MINI’S 10TH BIRTHDAY IS OUT OF THIS WORLD

Over a third of a million Brits have bought one, they’ve clocked up an estimated 15 billion miles on UK roads and have driven enough miles to go around the world 600,000 times or take 33,000 return journeys to the moon and back*…

In the summer of 2001 the very first BMW built MINI rolled off of the production line in Oxford, 10 years later MINI is celebrating a decade of motoring by taking its owners on a virtual trip into space.

MINI is inviting its owners and enthusiasts to log the details of their car into a virtual space world called ‘MINI Lunatics’ ( www.mini.co.uk/lunatics). Using the car’s mileage, their MINI will be blasted into the depths of virtual space before being docked in the MINI space station.

Exclusive prizes are available for lucky owners who randomly dock in a part of the MINI space station where a prize is hidden. A trip for four to Cape Canaveral is also up for grabs for any ‘MINI Lunatics’ who find seven hidden words which have been carefully placed around the site. Users can enter the prize draw by clicking on the moon.

Extra special prizes are also up for grabs for drivers who have driven the equivalent distance to the moon. Drivers with 252,000 miles or more can register their MINI’s details to be in with a chance of winning special limited edition MINI memorabilia.

Notes to editors

*Figures based on approximately 300,000 MINIs sold in the UK since its launch and an estimated mileage of 10,000 miles driven per year.

www.mini.co.uk/lunatics

www.facebook.com/miniuk

Ends

The BMW Group

The BMW Group is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 25 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

During the financial year 2010, the BMW Group sold 1.46 million cars and more than 110,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for 2010 was euro 4.8 billion on revenues amounting to euro 60.5 billion. At 31 December 2010, the BMW Group had a workforce of approximately 95,500 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy. As a result of its efforts, the BMW Group has been ranked industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability

MINI Press Office Contacts:

Jemma Chalcroft            MINI Media Relations Executive

Tel: 01344 480739         Email: Jemma.Chalcroft@mini.co.uk

Sarah Heaney                  MINI Media Relations Manager
Tel:  01344 480110        Email: Sarah.Heaney@mini.co.uk

Wieland Bruch                 Corporate Communications Manager

Tel: 01344 480113         Email: Wieland.Bruch@bmw.co.uk

Graham Biggs                  Corporate Communications Director

Tel:  01344 480109        Email:   Graham.Biggs@bmw.co.uk

Media website:                     www.press.bmwgroup.co.uk
Customer website:               www.mini.co.uk