MINI gets personal

MINI drivers love to personalise their cars and now owners and prospective
buyers can make them stand out even more. March 1 will see even more options
and accessories available to order, including two new colours, nine different
alloy wheels, Park Distance Control, satellite navigation, Xenon headlights,
aerodynamic body kit and chequered flag or Union Jack roof decals.

Accessories
MINI's aerodynamic kit and roof decals offer 21st Century styling with a
definite nod to the car's great heritage. The body kit pumps up MINI's sporting
looks and costs £900 (£910 on MINIs with Park Distance Control). Available on
MINI One and MINI Cooper it consists of front and rear aprons, sill skirts and
a custom grille with a roof spoiler as a £155 additional option to complete the
look. In addition to the body kit, real enthusiasts can add tail lamps (£195)
and side indicators (£21) that sport a white finish. Front spot lights can also
be added at a cost of £145.

MINI owners wishing to celebrate the car's British home or past motor sport
successes can quite literally fly the flag. Waterproof and abrasion-resistant
Union Jack flag (£95) or chequered flag (£110) roof decals can be added as an
accessory, topped off with white or black bonnet stripes (£21). All accessory
prices exclude the cost of fitting.

Options
Two new colours, Pepper White and Velvet Red metallic, are added to the range
offering customers a total of ten different shades on MINI One or MINI Cooper.
Pepper White is a solid colour and comes as a no-cost option whilst Velvet Red
metallic costs £250.

A total of nine different wheels are now available. MINI One owners can upgrade
the standard 15" steel wheels to alloy wheels from a choice of styles varying
in price from 15" 7-Hole light alloy wheels at £270 per set to 17" cross-spoke
light alloy wheels at £2,000 per set. MINI Cooper owners can choose to replace
the standard 15" 7-Hole light alloy wheels with 8-Spoke alloys at no extra cost
and also have the option of painting the alloys white in conjunction with white
roof and wing mirror caps to complete the Cooper look.

MINI drivers can now see and be seen even sooner with Xenon headlights that
provide more than twice the power of conventional halogen lamps. Xenon
technology offers improved visibility to the side and front and the lights are
self-levelling in line with current legislation. Xenon headlights include the
high-pressure headlight washer system and cost just £350 for the package.

Rear Park Distance Control and satellite navigation system are also available
to order. Park Distance Control allows MINI owners to manoeuvre in and out of
parking spaces quickly and safely. Two ultrasound sensors are set into the rear
bumper and advise the driver of obstacles within close proximity by sounding a
repetitive short tone, which becomes more frequent as the car approaches the
obstacle, reaching a constant tone at 20cm. Park Distance Control costs £200.

The satellite navigation system has a colour LCD screen set centrally where the
speedo is mounted and helps to direct the driver to their chosen destination
through aural and visual instructions. The system includes radio BOOST and the
MINI trip computer and will cost less than £1,500.

Stop press.....MINI tlc wins major industry award
MINI's ground-breaking tlc Service pack was recognised as a major step in the
battle to keep the cost of motoring down last night (February 13) when
Automotive Management awarded MINI UK with its Gold Award for Innovation at its
annual awards ceremony. The £100 pack offers 5 years/50,000 miles fixed cost
servicing that covers all normal parts and labour and remains with the car when
it is sold on, potentially benefiting residual values. This is the second top
prize awarded to MINI from the respected trade journal, which also recently
announced MINI as its 2001 car of the year.

Ends