BMW GROUP'S MINI CELEBRATES ITS 40TH ANNIVERSARY

To Mark Occasion, Mini Enthusiasts Squeeze 25 People into a Mini, Breaking
Previous World Record

New York, NY, August 25, 1999 -- BMW Group Chairman Tom Purves launched the
40th anniversary celebration of the Mini automobile -- the vehicle that served
as the inspiration for the mini skirt -- by squeezing 25 people into a Mini,
thereby breaking the previous world record set in 1967 at the Montreal World's
Fair when 24 people were stuffed into a 1967 Austin Mini Super Deluxe.

"We did it!" exulted Purves. "This record-breaking feat is completely
appropriate for the Mini, which has always been a rule-breaker. Not only did
the Mini revolutionize British driving, causing jet setters to abandon their
Bentleys, but its compact, no-nonsense design continues to express a freedom
from discipline, from regimentation, and perhaps, above all, from class
barriers, that continues to resonate with drivers the world over up to this
day," he stated.

Originally conceived by innovator Alec Issigonis, the Mini was intended to be
the smallest possible car that would still accommodate four adults and luggage
-- measuring approximately 10 feet long, 4 feet high and 4 feet wide. A chassis
designer by background, Issigonis realized that he would need to use very
small,10-inch wheels and all independent suspension, which was rare in the UK
at the time. However, the truly brilliant solution was to employ a transverse
engine, driving the front wheels via a gear box and final drive built into the
sump of the engine -- a concept that had never been tried before.

True to the mini mania created by the car, the Mini 'birthday' celebration--
which took place at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan -- included models in mini
skirts serving Mini munchies and a Mini motorcade led by Mini enthusiasts.

The Mini is one of Great Britain's best-selling cars with 5.3 million produced
to date. The Mini was launched on August 26, 1959 by the British Motor
Corporation (BMC) in response to fuel rationing introduced with the Suez
crisis.

The Mini took Great Britain by storm and soon developed a passionate following.
It was the inspiration behind the naming of the famed mini skirt by Sixties
fashion designer Mary Quant.

"When the Mini automobile made its debut in Great Britain in August, 1959, the
public approached it with trepidation because of its small size and
unconventional features. However, the British press soon fell in love with the
Mini, as did the fashionable "Chelsea set," Sixties London's equivalent of
today's younger, fashion-forward crowd," explains Purves. "Movie stars such as
Peter Sellers and Peter Ustinov began buying Minis and even members of the
Royal Family were seen tooling around town in the cheeky autos. People began
to realize that the Mini was more than just a car. It was a style statement
and a whole new way of life."

In addition to Sellers and Ustinov, other celebrities who have owned Minis
include Sir Paul McCartney, Natalie Imbruglia, Ringo Starr, David Bowie and
Kate Moss.

The car's popularity continued into this decade, with the Mini being voted
"Greatest Car of All Time" by Autocar and Motor Magazine in 1991 and "Car of
the Century" by the magazine's readers in 1995.