Mini: "The 500 is a darling little car... but we're a premium brand"

Mini showed major Paceman concept at this year's Detroit Auto Show and announced not long after that to spawn a production model. Tom Salkowski, who recently moved to USA from BMW Mini USA to fill the role of marketing manager is the man with getting the word around about eight models and the Mini's, which also charged. Here's what he had to say.

    * The small car segment has broken out in the last few years and "Mini has flourished," though it "in the face much more competition." But when asked what kind of head-to-head competitors of the brand it has faces, said Salkowski "perhaps Volkswagen, Mazda, Scion in the small car segment," with the caveat that there is "Mini much a question of attitude is it "confirmed Director of Product Management Oliver Friedmann with the assessment:" different than other vehicles, "so" for the moment we do not see everything. We see no one-on-one competition, perhaps the Evoque could "for the Countryman.

    * Salkowski offered his thoughts about the Fiat 500: "The 500 is a cute little car, but Mini is a premium brand."

    * On the debate over the roots and the heritage of other emotional brands like BMW and Lotus, when asked how big the brand Mini and Mini could get cars and still as Minis, said Friedman, "This is what we find in moment to try. We have just jumped on the four-meter line with the peasant, but reaction in the three months that the crossover is on sale in Europe was "very positive."

    * Nevertheless, it is not about creating an assumption of a mini of any size. Friedman said: "The competition for the Countryman are much larger, we will always remain the smallest in the segment.." But the number one rejection of the Mini because of the size and space, the company had to do something.

    * Mini's for its irreverent advertising known, and it sounds sound like not much will change under Salkowski, with a "bigger on TV spend. - You have only one chance to start a car" is also a huge billboard in Times Square, and a take-off run on original U.S. Mini's, when a roving Ford Excursion to driving a Mini on the roof. This time it will be a roving Countryman with a vintage Mini, Alec Issigonis original, 'be on the roof.