Peter Schwarzenbauer and Jochen Goller

Peter Schwarzenbauer
Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG,
MINI, BMW Motorrad, Rolls-Royce, Group Aftersales

Jochen Goller
Head of MINI
MINI Press Conference

84th International Geneva Auto Show
Geneva, March 4, 2014

Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, MINI, BMW Motorrad, Rolls-Royce, Group Aftersales

If you love iconc brands – like I do, if you love iconic design – like I do, you are definitely in the right place.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to MINI.

In today’s world, there is only one constant and that is change. This is also true for MINI and it is true for you and me: our needs, desires and expectations are changing constantly.

We at MINI not only want to meet our customers’ expectations, we want to exceed them.

• We want to make MINI even stronger than it already is.
• We want to make MINI customers into MINI fans.
• We want to raise the bar, to be ahead of the game and to excite our fans, taking them with us on this journey.

As one of our MINI designers said, “MINI is like a style-conscious friend, it’s always fun to go out with.”

As you know, we just introduced the new MINI some weeks ago. Today, it is its first appearance on a show here in Europe. And it will hit the dealer-showrooms on March 15. And I’m delighted to say: the new MINI is a big hit!

The car has received great reviews in the global media, and the customer response has been fantastic. Our order intake has been exceeding our expectations. Talking about expectations: Delighted customers are extremely important – in fact, that’s the only way to measure our success.  

This underscores the 100 percent commitment of the MINI team in making our customers happy. It’s all about making people feel good.

At MINI, we are always pushing new boundaries – never standing still.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Here is an example of how our ideas might apply to one of our core models:

Please welcome the MINI Clubman Concept!

This concept opens a new chapter in the MINI success story of the 21st century. It’s a vision of how we might develop the Clubman further.

What do you notice first? Well, compared to the current model, it has grown substantially in size. It has more space and has sharper details. And for me personally: It’s damn good looking. And without a doubt, it is an absolute true MINI.

Now here to tell you about this concept in more detail: Head of MINI, Jochen Goller.

Jochen Goller, Head of MINI

Thank you, Peter.

Ladies and Gentlemen and MINI fans,

This is a typical member of the MINI family, from the tip of its engine hood to the peak of its antenna. The personality of this concept is clear: cool, cheeky and unconventional. As Peter said, it’s grown: 26 centimeters longer and almost 20 centimeters wider.

This means our customers have more space, more comfort, more functional features. These attributes make the Clubman Concept the perfect companion for any kind of activity. No matter what you want to do: from outdoor sports, to visiting friends, to doing the weekly shopping – it fits everybody’s lifestyle.

Five proper seats provide plenty of room for you and your friends. So the Clubman is suited equally to long distance trips and city rides.

Here are the famous split doors in the rear - a must-keep – and the elongated roofline: two features that make the MINI Clubman instantly recognizable. This concept is much more than just a good looker. When you take it for a drive, it’s a lot of fun! And, of course, delivers that famous go-kart feeling, which is something unique to MINI.

Let’s take a look inside the car. MINI fans could never be without their iconic round display and here it is. What’s even more special is the touch-pad in the middle console, totally new for MINI and a first of its kind.

Peter Schwarzenbauer

I’m sure you all agree, it’s a really great car and I’m sure MINI fans will love it as much as I do. And here’s the man responsible for the design: Anders Warming. I would like to thank you and your team for this great concept and the outstanding work you all have done on the new MINI.

Last year, we delivered more than 305,000 MINIs to our customers. This was a new record. With the commitment of the whole MINI team, I remain confident that we will exceed that record in 2014.

Now you are all welcome to join me and my team on the stage. Thank you!