Corporate and Functional objectives - how BMW uses the Mini brand

The modern, 21st century Mini may look rather different from the 1950’s original -

• but you can probably see the family resemblance there. There is an interesting article here about how BMW’s designers updated the new model by imagining how it might have looked if redesigned in 1969, 1979, 1989, and finally arriving at the 1999 remodelling which has been so very successful. The brand is being extended and the design features adapted in a range of product developments that range from the two-seater convertible shown at the top of this article to a four-door 4x4 cross-over model which will go into production this winter.

But BMW are also using the success of the Mini marque to test out new ideas that they could introduce across their range, to encompass BMW vehicles and Rolls Royce. The development of the Mini E, a battery-powered electric vehicle which is currently being marketed to customers prepared to take part in research. To quote from the article, “Mini is emerging as a test-bed for BMW’s Project I, an autonomous division within the group which is working to identify what the future will bring for the motor industry - both in terms of how cars are powered, as well as in terms of new materials, how cars will be used and how they are paid for.” The marketing department have identified a risk for the whole BMW group, that they will cease to be seen as a premium brand in the future if they don’t become “overtly environmentally friendly.” This research is being used to drive objectives for each of the business functions, with a central focus on developing new technologies that can be used across all the group’s brands and achieve the corporate objective, with sustainability becoming a big competitive advantage for the BMW group.