands. Just 1,000 examples are being built, priced at £41,000, and the first will be delivered in March.

Last year saw MINI hint at a possible solution to the challenges of urban mobility, unveiling its innovative 3+1 seater Rocketman Concept at March’s Geneva Motor Show.

The pioneering MINI E UK Field Trial came to an end in 2011. Scores of private, corporate and public sector drivers gave feedback on living with a full electric MINI Hatch. Together they covered more than 250,000 miles, at an average charge cost of under 2p for each one.

Also looking to the future was the MINI production triangle, where it was announced at Downing Street that £500 million of new investment is to be spent over the next two years. Plant upgrades to build the next generation of cars will safeguard more than 5,000 UK jobs.

MINI is official partner of Team GB and ParalympicsGB for the London 2012 Games, and in September unveiled three limited edition models to celebrate. Just 2,012 are available and come with unique logos and Union Jack trim. England long jump champion and Olympic hopeful JJ Jegede dramatically leapt over them on the banks of the River Thames to mark the launch.

May saw one of the UK’s best known young sports star, Olympic diver Tom Daley, take delivery of a MINI One D Hatch. Tom is a member of our London 2012 Performance Team, an initiative designed to provide athletes with support as they prepare for the Games on and off the field.

MINI was proud to accept one of the most prestigious awards in the motor industry this year when What Car? named the MINI Cooper D ‘Fun Green Car of the Year’ in the publication’s 2011 Green Awards. Thanks to its standard MINIMALISM technology MINI is ranked within the top five manufacturers for its low CO2 emissions.

Sales records tumbled during October and November. Both months were the best ever for the brand’s global performance, and the overall 2010 total was passed thanks to the introduction of more than 10 new markets. Among these are places as remote as Bolivia in South America and Senegal in Africa.

The most popular MINI colour in 2011 was Pepper White, followed by Midnight Black and Chili Red. The MINI Countryman is now the second biggest selling model in the range behind MINI Hatch.

So how far would two millions MINIs stretch? A whopping 4,626.7 miles – all way from the Plant Oxford factory gates to the Grand Canyon! Stacked on top of each other, they would be 318 times higher than Mount Everest or 3,398 times greater than the world’s tallest building, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.

You’ll struggle to find two the same. There are 372 interior trim and 319 exterior options, which makes 15 billion possible MINI combinations!

[Source: BMW Group UK]

MINI unleashes style, inventiveness and excitement at Auto Expo 2012.

The BMW Group today introduced MINI as a premium small car brand in India. The MINI (MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S), MINI Cooper Convertible and MINI Cooper S Countryman are launched in India and can be ordered as CBU (completely built-up) units.

Dr. Kay Segler, Senior Vice President, MINI Brand Management and Business Coordination said, “By launching the new MINI ten years ago, we created the most exciting premium small car brand in the world. Our approach was: From the original to the original. Since then, we have been busy growing the MINI Family with bold models such as MINI Convertible and MINI Countryman. As one of the world’s top growth markets, India is a great place to continue accelerating MINI’s global momentum. We are sure MINI fans in India are as excited as we are.”

In 2012, MINI India will establish three exclusive outlets in the Indian market: Deutsche Motoren and Bird Automotive in Delhi (National Capital Region) and Infinity Cars in Mumbai.

Dr. Andreas Schaaf, President, BMW Group India said, “Around the world, MINI has become a byword in the premium small car segment for expressive design, premium quality and unmistakable driving fun. MINI’s innovative profile has enabled the brand to win over a trend-conscious and quality-oriented target group. With the launch of MINI, the BMW Group debuts in the premium small car segment in India. In the start-up phase, BMW Group’s main focus will be to concentrate on successfully establishing the MINI brand in India. At a later stage, the BMW Group will focus on further development of dealer network and higher sales volumes.”

The MINI (MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S), MINI Cooper Convertible and MINI Cooper S Countryman will be available in six-speed automatic transmission with powerful and efficient petrol engines.

The ex-showroom prices of the new MINI cars in India are as follows –

MINI Cooper:` 24,90,000
MINI Cooper S:` 27,90,000
MINI Cooper Convertible:` 29,99,000
MINI Cooper S Countryman:` 31,99,000

Note: Ex-showroom price excludes RTO registration charges, tax, insurance, handling charges; Octroi and entry tax (as applicable). The above ex-showroom prices are exclusive of sales tax / VAT applicable on sale to the customer. Prices and options are subject to change without prior notice.

Every MINI is unique and stands out from the crowd due to its distinctive design. All the MINI models put a smile on their owner’s face with outstanding performance and leading efficiency in their respective class.

MINI: A global success and ‘Car of the Decade’.
The modern MINI combines an agile ‘Go-kart’ handling as its most natural characteristic with cutting-edge efficiency and uncompromising premium quality. MINI has established itself around the world as a symbol of urban driving fun and an indispensable element in its driver’s mobile lifestyle.

MINI Convertible: Inspiringly Agile, Refreshingly Open.
The MINI Convertible blends the brand’s hallmark attributes with the refreshing feeling of open-air motoring with greater intensity than ever before. Again, the brand’s soft-top representative is unmistakably a MINI. Its proportions, short front and rear overhangs, large wheel cutouts, the height of the waistline and numerous design features typical of the brand clearly show that this is a full-fledged member of the MINI family.

MINI Countryman: Taking driving fun into new territory.
The MINI Countryman takes the hallmark MINI driving fun to a new dimension and marks the arrival on the scene of a MINI with four doors, a large tailgate and a variable-use interior capable of accommodating up to five people. The MINI Countryman is also the brand’s first model with a body over four metres in length. Its advanced chassis technology and the extremely precise and efficient Electric Power Steering ensure that the typical MINI ‘Go-kart’ driving experience is preserved.

