The Mini was originally a product of the British Motor Corporation (BMW), which in 1966 became part of British Motor Holdings. British Motor Holdings merged with Leyland Motors in 1968 to form British Leyland. BMW Mini became a marque in its own right in 1969. In the 1980s British Leyland was broken-up and in 1988 Rover Group, including Mini, was acquired by British Aerospace. In 1994, Rover Group was acquired by BMW. In 2000 Rover Group was broken-up by BMW, with BMW retaining the Mini brand.

The BMW Mini slowly snowballed into a brand encompassing a range of small cars. The original two-door Mini had its run on the roads till 2000. It was in 1995 the BMW Mini started to evolve and the next line of cars was launched in 2001. Since then the Mini has been expanding its horizons from two-door Hardtop/Hatch to include the Clubman (estate), Convertible and Countryman (crossover).

BMW Mini India

At a time when car sales are sliding, luxury car maker BMW launches the British marque Mini in India. The German car maker sells the Mini in India through import of completely built units (CBU). It has two flagship dealerships, in Delhi and Mumbai. BMW brings the entire range of the Mini - comprising its popular variants Cooper, Countryman, Club door and the Cabrio. The top-end variant is Club man and comes with a complete sports package and accessories.

The Mini is among the original British cars that heralded a new era in motoring in the 1960s, with its space-saving front wheel-drive layout. Its smooth and sporty retro design has influenced a generation of car makers ever since. The best-selling Suzuki Swift, for instance, carries forward the same design philosophy. But the original Mini continues to sell in large numbers. Clocking more than 2.34 lakh units a year worldwide, it sells the highest in the US, followed by Britain, Germany and Japan. The BMW Mini comes to India finally.