Press release

START PLANNING FOR NEXT SUMMER AS MINI HEADS EAST!
MINI TAKES THE STATES 2014 Will Kick Off on July 26, 2014

Woodcliff Lake, NJ,  September 15, 2013. Mark your calendar, put in your vacation request and get ready to unleash your MINI! The popular MINI Takes the States (MTTS) rally will kick off on Saturday, July 26, 2014, in San Francisco and will make a “NOT NORMAL” journey to Boston by weaving through 18 states and 15 cities over 14 days. The cross-country rally for MINI owners and enthusiasts will conclude in Boston on Sunday, August 10.

“MTTS is a unique motoring experience and a celebration of the MINI community that everyone, including myself, eagerly anticipates,” said Jim McDowell, Vice President MINI USA. “The most enjoyable part of MTTS is the opportunity to personally engage with our owner community and their families out on the open road and in cities across the U.S.”

MTTS will make the now legendary cross-country trip for the fifth time in 2014, with thousands of MINI owners and enthusiasts expected to join the rally, or a leg of it, as the caravan of MINIs motor from west to east. The not normal route leaves San Francisco, dips through the South, and maneuvers up through the Midwest before turning toward the Northeast for its final destination in Boston.

Along the way, MINI USA will provide its loyal owners and enthusiasts with genuine, once-in-a-lifetime motoring experiences including daily activities.  During the event, media will have the opportunity for:
  • Sneak peeks and early test drives of all-new MINI vehicles and technologies
  • Interviews with MINI executives and owners for unique feature stories
  • Autocross experiences demonstrating MINI’s performance and handling
  • Immersion in the festive, cheeky MINI culture and the lifestyle the brand offers
MTTS 2014 details including a route map showing stops and dates can be found at MINITAKESTHESTATES.com. Owners and enthusiasts can sign up to receive updates from MINI USA on MTTS 2014. Media with questions about the event or interested in participating should contact the MINI USA Communications Team directly through the contacts below.

Unique rallying experiences are nothing new to MINI owners and members of the MINI USA Team.  Earlier this year, 848.5 MINIs crossed the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan, one of the world’s longest suspension bridges, in an event called MINI on the Mack. Although they did not break the Guinness Book record for longest parade of MINIs, the group of enthusiastic motorers set a new Guinness record for the largest ensemble of car horns. Some MINI owners motored from as far away as California, Nevada, Texas, Florida, the Carolinas, and Montana to participate in the event.
 
About MINI in the US
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, located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey and includes the marketing and sales organizations for the MINI brand. The MINI USA sales organization is represented in the U.S. through a network of 119 MINI passenger car dealers in 38 states. MINI USA began selling vehicles in the U.S. in 2002 with the introduction of the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S Hardtops. Since then, the MINI Brand in the U.S. has grown to encompass a model range of seven unique vehicles.

Journalist notes: Media information about MINI and its products is available to journalists on-line at www.miniusanews.com.

Consumer information about MINI products is available via the internet at: www.MINIUSA.com.