[Source: BMW Group India, January 5, 2012, New Delhi]

Check it out HERE!

If your Mini club has an upcoming event, let us know and we will post it!

Not one to leave any details behind, BMW just scurried up and reposted our report with some of the backstory behind the contest, winner, filming, and people behind the scenes (we like that behind the scenes stuff!), who were none other than our MINI motoring pals over in Sausalito, MINI’s ad agency BSSP.

BSSP (www.bssp.com) is a full-service marketing communications agency, providing services in advertising, online marketing, web development, data analytics, integrated communications planning, brand identity, design and strategic brand consulting. (Makes the head spin, doesn’t it?)

In 2010, BSSP was named by Adweek as “Best Small Agency of the Decade.” BSSP is one of the largest independent agencies on the West Coast, being known for their highly creative marketing stuff .. Ok let’s stop right there with the press release drivel, a few more fun facts then we promise to stay on topic..

We joined BSSP on a MINI run back in September 2006, when it all began with MINI USA, also attended by sponsors Sracer, MC2 Magazine, and several area MINI clubs. You can see the footage in StarLord Mini Podcast episode four (wow, that really DOES go back in time, doesn’t it?) here. You can also get a few other mentions of BSSP and Miniology here as well join them on Facebook, Twitter, and such.

So, the back story..

On December 23, MINI USA and Miniology.com brought you The Best Test Drive Ever. Period. This began back in October (Motor-Tober), when MINI USA launched a contest for fans to submit their fantasy test drive, promising the winner that it’ll be made a reality.

Over 14,000 entries came pouring in and were evaluated on creativity, originality, and the best use of a brand new MINI John Cooper Works Coupe. MINI even partnered with Larry Smith, founder of the 6-word memoir project to help judge the entries. From all of the entries received, MINI USA selected one winner: Mathew Foster, from Portland, Oregon.

Matthew’s fantasy test drive submission was selected as the MINI contest winner, and a film of Foster’s test drive premiered online on MINI USA’s Facebook Page, YouTube Channel, Miniology.com, and in cinemas nationwide starting Friday, December 23. This is all part of a national media buy reaching more than 20 million viewers. MINI’s ad agency, Butler, Shine, Stern and Partners (BSSP) out of Sausalito, CA took the 6 words from Foster’s fantasy test drive submission: Stewardess, Salt Flats, Sushi, Paratroopers, Falconer, and made it into a wicked video (they kind only they could produce!)

“It is safe to say that MINI has officially delivered on the promise of ‘THE BEST TEST DRIVE EVER. PERIOD.’ and provided a once in a lifetime experience. While there was only one winner, MINI USA wanted to ensure that everyone could share in the experience, thus Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were cornerstones of the promotion,” stated Tom Salkowsky, Manager, MINI Marketing.

The cinema buy will reach millions of movie-goers during the key movie week between Christmas and New Years. Additional details are as follows:

2,707 total theaters
23,268 total screens running PG 13 and R-rated films
Timing: 12/23/11 – 1/1/12

Talk about making someone an instant celebrity as well

MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States, MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC which has been present in the United States since 1975.  There’s 110 MINI passenger car dealers, and BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey (as if you didn’t already know all that).

Just a reminder to get your tickets now for MINI United 2012 (in France, yeah, does anyone wonder how Citroen, Peugeot, Renault, and smart are taking the news?)

The ticketmaster link is up so you can buy tickets now: http://bit.ly/MINIunitedGetTickets

From May 11th to 13th 2012, Le Castellet in France will become the dream destination of MINI fans worldwide. You can visit MINI’s social site, MINI Space for info, and the MINI YouTube channel posted a teaser video to show folks what to expect when MINI United 2012 kicks off..

You’ll be glad they include classics in there, indeed there are lots of them across the pond as well here in the states of course, but how many people are going to be shipping more than themselves overseas to attend a fair even of this magnitude? (Well okay, I suppose you could do it if you really wanted to and money wasn’t much of an object, heh, but if you were going to that much trouble you may as well just rent one eh?!)

Of course Miniology is the place to go for all the best coverage, we’ll keep you posted on all the MINI United goodness, and are working on getting live updates from people attending the shows and events, just like we did last time ( as I recall we and our sponsor MC2 Magazine were the only live Mini-oriented audio & video podcast to do this! )

We’ve always been about the people, the clubs, the fans, you know, enthusiasts, indeed this is the perfect event for us to partake in! Perhaps this year MINI/BMW will give us an all-access pass and set us up to cover the event properly.. (huh?) ..yeah they kind of dropped the ball last time, but you don’t need us to tell you about that

It’s not often enough we get to see Norm Nelson wearing those interesting hats and his smokin’ hot wife Jess (can I say that?) doing interviews. Now that’s just good television.  Yeah yeah, speaking of video, you wanted to see that preview video again, didn’t you? Well, here it is:

Freaking awesome, this is what I call a test drive!

• MINI USA’s Facebook Sweepstakes opens for Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship – runs from December 22, 2011 – January 3, 2012

• Winner receives two VIP tickets to next month’s series-opening extreme sport event
• Prize includes plane tickets, accommodation, and access to Red Bull After Party

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.

[Source: MINI, Woodcliff Lake, NJ – December 22, 2011]

Hiya folks, we just updated our podcast feed to better support Apple’s iCloud (since the old .web / mobile me is going bye bye), there are several ways to subscribe, and I’ll list them here:

iTunes Store link (Apple web page)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/miniology/id490423184

iTunes subscribe URL (launch iTunes, go to Advanced -> Subscribe to Podcast…)

http://miniology.com/feed/podcast/

If you want to subscribe via an RSS reader or other software, just use the same link above!

The older podcast URL, which is titled “MINIOLOGY PODCASTs” will be decommissioned soon.