Intoxicating driving fun, ground-breaking efficiency, uncompromising quality and an unmistakable personality have provided the building blocks for the global success of the MINI brand. The one-off premium small car maker is also enjoying increasing popularity in the Chinese market among contemporary, trend-conscious and highly demanding target groups. The diversity of the brand’s model range also helps to enhance its appeal, and the complete MINI family – now comprising six models – is on display at the Auto China 2012 international car show taking place in Beijing from 27 April to 2 May 2012. Auto China 2012 is also the venue for the world premiere of the MINI Clubman Hyde Park. Like the three other takes on the MINI character celebrating their Asian premieres at the Auto China show, this design model vividly showcases the hallmark attributes and values of the MINI brand.
The wave of MINI success initiated by the MINI, MINI Clubman and MINI Convertible has also gained fresh momentum in China with the introduction of the brand’s first five-door model, the MINI Countryman. And now the two newcomers to the model range, the MINI Coupé and MINI Roadster, have stepped up as powerful drivers of further growth. The two-seater pair create even greater scope for customers to experience the hallmark MINI style and unsurpassed driving fun of the brand’s cars in their own individual way.
The latest design and special-edition models represent further alluring additions to the MINI line-up. Stand-out features include their extremely harmonious blend of design and equipment, which underlines the unique aspects of the MINI character. The historical roots of the brand, its sporting flair and extravagance, and the aura of quality inherent in a premium car are all elements running through the core of the MINI Hyde Park, MINI Baker Street, MINI Bayswater and MINI Convertible Highgate.
Another striking feature the new special-edition MINI models all have in common is the adoption of areas of London for their titles. With just months to go before the British capital follows in the footsteps of Beijing by hosting the Olympic Games, MINI has picked up on cutting-edge trends and timeless style cues from the city, which over the years has captured the hearts of visitors from all around the world. Hyde Park – the majestic green space at the heart of the city – joins Baker Street (of literary and musical fame) and the exclusive residential districts of Bayswater and Highgate as the inspirations for these distinctive models. The MINI Clubman Hyde Park reveals an immediate connection to the country of the MINI brand’s birth, its colour concept providing a very modern interpretation of the traditional British way of life.
Notably, this is the first MINI design model to be offered in two body variants; the MINI Clubman Hyde Park lines up alongside the MINI Hyde Park. Exclusive design features for the exterior and interior likewise mark out the three other interpretations of the MINI character on show at Auto China 2012. These are complemented by extremely classy and thoughtfully composed equipment features. The MINI Baker Street embodies the youthful, fresh and innovative trendsetting style of the brand, while the MINI Bayswater focuses primarily on the sporting verve and agile handling for which MINI is renowned.
Exceptional open-top driving pleasure is the speciality of the third member of the trio; the MINI Convertible Highgate exudes an aura of exclusivity and majors on British style with a contemporary twist. The Auto China 2012 in Beijing provides players in the automotive industry – both domestically and internationally – with an important stage on which to present their latest models and innovations. The China International Exhibition Center (Tianzhu) in Beijing offers an exhibition area spanning more than 220,000 square metres (approx. 2,368,000 sq. ft.). The international car show takes place every two years and this will be the twelfth occasion it has been hosted by the Chinese capital. Its significance both in China and abroad has grown steadily in step with the country’s car market over recent years. Indeed, in 2010 Auto China opened its doors to some 785,000 visitors from around the world.
Sauntering through the city in style: The MINI Hyde Park.
As MINI defines the streetscape, so the Royal Parks in the heart of London define the structure and rhythm of life of an entire city. For centuries they have constituted vital oases amid the hustle and bustle of the English capital. Now the championing of British tradition and lifestyle can be expressed in particularly stylish fashion courtesy of the design model MINI Hyde Park, whose exclusive colour combinations and trim levels lend it an appeal that is at once classic and sporty. Yet again MINI strikes attractive individual notes with this eye-catching character on wheels that is ready to unleash its impact amid the urban traffic of other big cities as well.
Harmoniously combined design and trim features for the exterior and interior imbue the MINI Hyde Park with a self-assured and stylish presence. The design model is available worldwide in MINI and MINI Clubman body styles. Two engine variants of each model will be made available for the Chinese market: the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper Clubman develop 88 kW/120 hp, while the MINI Cooper S and MINI Cooper S Clubman are powered by a 135 kW/184 hp unit. Both engines link up as standard with a six-speed automatic transmission.
MINI Hyde Park: classic espousal of a British way of life.
Unobtrusive extravagance is the defining element when it comes to the appearance of the MINI Hyde Park. Its discreet Pepper White body colour is combined with Hot Chocolate contrasting paintwork – available for the first time – on the roof and exterior mirror caps. A further facet of the MINI Clubman colour scheme is the lower sections of the C-pillar in body colour. To match the contrasting paintwork, the MINI Hyde Park also sports bonnet and side stripes in Hot Chocolate, while another highlight is provided by indicator lenses in transparent white. This lends the direction indicators integrated into the headlights, as well as the side indicators and rear lights, a markedly individual look.
