2020 Mini Clubman John Cooper Works on 2040-cars

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Mini Coopers make the best Pac-Man ghosts in Pixels movie trailer

The concept of fighting off real-world incarnations of classic arcade game characters out to destroy the Earth sounds like a rejected idea for an SNL Digital Short. But it's coming to theaters this summer in a film called Pixels starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James. Based on the trailer, it seems the premise of the film is that aliens receive a message from Earth and decide to fight back with vintage arcade characters, including ones from Space Invaders, Q*bert and Donkey Kong. To defeat these baddies, Sandler and Co must beat them in the style of their respective games. When it comes time to take out the giant glowing-yellow Pac-Man, their plan includes outfitting a quartet of Mini Cooper S models as the ghosts. Squint at the cars' license plates to spot a subtle, visual joke. They are called Inky, Pinky, Blinky and Clyde – the nicknames of the enemies in the arcade. While it could be argued that Sandler and James haven't quite been at the top of their games recently, the story here appears to boil down to Ghostbusters with video games, which could work purely on a nostalgic level if it's properly handled. Check out the trailer to spot even more vintage arcade references.

BMW names new chief for Mini

Mini is still transitioning models over to its new platform, and in the US market at least, the diminutive brand is dealing with a sales decrease of 15.6 percent in 2014. The low gas prices aren't helping either. But as of March 1, there's a new boss running the company across the world as Sebastian Mackensen (right) is promoted to the top spot from his current role as head of sales. Mackensen has been with Mini since October 2013, and according to Automotive News, before that he headed North and South American sales for Audi. Current brand boss, Jochen Goller is staying with BMW family and moving to China to take over as marketing chief for the BMW Brilliance joint venture. He had been the leader at Mini since 2013. Among several other personnel shifts, the BMW brand is also promoting Uwe Dreher to be its new head of marketing. He is currently in charge of those duties for the company in the Great Britain region. Personnel changes at MINI and BMW Group sales Munich . From 1 March 2015, Peter van Binsbergen will be Senior Vice-President, Sales and Marketing of BMW Group Germany. The 47-year-old mechanical engineer is currently Head of Sales and Marketing at the BMW Brilliance Joint Venture based in China. Mr van Binsbergen's career with the BMW Group began over 20 years ago when he assumed senior positions responsible for product planning, marketing and sales at BMW South Africa. He then moved to BMW Japan, where he was Director of Marketing, followed by a move to BMW Group headquarters in Munich, where he led the department responsible for sales channel development and the Group's "Future Retail" programme. Jochen Goller will move to China where he will take over an extended role with overall responsibility for Sales and Marketing at the BMW Brilliance Joint Venture in China. Mr Goller (48), who has headed up the MINI brand since 2013, already has experience when it comes to the Chinese market. During his 15-year career with the BMW Group, he was previously Head of Marketing at BMW China before returning to Europe, where he first took over responsibility for the MINI brand in Great Britain and Ireland ahead of moving to his current job. From 1 March 2015, Sebastian Mackensen will take on responsibility for the MINI brand. Mr Mackensen (43) joined the BMW Group in October 2013 as Head of MINI Sales.

BMW will invest $750 million to build Mini EVs in the UK

LONDON — BMW said on Monday it will invest 600 million pounds ($750 million) in its UK plants to take its Mini brand all-electric by 2030, giving a fresh boost to Britain's car industry after years of Brexit-related uncertainty. From 2026, the German premium carmaker will make two electric models at its Mini plant in Oxford — the Mini Cooper 3-door and the compact crossover Mini Aceman. The plant will make only electric models as of 2030 and many of those cars will be exported to markets around the world, BMW production chief Milan Nedeljkovic said. Speaking to journalists in Oxford, Nedeljkovic said the company wants to use batteries made in Europe in the new models made in Oxford, but did not specify whether they would come from the UK, saying it depending on the attractiveness of the market for its suppliers. The same two models will also be made in China and exports of those cars will begin in 2024. Also speaking in Oxford, British business minister Kemi Badenoch said: "We want auto manufacturing not just to stay in the UK, but to be the best in the world, and this is part of that story". Badenoch declined to comment on the level of subsidy to be received by BMW for Mini production, reported by British media to be 75 million pounds. BMW will also invest in its plant in Swindon which makes parts for Mini models. It was too soon to say what would happen to the engine plant in Hams Hall, near Birmingham, Nedeljkovic said. The small, fast and affordable original Mini went on sale in 1959 and has remained popular under BMW since it revived the brand in 2001, but its future in Britain has been uncertain for years, exacerbated by fears that Brexit would prompt the company to relocate production to Germany, China or elsewhere. Still, the industry remains on edge with both Britain and Europe's carmakers calling for a delay in the implementation of post-Brexit "rules of origin", under which 45% of the value of an EV being sold in the European Union must come from Britain or the EU from 2024 to avoid tariffs. "The [auto] industry is screaming at the EU," Badenoch said in Oxford, arguing that tariffs on EU and UK-made cars would only help Chinese manufacturers and that more time was needed to build local capacity. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.