Snowboaring Paceman is a tradition for MINI

When the mountains call, MINI follows. As a global partner of Burton and official presenting partner of the Burton Global Event Series (BEGS), the carmaker will once again deliver plenty of course-side creativity and driving fun in 2014. Next stop in the snowboarding competition calendar is the Burton European Open (BEO), to be held from 13 to 19 January 2014 in the Swiss resort of Laax. More than 300 riders from around the world are expected to attend, including Swiss pro Christian (“Hitsch”) Haller and top women’s snowboarder Enni Rukajärvi of Finland. Amid the superpipe and the slopestyle course, a MINI Paceman will be showcased in a stunning creative rendering by Urban Art Illustrator Andreas Preis.

Wild thing. The MINI Paceman SNOW BEAST.

MINI ascends to dizzy heights once again to present another member of the MINI family in an original creative guise on Crap Sogn Gion in Laax. Last year it was the PirateArtCrew snowboard artists who unveiled an art installation featuring the MINI Countryman; this year Urban Art Illustrator Andreas Preis takes up the challenge to work his magic on a MINI Paceman. Preis is known for his striking designs as displayed, for example, on skateboards and snowboards. Using his expressive illustrative skills, the artist will take the MINI Paceman and turn it into a wild MINI Paceman SNOW BEAST in time for the start of the competitive event. It will have its first public airing against the backdrop of the Burton European Open snowboard competitions and in front of the C_ART container that will be periodically accessible to the public. With his perfectly executed, highly detailed and innovative illustrations, Preis – who shares his working time between Berlin and Barcelona – is the ideal match for MINI. A passionate snowboarder himself, he began his MINI Paceman SNOW BEAST project by selecting five heraldic animals that symbolise mountains and snow: the ibex represents ambition, the eagle vision, the lynx gracefulness, the wolf teamwork and the owl wisdom.

As well as lending his creative touch to the MINI Paceman SNOW BEAST, the artist will appear live on stage in the C_ART container designing Burton Custom Snowboards.

The MINI Feature Award. MINI pays tribute to the secret heroes of the mountains.

As well as being trained on the halfpipe category, all eyes at the Burton European Open and Burton US Open will also turn to the creative tricks executed on the slopestyle course. Here, the snowboarding elite wouldn’t even get off the ground were it not for the expertise of the shape teams responsible for constructing the obstacles on the pistes. The MINI Feature Award aims to bring the backstage heroes into the spotlight. Their task is to design the most innovative feature for the slopestyle contest – while creatively integrating a MINI at a lofty height. The team from Vail, Colorado (Burton US Open) headed by Elliot Cone will pit its skills against the team from Laax (Burton European Open) led by shape master Roger Heid in an exciting battle of creativity. Both teams will receive US$ 5,000 each to support their task. The panel of judges, comprising professional snowboarders, representatives from Burton, judges and media representatives, will announce the winning team at the end of the Burton US Open.

The Burton Global Event Series 2013/2014 presented by MINI.

One year, five events, four countries: the Burton Global Event Series began at the end of this year with the Burton High Fives in Wanaka, New Zealand and the Burton Rail Days in Tokyo, Japan. The Burton European Open in Laax will be followed by the Burton US Open. Qualifying for the latter will take place in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania from 31.1 – 2.2.2014 and the championship itself will be held in Vail, Colorado from 3.3 – 8.3.2014.

MINI is involved in action sports around the world through cooperation and sponsoring activities. As a partner of trend-conscious sports, MINI supports young and creative sports people and, in so doing, promotes the development of their sport. MINI has been the official presenting partner for the Burton Global Event Series since 2011.

USA, BMW group has level October.

• BMW sales up 4.2 percent
• MINI sales down 3.2  percent
• BMW Motorcycle sales up 23.4 percent

The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported October sales of 33,274 vehicles, an increase of 2.9 percent from the 32,339 vehicles sold in the same month a year ago. Year-to-date, the BMW Group (BMW and MINI combined) is up 10.6 percent on sales of 295,474 in the first ten months of 2013 compared to 267,267 in the same period in 2012.  

“The momentum of October is a good indicator of what’s ahead in the final 60 days of the year, especially with sales of the new X5 and the 4 Series beginning to have an impact,” said Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO, BMW of North America.   “All of the leading indicators – sales, order rates, showroom traffic, finance applications – are up, very good signs.”

