The Journey Of The Austin Mini
The creation of the Austin Mini has been one of the remarkable milestones noted in the entire automotive world. Its mere presence has been everywhere all through out the mid 20th century in England and in other parts of the globe, eventually ended up as an icon of the 60′s. The production of this diminutive model become unstoppable ever since it was introduced. It was just in 2000 that the production was halted and run by another company.
It took quite a while before Austin Mini had been recognized and patronized by the British people. At first, people are puzzled of the Mini’s revolutionary features and size, but soon it had caught the attention of the press people, the rest is history. Austin Mini become a trend, in fact, important personalities even royalties had been seen driving their own Austin Mini. Moreover, the influence of this car icon even extended in the fashion world as it became the inspiration behind the creation and design of the mini skirt.
The original layout of the Austin Mini was made by Sir Alec Issigonis. He constructed the layout together with his mission to make a small car that will able to accommodate four typical adult passenger and luggage. Most of the floor space was maximized to use for passenger and luggage space. Although the size of the car is small, it has been a challenge for Sir Alec to find ways to save enough space, one of the strategies he implemented was making use of 4 tiny 10 inch wheels. The diminutive auto was assembled on several factories across the globe including Australia, Belgium and Spain. Its worldwide popularity grew while leaving its huge contribution to the automotive world. It was just a typical small sized family car for others, but the charm of this car had caught millions of car aficionados around the world. There is more on this car that an ordinary user could see; Austin Mini established its name and become a fashion/lifestyle statement and generally, as an icon. This had sold 53 millions units all throughout its lifetime and made itself to the top.
Originally, the Austin Mini was sold under the BMC’s Austin and Morris brands. Initially, the Mini was put on the market with a price under 500. Just like everything else, it took some time before the Mini was found by its audience. There are only 20,000 cars that was produced during 1959 but the production grew 10 fold after 3 years and beyond. Mini is considered to be one of the world’s best-selling cars amounting to 5.3 million models manufactured up to date.
After four long decades of market presence, new car models have arrived and Austin Mini’s production declined and unfortunately, ceased. However, the Mini’s legacy did not stop as the brand name and all accompanying rights of Mini were bought by BMW. The company resurrected the Mini and made its comeback in 2001, leaving some of its old features behind. Today, the company promotes one model in the range, with modern designs to choose from such as Clubman and convertible. In 2008, next generation MINIs were launched with stylish looks perfectly matching the modern lifestyle of the modern age. Thoroughly re-engineered in a contemporary manner, the MINI, as it new label become one of the most wanted small car.
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