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The Mini was marketed under BMC's two main brand names, Austin and Morris, until 1969, when it became a marque in its own right. The Morris version was known to all as "the Mini" or the "Morris Mini-Minor".

Mini is a British automotive marque founded in 1969, owned by German automotive company BMW since 2000, and used by them for a range of small cars assembled in the United Kingdom, Austria and the Netherlands. The word Mini has been used in car model names since 1959, and in 1969 it became a marque in its own right when the name "Mini" replaced the separate "Austin Mini" and "Morris Mini" car model names. BMW acquired the marque in 1994 when it bought Rover Group (formerly British Leyland), which owned Mini, among other brands.

Headquarters München, Germany

mkI 1959-1967

The Mark I Mini (1959–1967) was the first version of British Motor Corporation's Mini model. It is characterised by its sliding windows, external door hinges and "moustache" grille. In the United Kingdom the Mark I was produced between 1959 and 1967 at the Longbridge Plant near BMC's headquarters, with production in Australia continuing until 1970. The Mini Mark I was sold under both Austin and Morris marque names.

Designed as project ADO15 (Austin Drawing Office 15), the first models were marketed with the names Austin Seven (often written as SE7EN) and Morris Mini-Minor in England. Until 1962, they appeared as the Austin 850 and Morris 850 in some export markets.

The proposed engine size was originally 948 cc as used in the Morris Minor and Austin A35. However, Leonard Lord, chairman of BMC thought that the140 km/h top speed was excessive and thus reduced the engine size to 848 cc to gain a more manageable speed (for the time) of 116 km/h.

An Austin de luxe saloon was tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1959. It had a top speed of 116.5 km/h and could accelerate from 0–100 km/h in 27.3 seconds.

The Mini was a genuine four seater. This was possible within such a small bodyshell because the engine was mounted transversely, driving the front wheels via a gearbox which was uniquely incorporated into the sump of the engine. Engine and gearbox thus shared the same oil, which was a significant piece of design in response to the 1956 Suez crisis and the fears of future oil shortages.

Issigonis' friend John Cooper, owner of the Cooper Car Company and Formula One Manufacturers Champion in 1959 and 1960, saw the potential of the little car, and after some experimentation and testing, the two men collaborated to create a nimble, economical, and inexpensive car. The Austin Mini Cooper and Morris Mini Cooper debuted in September 1961.

Mini MKI

set of mini one hatch and cabriolet Mini One Hatch & Convertible (youtube.com)

r50 one 2000-2005

The Mini Hatch, stylised as MINI Hatch (or MINI Hardtop in the U.S.), also sold as Mini Cooper, Mini One, or simply called the (BMW) Mini, are a family of retro-styled two-door supermini hatchback and convertible; and (from 2014) a longer, subcompact 4/5-door hatchback. They were introduced in early 2000 by German automaker BMW under the 'Mini' brand. The second generation was launched in 2006 and the third, adding a longer 4/5-door hatchback, in 2014. A two-door convertible version was added in 2004, followed by its second generation in 2008.

The Mini Hatch was designed by Frank Stephenson, and drew inspiration from the original two-door Mini. Development of the car was conducted between 1995 and 2001 by Rover Group United Kingdom and BMW in Germany. When BMW sold off Rover in 2000, it retained the Mini project, and moved the planned production site of the car from Rover's Longbridge plant, to BMW's Oxford plant in Cowley, Oxford, England.

The first new generation Mini Hatch was introduced in late 2000, being the first model launched under the Mini marque after the original Mini was discontinued in the same year. In some European markets, the Mini One was powered by a 1.4-litre inline-four version of the Tritec engine, but all other petrol powered Minis used the 1.6-litre version.

BMW introduced an all-new, second generation of the Mini model in 2006, on a re-engineered platform incorporating many stylistic and engineering changes.

Mini One (youtube.com)

r52 one convertible 2004-2008

The Mini Convertible open top car pairs the inimitable spirit of the original Hatch with the excitement of a soft top. From 2004 through 2008, the soft-top convertible R52 was made.

The Convertible model's power top will fold in 18 seconds to unlock the joy of unlimited headroom. When the top is closed, you have a generous 215 litres, and 160 litres when opened.

The firm suspension lends itself to enthusiast-oriented driving, which can make the Mini Cooper exciting, but the ride can be unforgiving on rough roads.

The open-top four-seater from the British premium brand is currently the world’s only premium convertible in the small car segment.

Mini One Convertible (youtube.com)

r61 paceman 2012-2016

The Mini Paceman is a three-door subcompact luxury crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by Mini. It is the three-door counterpart of the R60 Mini Countryman. Like the Countryman, the Paceman was offered with a choice of two or four wheel drive (known as ALL4), and with 1.6 L petrol or diesel and 2.0 L diesel inline four engines in various states of tune. Unlike most of the Mini range, the Paceman was not manufactured in England, but in Graz, Austria, by Magna Steyr, along with the Countryman.

Mini Paceman (youtube.com)

f60 countryman 2017-present

The Mini Countryman, also called Mini Crossover in Japan, is a subcompact luxury crossover SUV, the first vehicle of this type to be launched by BMW under the Mini marque. It was launched in 2010 and received a facelift in 2014. The second generation vehicle was released in 2017.

The second generation Countryman was introduced in November 2016 and went on sale in 2017.

The first generation Countryman was primarily built in Graz, Austria, under contract by Magna Steyr, making it the first of the BMW era Minis to be manufactured entirely outside the UK.

Mini Countryman (youtube.com)