The new 2025 MINI Countryman John Cooper Works also ensures that the high performance of the MINI brand remains intact. (Photo: Rory Daley)
Friday 7th June was a night of launches at the Lady Musgrave Road showroom on the ATL Autobahn as local dealers of the BMW and MINI brands unveiled a host of vehicles from both brands.
“This is a big event for us because we haven’t done lime for a long time and this is a staple for us as a way for customers to be exposed to our products without the feeling of an actual sale,” Sloane Jackson, business head for ATL Autobahn, told the Jamaica Observer weekly newspaper.
Automobile magazines.
The evening started with MINI products. MINI sales manager Melissa Bailey hinted at 2024 being a big year for MINI back in November at the ATL Revolution 2023 auto show. New to the showrooms are the MINI Cooper and its sports utility vehicle, the Countryman.
“The Countryman is literally the flagship model for MINI. It is loved by Jamaicans and is the most popular MINI in Jamaica. It is our most important model. As it gets bigger in size, we are looking to increase our market share and customer base,” said Bailey.
Both the Cooper 3-door and Countryman were big news, but the Countryman has been selling well in Jamaica and Bailey has announced an EV version.
“We started with the MINI Cooper SE and then we have the fully electric MINI Countryman, and we have one more fully electric model on the way, so stay tuned,” she said.
MINIac also introduced the new Countryman JCW as Jackson revealed the news that Jamaica has the highest penetration rate of John Cooper Works (JCW) models per capita in the world, while Bailey highlighted that the base model Cooper 3-door now comes with even more technology and horsepower, with the Cooper S now surpassing the 200 horsepower mark.
“This year is the year of MINI – the next generation of MINI is going to be exciting, so we’re looking forward to our next model, which we’ll be unveiling in the coming months – the iconic next generation MINI,” Bailey said.
BMW has proudly launched its new SUV, the X2, and all its variants.
“The BMW X2 is a very important car for us because it’s our most affordable compact SUV. And strangely enough, the X1 was our best-selling car for a while, but when we introduced the X2, it didn’t have the launch we’re having tonight and it didn’t sell as well as the X1,” Jackson said.
He thought the X2’s styling was unusual because it didn’t follow BMW’s traditional design philosophy of mimicking its higher-end models: the X4 looks like a smaller X6, while the previous-generation X2 was more hatchback-like in shape.
“This new car fits the X4 and X6 body styles and is in the right price range, so we’re hoping it’ll be a nice, tasty bowl of porridge – not too hot, not too cold – just right. We hope a lot of our customers will love it,” Jackson said.
As well as a refreshed exterior and interior, the X2 xDrive20i offers sporty performance with a 204 horsepower engine, and for those looking for more power there’s also the X2 m35i with 315 horsepower. BMW is also continuing its foray into the EV space with the iX2.
Jackson used the opportunity to show off the current-generation BMW M2 Coupe and BMW XM Label Red, and also revealed that BMW Connect is now available across both the MINI and BMW lines, allowing these equipped vehicles to be accessed and controlled via a mobile app.
