MINI COOPER Most Appealing Compact Car Five Years Straight
The 2006 J.D. Power and Associates (APEAL) Study Ranks MINI Cooper Highest in Segment




For an impressive fifth year in a row, the MINI Cooper ranked highest in the Compact Car Segment in J.D. Power and Associates latest Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study. This is one of only two cars in the history of the APEAL study to achieve this status. The study measures owners' delight with the design, content, layout and performance of their new vehicles.

MINI continues to successfully attract buyers with a fun, unique design that celebrates the cars' compact dimensions, and is instantly recognizable as a MINI. The wheels at the four corners, along with a responsive chassis, give MINI its go-kart-like performance - another appeal that has drawn customers to MINI. And customers also enjoy the freedom to individualize the content of their MINI with every option offered a-la-carte. Fans of top-down motoring can enjoy this same appeal with the MINI Cooper and Cooper S Convertibles.

"To receive this award for the fifth year in a row - every year since MINI arrived in the U.S. - is extremely gratifying," said Jim McDowell, vice president of MINI USA. "It is a true testament of how much delight owners experience with their MINIs and it underscores the performance, fun and value our cars provide to them."

The APEAL Study, now in its 11th year, is based on responses from more than 63,000 new-vehicle owners during the first 90 days of ownership. The study which has been enhanced for 2006 includes ten specific categories of vehicle performance and design that identify what consumers like and dislike about their new vehicles. The areas are: Vehicle exterior, driving dynamics, Vehicle interior, Engine/transmission, Visibility and driving safety, HVAC, Storage and space, Audio/entertainment/navigation, Seats and Fuel economy.



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 which 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 models and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 339 BMW passenger car centers, 334 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 143 BMW motorcycle retailers, 80 MINI passenger car dealers, and 30 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.










Related Links: www.bmwgroupna.com / www.bmwusa.com / www.bmwmotorradusa.com /
www.miniusa.com / www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com