BMW Brand Sales

Sales of BMW vehicles increased 4.2 percent in October for a total of 27,574 compared to 26,451 vehicles sold in October, 2012. Year-to-date, the BMW brand is up 12.8 percent on sales of 240,139 compared to 212,848 sold in the first ten months of 2012.

In October, best performing vehicles included the BMW X1 with an impressive increase of 60.4 percent compared to October 2012.  The BMW 3 and newly launched 4 Series, both leaders in their segments, also ended the month with an increase of 20.4 percent compared to October 2012.  The BMW 5 and 6 Series increased sales 18.7 percent and 19.6 percent, respectively, over sales in October 2012.

BMW Pre-Owned Vehicles
In October, sales of BMW used vehicles (including certified pre-owned and pre-owned) increased 23.4 percent to 15,502 vehicles compared to the 12,563 vehicles sold in October, 2012. January through October, BMW used vehicle sales are up 9.2 percent on volume of 147,638 compared to 135,139 in the same period of 2012.

MINI Brand Sales

In October, MINI USA reported sales of 5,700 automobiles, a decrease of 3.2 percent from the 5,888 sold in the same month a year ago. Year-to-date, MINI sales in the U.S. are up 1.7 percent on volume of 55,335 compared to 54,419 in the first ten months of 2012.

MINI Pre-Owned Vehicles
In October, MINI used automobiles (including MINI NEXT certified pre-owned and pre-owned) continued its year of record breaking, smashing last year’s October sales with an increase of 30.4 percent to 1,962 vehicles from 1,505 sold in October, 2012. January through October, MINI used vehicle sales are up 19.1 percent on volume of 18,143 compared to 15,233 in the same period of 2012.

BMW Motorrad Sales

The BMW Motorrad USA dealer network sold 1,067 motorcycles in October, an increase of 23.4 percent from the total of 865 motorcycles sold in October 2012.

Maxi scooter sales rose by 73 percent in October with 57 units compared to 33 last year.

With 219 deliveries compared to 136 in October 2012, sales of F-Series middleweight machines increased by 61 percent while the G-Series maintained last year’s volume with 56 units.

The arrival of 2014 model R 1200 GSW inventory drove R-Series growth of 52 percent with the water-cooled boxer the best selling BMW motorcycle in October with 314 units.

Similarly, new colors helped drive growth of 4 percent in superbike sales with a combined total of 142 HP4 and S 1000 RR models delivered to customers in October.

Table 2: Motorcycle Sales BMW of North America, LLC, October 2013

Paceman and Countryman comes with new Black finish

• Striking body colour available in limited edition for the MINI Countryman and the MINI Paceman - elaborate surface treatment highlights the powerful proportions of the two models.

MINI is extending its program of exterior paint finishes for current models to include an exclusive new variant. Frozen Black metallic paint is now available as a limited edition colour for the top of the range MINI Countryman and MINI Paceman models. This innovative paint which has a textured, shimmering matt finish, gives the car a striking and expressive appearance. The new colour and finish is available for the MINI Cooper S Countryman, MINI Cooper SD Countryman, MINI Cooper S Paceman, MINI Cooper SD Paceman, MINI John Cooper Works Countryman and MINI John Cooper Works Paceman.

The Frozen Black metallic paint finish is created using a complex manufacturing process exclusive to the BMW Group. This special painting procedure, which involves not just innovative technology but also a high level of manual craftsmanship, is now being applied for the first time by Austrian production partner Magna Steyr in Graz where the MINI Paceman and MINI Countryman are produced. The special surface treatment encompasses the base layer for grip and corrosion protection, the colour layer as well as the clear lacquer finish which has added silicates to create the matted impression as well as the velvet effect which can be seen and felt.

Attached exterior parts such as the model-specific front and rear aprons and the exterior mirror caps are finished separately in the paint finish Frozen Black metallic. Due to the labour intensive process used to apply this exclusive body colour during production it is limited to a restricted number of cars.

Frozen Black metallic is of the same high quality as the other paint finishes available for MINI in terms of abrasion resistance and colour fidelity. The finish is completely weather resistant and car wash resistant, however hand washing does require special care as spot cleaning of the surface using wax or polish can leave an unwanted gloss effect. For this reason the BMW Group offers care products developed specially for treating the Frozen Black metallic paint finish.