Inside the MINI Hyde Park, surfaces in Pepper White underline the classic, balanced overall impression. The seat upholstery and optional Colour Line draw on the full range of trims available for the MINI and MINI Clubman. Ensuring a particularly eloquent interior design match are seats in cloth/leather or Leather Gravity with the Carbon Black or Polar Beige Colour Line and the MINI Yours dashboard lined in leather in a Black/Polar Beige combination.
With the MINI Hyde Park, the British premium small car manufacturer continues the tradition of design and special-edition models named after parts of London. Hyde Park spans 140 hectares and is famous for its Speakers’ Corner on the northeastern edge. The park is a haven for countless leisure activities in the centre of London and a green oasis that invites you to stroll between the shopping hot spots of Kensington and Oxford Street. It is also the starting point for the annual London-Brighton Run veteran car rally. And when the flame is lit for the 2012 Olympic Games taking place in the capital city of MINI’s home country, the Triathlon and Marathon Swimming events will be held in Hyde Park.
New city slickers: The MINI Baker Street and MINI Bayswater.
With just months to go before the Olympic Games get under way in London, MINI is introducing two new special-edition models – the MINI Baker Street and MINI Bayswater – to spread the contemporary style of the British capital around the world. Expressive design features and exclusive equipment inject the exterior appearance, interior ambience and hallmark driving fun of these latest takes on the MINI character with their own distinctive flavours.
The MINI Baker Street embodies the youthful, fresh and innovative trendsetting style of the brand, while the MINI Bayswater focuses primarily on the sporting verve and agile handling for which MINI is renowned. Both the special-edition models will be produced over a limited period and released for sale worldwide. Customers in China will be offered the MINI Baker Street in MINI Cooper guise, while the MINI Bayswater will be available in MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S variants.
MINI Baker Street: an individualist with a taste for extravagance.
New exterior and interior design details developed exclusively for the MINI Baker Street mark out this special-edition model. The Rooftop Grey metallic exterior paint shade combines with a black paint finish for the roof and special bonnet stripes whose basic colour black is given extra character by a subtle V-shape design. 16-inch light-alloy wheels in 6-Star twin-spoke design – painted in high-gloss black – combine with matching black exterior mirror caps to lend an attractive contrast to the bold, contemporary appearance of the new exterior paintwork. The MINI Baker Street can also be specified with the Pepper White and Midnight Black body paint finishes as an option. “Baker Street” lettering on the side scuttles framing the side indicators points to the exclusive character of this special-edition model.
In the interior a fresh interpretation of the cloth/leather seats available for the standard MINI teams up with exclusive interior surfaces to create an unmistakable ambience. In traditional British style, the surfaces of the new seat variant in Cross Check Rooftop Grey light feature a diamond pattern.
Cross Check Rooftop Grey light is also used for the surfaces of the cockpit and door trim and is combined with a Rooftop Grey light Colour Line. Light grey contrast stitching for the floor mats, gearshift/selector lever and handbrake gaiters, and seat tags – which, like the door sills, bear “Baker Street” lettering – round off the array of bespoke interior features. The Chrome Line Interior package adds further lustre. The equipment list for the MINI Baker Street also includes the Pepper Pack, which brings with it air conditioning, an on-board computer, a leather steering wheel, the Chrome Line Exterior package, front foglamps, a lighting package and height adjustment for the front passenger seat. And customers can also dip into the options list to add a selection of other individual equipment features to their MINI. The 88 kW/120 hp engine powering the MINI Cooper Baker Street teams up with a six-speed automatic transmission.
For visitors to London and locals alike, the MINI Baker Street’s name will be synonymous with the address of a certain fictional hero. It has been 125 years since Sherlock Holmes author Arthur Conan Doyle released his first story with the master detective in the title role. Today, the Sherlock Holmes Museum and Madame Tussauds waxworks museum can both be found just a stone’s throw from the Baker Street Underground station.
MINI Bayswater: the extrovert sportsman.
The MINI Bayswater wears its inherent sporting élan and extrovert style very much on its sleeve. The Kite Blue metallic exterior paintwork was created exclusively for the special-edition model, as was the interior design and 17-inch light-alloy Sandblast wheels with high-gloss black surfaces and bright machined rim and spoke edges. Midnight Black metallic and Eclipse Grey metallic paint shades can be ordered for the MINI Cooper S as an alternative to the new radiant blue finish. The sporty appearance of the MINI Bayswater is emphasised by the black contrasting roof and the likewise newly created Sport Stripes for the bonnet, which streak dynamically towards the windscreen. The exterior mirror caps carry an identical stripe design – blue on the right-hand side of the car, grey on the left.
