Inside Asian Gaming

17 22 Mini Makes its Mark Again High-Roller Accessories The second generation new MINI retains the brand’s iconic design elements while improving on the details The new MINI hit the road in November 2006 after a hugely successful first five and a half years for the brand. Back in July 2001, when 50,000 Brits visited the new MINI showrooms over the launch weekend, the sceptics were still flowing with “flash-in-the-pan” retro-car rhetoric. But an unbeatable combination of grin-inducing driving dynamics, emotive de- sign, solid engineering and high-quality ma- terials, and unbeatable cost-of-ownership pro- grammes have seen MINI make a memorable mark in the first decade of the century. The second generation new MINI therefore has a tremendous foundation on which to build. It has to move forward, while remaining classically MINI.The key has been to combine a fine-tuning and re-designing of virtually every part of the car, with the retention of the iconic design cues, ownership benefits and person- alisation opportunities that owners love. Every exterior panel is new, as is the whole of the interior. The engines are new, built in the UK, and offer major reductions in fuel con- sumption and emissions. New suspension set-ups, six-speed manual and automatic transmissions, and a bespoke electric steering system hone the car’s much-loved dynamics. Packaging,comfort and practicality have been fettled to offer an improved cabin. High stan- dard specification,“big car”options, and pack- ages of equipment allow even greater op- portunities for individuals to personalise their MINIs.Finally,MINI’s sporting bias is referenced with the availability of Dynamic Stability Con- trol that can be disengaged, Sports button on the Cooper S, a Sports Suspension set-up available on both models and a new automat- ic transmission featuring paddleshifts.