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When did BMW buy MINI?
I’ve owned a Mini Cooper for a couple of years, but I only just noticed after a recent oil change that it takes BMW oil. I would never have guessed BMW owned Mini! When was it purchased?
Kathryn Mae Kurlychek · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
The Bayerishe Moteren Werke AG (or simply
BMW
) purchased MINI in 1996. The acquisition came just 27 years after the automotive marque was founded—before that, MINIs only existed as models underneath the British Leyland manufacturer. A quick history lesson: In 1959, the Austin Mini and Morris Mini swept the market as the first MINI models, then produced by a small British company known as “British Motor Corporation” (BMC). When BMC was bought out by British Motor Holdings in 1966—which became British Leyland just two years later—the MINI marque was born.
But by the late 1980s, MINI would see another change of hands—this time to the company British Aerospace. It was around this time that certain specialized, performance-focused versions of the MINI earned the surname “Cooper” (a nod to the famous motorcycle road-racer John Cooper). When BMW purchased the Rover Group in the mid-1990s—of which MINI was technically a part—the marque once more transferred into new ownership.
Thankfully, BMW has kept
MINI
squarely under its production ever since, and is even responsible for the iconic MINI designs we know and love today. Despite its German-based ownership, MINI vehicles continue to be manufactured in various countries—including Great Britain. View full answer
- Gregory R.
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