“Bayswater” lettering adorns the side indicator surrounds, door sills and seat tags. The Punch Leather seats come in the exclusive colour variant Rocklite Anthracite and include side bolsters sporting a metallic sheen and blue-andgrey contrast stitching. Two-tone contrast stitching also adorns the gearshift/selector lever and handbrake gaiters.
Other innovative design features in the interior include Piano Black cockpit trim strips, which continue the path set by the Sport Stripes over the bonnet, and the leather Colour Line elements in Rocklite Anthracite, whose classy character is emphasised by black stitching. The same leather variant is also used for the armrests, while the model-specific floor mats have anthracite-coloured edging and blue contrast stitching. The MINI Bayswater also comes with stainless steel pedals and the Chrome Line Interior package, and includes the Pepper Pack in its range of equipment. Plus, the new special edition can likewise be specified with a wide variety of items from the optional equipment list if further individual touches are the order of the day. The special-edition model lines up with powerful engines offering the necessary bite to back up its sporting aura. Customers in China can order their car in MINI Cooper (88 kW/120 hp) or MINI Cooper S (135 kW/184 hp) guise. The MINI Bayswater also comes as standard with a six-speed automatic transmission.
The MINI Bayswater takes its name from an extremely vibrant area of London. Located to the west of the city centre – half way between the shopping hot spots of Knightsbridge and Notting Hill – Bayswater is best known for its unusually high density of bars and restaurants, not to mention the adjacent and no less famous Hyde Park. MINI is therefore returning to the London theme to further accentuate the link with both its home country and the fascination surrounding the London lifestyle. Indeed, both the MINI Bayswater and MINI Baker Street are following in the tyre tracks of a naming tradition begun by the classic Mini and reprised more recently with the MINI Camden, MINI Mayfair and MINI Clubman Hampton special editions.
Exclusive aura raises the roof: The MINI Convertible Highgate.
For MINI fans looking to combine open-top driving fun with sophisticated individuality and an essential dose of Brit-cool, the MINI Convertible Highgate provides the perfect stage. The new special-edition variant of the soft-top four-seater seizes the limelight with its innovative and precisely coordinated splash of colours and materials. The MINI Convertible Highgate boasts numerous exterior and interior design features developed specially to suit the character of the car. Together with the extensive selection of on-board equipment, they provide a fresh interpretation of British style and premium feel in an open-top small car.
The MINI Convertible Highgate will be available worldwide from spring 2012. It will be produced over a limited period at MINI Plant Oxford and offered in the Chinese market with a choice of two engines. New exterior paint finishes, soft-top colours and wheel designs developed specially for the MINI Convertible Highgate provide the external expression of its exclusive aura. The new body colour Iced Chocolate metallic captures the imagination with its refined and understated basic colour and a special pigmentation that reveals a subtle, bluish lustre under the sun’s rays. In keeping with the theme, the brown soft-top roof also has a light metallic sheen. This distinctive look is further enhanced by brown/black bonnet stripes with blue edging, while Midnight Black metallic or White Silver metallic paintwork can be specified as an option. The exterior mirror caps of the special-edition model are also painted in the body colour. Another feature developed exclusively for the MINI Convertible Highgate is the 17-inch Double Cross light-alloy wheels in a refined, subtly shaded aluminium colour. The wheels’ spoke arrangement is inspired by the pattern of the Union Jack flag.
The “Highgate” lettering on the side indicator surrounds, door sills and seat tags is a nod to the car’s exclusive character, as are the bespoke colours and materials used in the interior. The Lounge Leather seats and leather Colour Line elements come in Dark Truffle and feature light contrast stitching.
Light blue piping on the seats and Dark Truffle contrast stitching on the gearshift/selector lever and handbrake gaiters are further highlights. Stainless steel pedals, Suntouched Brushed Alloy interior trim elements, the Chrome Line Interior package and floor mats with Dark Truffle edging round off the stylish interior ambience of the MINI Convertible Highgate.
The new special-edition model sees MINI once again emphasising not only the individuality of the brand – as highlighted by the stand-out design features – but also its links to its native Britain. Its name is taken from one of the most exclusive residential areas of London. Located in the north of the British capital, Highgate is known for its historic architecture and wide open greenspaces, and is home to numerous showbiz celebrities. In the Chinese market the MINI Convertible Highgate can be ordered in MINI Cooper (88 kW/120 hp) or MINI Cooper S (135 kW/184 hp) variants.
Both the engines channel their power through a six-speed automatic gearbox as standard. Customers can add their own personal touches to the extensive standard equipment of the MINI Convertible Highgate by dipping into the wide assortment of options enhancing both comfort and driving fun.