MINI takes to the stage at Milan Design Week.

Milan. In keeping with the brand’s “Creative Use of Space” philosophy,MINI is making a contribution to this year’s Milan Design Week from 13 – 19 April. Taking centre stage is the new MINI Countryman, which celebrated its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March and will go on sale in September 2010. The car forms the centrepiece of installations at Milan’s state university and the Triennale Design Museum.

MINI@Interni Think Tank: MINI Countryman Design Studio (13 – 19 April).

MINI is the headline act in the Interni Think Tank – organised by Interni, the renowned Italian design magazine edited by Gilda Bojardi. The Fuori Salone 2010 show event will be staged in the courtyard of Milan’s state university. An installation dreamt up by Head of MINI Design Gert Hildebrand and his team centres on the new MINI Countryman and focuses on the number 4, which holds considerable importance for the car; this is the first MINI model to measure more than four metres in length and come with four doors and four-wheel drive. The installation is based on a rectangular container, whose longer sides form the word MINI in three-dimensional letters. The external profile of the letters is highlighted by neon colours. The inner side of the installation features prints illustrating the innovative design process behind the MINI Countryman. Inside the Think Tank the car itself is on display, its lines accented by a special lighting system. Access points at the front and rear of the container allow visitors to explore details of the new MINI.

Opening times during Design Week: 13 - 18 April / 9.00 - 24.00 hrs

Opening times after Design Week: 19 – 25 April / 10.00 – 20.00 hrs

Venue: the courtyard of the Università degli Studi di Milano – Via Festa del Perdono 7

Entry is free.

MINI@Triennale di Milano: MINI Countryman Set (13 April – 26 May).

The MINI & Triennale Creative Set is a special space devoted to creativity in the Triennale Design Museum, which MINI has been a partner of since it was founded. The MINI Countryman will be on show here as part of Design Week.

The installation at the exit of the Triennale Museum allows the public to take themselves on a journey through the creation of the new model – from the basic elements to the finished car. Visitors walk along a tunnel, which is flanked on the right by a wall showing photos of characteristic features of the MINI Countryman and on the left by a reflection of the same details as graphics. The tunnel emerges into a large room, on the ceiling of which are four oversized banners with motifs made up of a mosaic of hundreds of images. The front of each individual picture shows four photos of the MINI Countryman, while on the reverse you see the corresponding development stages, complete with sketches of the interior and illustrations of the car. Behind the banners is the car itself. The installation is rounded off by a selection of other elements, such as the original MINI design formula on the walls of the room.

Opening times (press only): 13 April / 11.00 – 17.00 hrs

Opening times (public): 14 April / 10.30 – 24.00 hrs, 15 – 19 April / 10.30 – 22.00 hrs

Triennale di Milano – Viale Alemagna 6

Entry is free.

MINI Countryman.

This year sees the arrival of the long-awaited fourth model variant in the MINI range. The MINI Countryman crossover bridges the gap between the classic MINI concept and a contemporary Sports Activity Vehicle. It is larger and taller the MINI Hatch and available as an option with all-wheel drive. The Countryman is the brand’s first model to come with four doors, a wide-opening tailgate and the unique MINI Centre Rail, a multifunctional guide rail running through the interior.