As Mini celebrates 60 years of being an automobile company, there are enough and more reasons for it to celebrate. The company rolled out its 10 millionth vehicle from the company's Oxford plant. The anniversary vehicle rolling off the production line was a model of the MINI 60 Years Edition - and it then came face to face with the brand's first small car ever manufactured. The classic Mini from 1959 and the Edition model from the year 2019 joined forces with 60 other vehicles of the brand - each of them from one of the production years.
It was in 1959, that Alec Issigonis, designed the Classic Mini and the concept of a vehicle with the engine mounted transversely at the front of the car along with the gearbox configured beneath the engine, and the wheels positioned at the corners of the car together with a tailgate body ensured that it was fun on the road and pretty spacious on the inside. Of course the design also ensured better agility and great driving performance. Around 5.3 million units of the classic Mini were sold worldwide up until the year 2000.
The 10 millionth Mini and the first Mini stood side by side with the rest of the cars from every decade
The brand relaunched worldwide thereafter but the strong foundations set the tone for the new-gen models which grew in popularity and also in terms of size. In 2018 itself 4 lakh Minis were sold worldwide and it's currently being retailed in 110 countries. The Mini 3-door, Mini 5-door and Mini Clubman are currently being produced at the Oxford plant and upto 1 000 vehicles are manufactured there every day. The MINI Convertible and the MINI Countryman roll off the assembly line at the Dutch production partner VDL NedCar.
Come November 2019, Mini will roll out the all-electric Mini Cooper SE and it will be the British brand's first-ever electric car. The electric hatchback makes 184 bhp and 270 Nm of peak torque from the electric motor and can sprint from 0-60 kmph in 3.9 seconds, while 0-100 kmph will come up in 7.3 seconds. With respect to the range, the Cooper SE has a range of 235-270 km from its 32.6 kWh battery based on the WLTP cycle.
The company promises that it will still drive very much like a Mini and this will be the model that will usher Mini into a new era.
