Autocar names MINI Manufacturer of the Year
MINI was announced Monday as Autocar magazine's Manufacturer of the Year for 2005, beating out runners-up Vauxhall,
Bentley and Kia.
The BWM Group factory at Oxford has been cranking out the iconic British car at a furious rate, building its 500,000th
vehicle nearly two years ahead of schedule. The MINI brand is a highlight of the British economy, exported to 70
markets worldwide.
In accepting the award, Dr. Anton Heiss, BMW Group's Managing Director for Plant Oxford, credited the "hard work,
flexibility and commitment to quality" of the 4,500 staff at the Oxford facility.
[Source: BMW Group]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
J Mays 10:50PM (12/18/2005)
I personal;ly think Ford is Manufacturer of The Year.
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Bone 10:50PM (12/18/2005)
AutoCar always has been a bit parochial, but I can't blame them for their choice. The original Mini's 10 inch tires left surprisingly big shoes to fill and the new mini tuned out to be pretty much everything it should be. I'm visiting my old digs in Texas right now and you even see the little things out here. Boy Howdy that's a small car break through!
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Dues 10:50PM (12/18/2005)
not really
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Dues 10:50PM (12/18/2005)
not really
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Yaroukh 10:50PM (12/18/2005)
#1 J.Mays: I don't want to question your opinion, I just don't know whether you mean it or are you kiddin' :o) I'm Ford fan but people here use to bitch at Ford all the time :o) ... I don't like to say it but I think Toyota is the MoTY
#2 Bone: IMO new MINI sucks (just an opinion, a vote); I think they have screwed-up the headlights - the same way VW has done with its gay New Beetle; I think Fiat with its Trepiuno concept does good job (quality is probably another story though :o)
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Gil 10:50PM (12/18/2005)
I thought the new MINI sucked until I climbed in the driver's seat. One of the best cars EVER. It's incredible in the way it connects to the driver.
Too bad it's so expensive
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Poe 10:50PM (12/18/2005)
Well, I don't know what criteria Autocar's award was based on, but apparently QUALITY wasn't a big one. Mini placed below average in the 2004 and 2005 J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey - BELOW names like Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, Mitsubishi, etc. Kia - a "runner up" to this award - did even worse.
http://www.jdpa.com/presspass/pr/images/2005069b.gif
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JimS 10:50PM (12/18/2005)
I agree with #6. I was not impressed with the MINI until I got in one. After driving it I fell in love.
I ordered a pepper white MCS. The MINI dealer experience was great. Not like the usual high pressure sales crap. All maintenance is included for the first 30K miles. Great resale value too.
My MINI has a lot of character that the Japanese have lost touch with.
No rattles, no problems so far. I plan on buying another one
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rainking 10:50PM (12/18/2005)
wow, a brit magazine picking mini as manufacturer of the year (whatever the eff that means) what a shocker.
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Yaroukh 10:50PM (12/18/2005)
#5 (myself) aaargh, I'm total dumba** :o)) I don't know too many names from Ford HQ so the name "J.Mays" didn't beep at me at all
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A//www.ford.com/en/innovation/design/designers/jMays.htm&ei=5Ep7Q9y4HaDmigLy7twG&sig2=iuKh78nb6ofL8lOFzFUYeA
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ZoomZoomin' 10:50PM (12/18/2005)
The MINI Cooper S is one of the cheapest (to buy) loads of fun on 4 wheels. It's probably not the cheapest to own in the long run, but it's definitely an amazing amount of fun. Their sales are through the roof despite the quality problems and their marketing is pretty genius. If it weren't for the huge reliability problems with mine, I'd still have my MCS today. I can easily see why they chose MINI.
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Chris 10:50PM (12/18/2005)
rainking ....
you are aware that the mini manufacture is funded by bmw...im not so sure there is any kind of bias toward Mini from the mag. us brits are all to aware that the new mini is about as british as Leberkn? Suppe.
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