TWhen production of the classic Mini ceased in 2000,
BMW (the new owner of the brand) announced the successor
to the Mini – which is variously called the
"BMW MINI" or the "New MINI".
The brand name for the new car is MINI (written
in capital letters)[34].
Some
Mini enthusiasts reject the claim that the MINI
as the natural successor of the original car -
others simply dislike it - yet others were amongst
the first to buy the new MINI when it was launched.
There are many reasons offered for the negative
point of view. One notion is that the classic
Mini could have continued in viable production
for many more years had it not been 'killed off'
to make way for the MINI. The new MINI is larger
than the classic Mini. It is around 55 cm longer,
30 cm wider, weighing 1050 kg rather than 650
kg. That, together with the departure from the
spartan minimalism of the original, has proven
objectionable to some enthusiasts. Others resent
the manner in which BMW took the Mini brand name
from the Rover group.
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