MINI sets a world record approved by Guinness World Records™ for the longest wish list ever delivered to Santa Claus.

Note: This press release is a 1:1 copy of the original issued by MINI headquarters in Germany. No adaptations have been made to cater for the UK market.

In its usual unconventional style, MINI has completed its Christmas mission. The MINI Goes to Santa Claus project has made it possible for MINI to set a Guinness World Records record, collecting 75.954, the biggest number of wishes ever delivered to Santa Claus. The delivery directly to the hands of Santa Claus of the longest wish list in the world (3798,5 metres) took place today at the Santa Claus Post Office in Rovaniemi. The wish list was put together by joining the wishes end-to-end and using a special paper that has a minimal impact on the environment.

The MINI Goes to Santa Claus project

A fleet of eight MINIs traveled from one end of Europe to the other, heading for the Arctic Circle in order to deliver to Santa Claus the Christmas wishes written by children and adults the world over. To set a Guinness World Records record, MINI got a total of 16 countries involved in the collection of the wishes: Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Portugal, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Russia, United States of America and Singapore.

The MINI Family’s journey to Rovaniemi

Saturday, 24 November, the MINI Family departed from the headquarters of the BMW Group in Munich with Rovaniemi as its destination. Along the way, covering more than 3,500 km, the MINI Family passed through some of Europe’s most beautiful cities, such as Copenhagen and Stockholm, where the collection of the wishes continued.

The new MINI Paceman

The new MINI Paceman, the seventh model in the MINI family, welcomed the MINI Goes to Santa Claus caravan upon its arrival in Rovaniemi. With its unique personality, the MINI Paceman offers an innovative combination of sporty and extroverted design. It is the first Sports Activity Coupé in the premium compact segment and is available with the MINI ALL4 four-wheel drive system.

An outstanding guest: Rauno Aaltonen

In Rovaniemi the MINI Family was welcomed by a very special guest: Rauno Aaltonen. The Finnish driver showed off his exceptional talent at the wheel of a new MINI Paceman, bringing to life for the international press the MINI Ice Driving Experience. Rauno Aaltonen won the European Rally Championship in 1965 and, thanks to his incomparable driving style and the intelligent choice of tyres, he was victorious in the historic 1967 Monte Carlo Rally behind the wheel of a classic Mini. Rauno Aaltonen has also been nicknamed "the Flying Finn" and "the Rally Professor", and he has to his name an incredible number of prizes, awards, and accolades.

In collaboration with Rovaniemi

To realize the MINI Goes to Santa Claus event, MINI could count on the collaboration of the city of Rovaniemi, "the Official Hometown of Santa Claus" and "the Heart of Lapland". Rovaniemi is located on the 66

parallel inside the Arctic Circle, about 800 km from Helsinki and 2,600 km from the North Pole. The city is situated between the Ounasvaara and Kokalovaara hills, at the confluence of the river Kemijoki and its tributary, the Ounasjoki. The name "Rovaniemi" has often been thought to be of Lapp origin, since in the Sami language "roavvi" means a wooded hill; whereas in the Finnish language "rova" means a "pile of stones" or "rock". The capital of Lapland is a magic city. As a matter of fact, although Christmas comes but once a year, in Rovaniemi it is possible to run into Santa Claus every day of the year.

For further information please contact

Maria Conti

MINI Comunicazione e P.R.

Telefono: 02.51610.710 Fax: 02.51610.416

E-mail: Maria.Conti@bmw.it

Media website: www.press.bmwgroup.com (press releases and photos) and http://bmw.lulop.com (films)