MINI MANIA FOR MYSTERIOUS "MEN OF METAL"

Sightings of Humanoid Robots in U.K. Built With MINI Cooper Parts Spurs New
Line of Collectibles

Woodcliff Lake, NJ - May 6, 2005... It's a close encounter of another auto
kind. The mysterious eyewitness sightings of humanoid robots built from MINI
Cooper parts has created an urban auto legend -- and a new line of MINI Robot
collectibles.

The R50R MINI Robots come with a 44-page book excerpt, Men of Metal: Eyewitness
Accounts of Humanoid Robots, by freelance writer Rowland Samuel. His book
investigates the sightings of MINI Cooper humanoid robots near Oxford, England,
saving people's lives from car accidents.

Blurring the Line Between Man and Machine
Legend has it that Dr. Colin Mayhew, an auto enthusiast and robotics scientist
from Oxford, England, retooled his MINI Cooper for use by artificial
intelligence. Dr. Mayhew used the 163 hp engine and 6-speed transmission to
give his robots speed and power, and then tested the metal models by releasing
them at night. The roadside sightings of the robots were all made near Dr.
Mayhew's research facility.

The MINI robots and their drawings were first discovered on the World Wide Web
and quickly fueled debates. Questions may remain, but the joy of exploring the
MINI robot mystery is almost as fun as driving the MINI Cooper.

Each of the three collectible robot designs follows the mysterious life-saving
legend: the MINI Cooper's roof is redeployed as a protective shield on the
robot's right arm and the elbows bend for "motorist-rescue action." The
colorful, larger-than-life collectibles also feature MINI Cooper headlights and
the front hood serves as the robot's chest. The collection and development of
these unique creatures is all part of MINI's "Men of Metal" marketing campaign.

The R50R MINI Robot comes in three versions: Dark Silver with a Checkered
rooftop, Electric Blue with a Stars and Stripes rooftop, and Chili Red with a
Union Jack rooftop. Each collectible retails for $20 and can be purchased at a
MINI dealership, online at www.miniusa.com or by calling 1-866-467-6464.

Motorers can even assemble their very own R50R MINI Robot poster by downloading
a PDF from www.miniusa.com and piecing together the parts in rows, but what
happens after creating the model is anyone's guess.

BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975.
ROLLS-ROYCE Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW
Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial
service organizations for the BMW brand, the MINI brand, and the ROLLS-ROYCE
brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a
technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the
country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's
global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all
Z4 Roadster and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization
is represented in the U.S. through networks of 340 BMW passenger car centers,
327 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 148 BMW motorcycle retailers, 80 MINI
passenger car dealers, and 25 ROLLS-ROYCE Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding
Corp., the BMW Group's sales headquarters for North, Central and South America,
is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet
at:
www.bmwusa.com
www.bmwmotorradusa.com
www.miniusa.com
www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com

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Journalist note: Information about the BMW Group and its products is available
to journalists on-line at the BMW Group PressClub at the following address:
www.press.bmwgroup.com.

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