In a 1999 poll of auto engineers, the Mini was voted the second most influential car design of the 20th century, after the Model T. Introduced by the British Motor Corporation in 1959, the company would sell more than five million units over four decades. What was the appeal? Smaller, more fuel efficient cars have always been extremely popular with European drivers. The only obvious problem is that they're small. The Mini was the first subcompact car design to confront and conquer the space issue. The last of the original Minis were sold in 1999. But two years later legendary car maker BMW contacted the now defunct British Motor Corporation with an interesting proposition. They wanted to design their own version of the classic car. The company agreed. Three years later Mini BMW cars hit the market. As a world famous luxury carmaker, the number one problem auto designers faced was remaining true to the spirit and intention of the original Mini. After all, the Mini was produced as an economical model, and BMW did not have much experience with low-price vehicles. Somehow, they were able to make it work. The first BMW Minis were offered at an affordable starting price of 15 thousand pounds, well below their average model. Since it was launched in 2001, the BMW Mini has reported strong sales in both the European and North American Markets. It is also important to note that the second generation of BMW Minis are quite a bit pricier (about three thousand pounds more) than the first.
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