MINI TAKES THE STATES 2018 SHIFTS INTO GEAR AND DRIVES FOR MORE.

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – July 16, 2018… MINI TAKES THE STATES 2018 (MTTS), the eagerly anticipated road rally for MINI owners hosted by MINI USA, kicked off this weekend from two separate locations on opposite sides of the country. Over the next five days, thousands of MINI owners will #DriveForMore to help raise money for charity partner Feeding America.

The two rally routes, each with more than 800 participants, started in Orlando, Fla., and Portland, Ore., on Saturday, July 14, and will meet in the middle at Keystone Report in Keystone, Colo., on July 20 for a weekend celebration of everything MINI. The bi-annual trek will cover more than 5,000 miles in total, traveling across America on state and county roads, stopping in 15 cities along the way.

“Great things happen when the MINI community comes together, and this year is sure to be another unforgettable experience,” said Thomas Felbermair, Vice President MINI Americas Region. “MINI TAKES THE STATES is the ultimate opportunity for MINI owners to enjoy the famous go kart handling and performance of their MINI as they travel through America’s scenic backroads and byways.”

In 2016, MINI owners completed an epic 14-day, 4,397 mile adventure raising enough money to provide more than one million meals for families in need through Feeding America. This year’s goal is to raise enough money to provide more than 2 million meals.

A portion of each MTTS participant’s registration fee is donated to Feeding America^®, and MINI will collect food donations onsite each morning. Every participant can also start an individual or team fundraising page. Once donation pages are set up, participants will automatically qualify for an exclusive badge decal they can proudly display on their MINI. As they continue to reach donation milestones, they’ll collect additional badges.

MINI owners looking to join up with the rally can still register at MINITAKESTHESTATES.com or on-site the day of the event in each city.

Videos and photos from the kickoff event are available for download on MINIUSANEWS.com or and broadcast quality b-roll is available on PR Newswire. Daily updates from the road are also available on the MTTS 2018 Blog on MINIUSANEWS.com. Media interested in updates on MINI USA can also follow us on Twitter at @MINIUSANEWS.

About MINI in the US
MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States, MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC, located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey and includes the marketing and sales organizations for the MINI brand. The MINI USA sales organization is represented in the U.S. through a network of 125 MINI passenger car dealers in 39 states. MINI USA began selling vehicles in the U.S. in 2002 with the introduction of the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S Hardtops.

About Feeding America

Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, we provide meals to more than 46 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
*$1 helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America^® on behalf of local member food banks.

Journalist notes: Media information about MINI and its products is available to journalists on-line at www.miniusanews.com.  Follow us on Twitter at @MINIUSANEWS

Consumer information about MINI products is available via the internet at: www.MINIUSA.com.