A Look At The History Of The MINI - The Best Compact Car For Small Businesses

Business motoring magazine Business Car Manager last week announced the 5 door MINI Cooper D hatch as the winner of the Best Compact SME Company Car as part of their SME Company Car of the Year Awards.

This got us thinking at head office about the UK’s (and possibly the world’s) love affair with the MINI, so we thought we’d take a look back at this iconic vehicle and exactly why it’s been chosen as the best compact car for small business owners.

A whole lot of history

The MINI started life in 1959 when it was launched as the Morris Mini Minor, and was renamed the Austin Mini in 1961 – eventually becoming just ‘MINI’ 1969.

Its amazing compact dimensions broke the mould when compared to other cars of the time, and the car’s ability to carry a family of four in (relative!) comfort whilst keeping fuel costs low meant that it became the best-selling British car in history, selling 5.3 million units until production stopped in 2000.

A thoroughly modern MINI

Here in the office, we remember well the launch of the MINI as we now know it back in 2001.

We think that being able to personalise the car so much has been key to its success, and we found out that last year there were over 27,000 new MINI Coopers registered in the UK. Bonnet stripes, coloured mirror caps, stripy rooves; you name it and you can get it on a MINI.

Convertible options and an estate by the name of the Clubman soon followed, and in 2010 they launched the Clubman in response to the rise in popularity of SUV crossovers.

A compact car for businesses

So why is the MINI the Best Compact SME Car? A combination of things makes this car deserve the title.

The five doors on the new model make it just that bit more practical if you’re picking up clients or dropping off supplies, but the car still looks as attractive as it’s three door sister.

The car’s also great fun to drive, and we’ve often commented on its ‘go-kart like’ handling when we’ve been delivering the cars to our short term lease customers.

We’re impressed with the fuel economy of the 1.5 diesel too, plus the low CO2 emissions mean it qualifies for the 100% write-down allowance in the first year which can help accelerate small business cash flow.

We think that the best thing about the MINI is that not only does it work for business miles during the week, but it also looks great and is really practical for weekend life, too.

So well done MINI – another triumph of design!