MINI USA Launches Italian Job Internet Site

Site Features Latest Technology and a Chance To Win a Trip to Venice

Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, May 22, 2003...With excitement mounting for the
upcoming May 30th release of the new Italian Job movie, MINI USA has launched a
special Italian Job microsite on www.miniitalianjob.com.

The site will give MINI fans and film buffs the chance to explore the Italian
Job movie in detail and learn more about the cars that starred in it as they
race through (and below!) the streets of LA. Users also get the chance to apply
to win a trip for 2 to Venice, the location of the movie's opening scenes.

Pause and manipulate video footage
The website is fun to use and is very interactive. Technologically advanced, it
uses the new Flash MX to seamlessly integrate video footage online. This means
that users can view the Italian Job movie trailer easily and, even more
impressively, they can manipulate footage of a climatic MINI chase scene,
pausing the cars in mid-air to learn about special modifications made during
shooting and details on the product attributes that make MINI the ideal getaway
car.

Zoom navigation help users discover contest clues
The microsite's intriguing design interface encourages visitors to explore an
interactive map of Los Angeles, using an innovative "zoom" navigation that lets
them drill down from a bird's eye view to a "man on the street" vantage point.
Visual cues -- from a passing blimp to zooming cars -- aid you in discovering
the key content areas.

In addition to innovative visuals, the site uses sound to create a complete
user experience, from the rumble of the LA subway, to the lapping waves of a
Venice gondola. More than simply providing ambiance, audio cues further assist
visitors in discovering the site's hidden tidbits -- including a host of facts
about MINI, the movie, and motoring -- all of which are critical to submitting
a successful entry to MINI's "Win a Trip to Venice" contest.

MINI fans will enjoy learning more about their favorite car's role in the film
through the many hidden content areas and by watching a 'behind the scenes'
video. Movie fans will also get to see rare tidbits about the making of the
film.

MINI, the 2003 North American Car of the Year, joins a stellar cast that
includes Mark Wahlberg, Edward Norton, Charlize Theron, Jason Statham, Seth
Green, Mos Def and Donald Sutherland in Paramount Pictures' film, The Italian
Job, opening nationwide May 30th. A contemporary adaptation of the 1969
classic, which starred Michael Caine, Noel Coward and Benny Hill, this updated
version of The Italian Job, directed by F. Gary Gray, pays homage to the
original film and adds a modernized twist.

In The Italian Job, mastermind thief Charlie Croker (Mark Wahlberg) pulls off
an amazing gold bullion heist from a heavily guarded palazzo in Venice, Italy,
only to be double-crossed by one of his crew. Seeking revenge, Charlie recruits
Stella (Charlize Theron), a beautiful nerves-of-steel safecracker, and along
with his former gang, follows the backstabber to California where they plan to
re-steal the gold by manipulating traffic signals and creating havoc on the
streets of Los Angeles.

Inspired by the use of the previous generation Mini Cooper, the new movie
showcases MINI throughout the film, proving the vehicle's agility as it
maneuvers through traffic, careens down stairs, weaves through subway tunnels
and races down sidewalks as only MINI can.

BMW Group In America
BMW of North America has been present in the United States since 1975. Since
then, the BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales
and financial service organizations for the BMW and MINI brands and Rolls-Royce
Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a
technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the
country. BMW Manufacturing Corp. 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 car, 327 BMW Sports
Activity Vehicle, 148 BMW Motorcycle retailers, and 70 MINI 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 http://www.bmwusa.com http://www.bmwmotorcycles.com and
http://www.miniusa.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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