A Look Back at 15 Years of Mini in America

In 2002, the then-43-year-old British marque known as the Mini and owned by BMW AG entered the U.S. market with its famous little hardtop Cooper. That car had a playful face, seating for four, and a spunky, four-cylinder engine—and sold 25,000 units the first year. Since then, more than 725,000 Minis have been sold nationwide, with more than 60 percent of U.S. sales still coming from its standard hardtop Cooper. It's a significant total for a semi-expensive little vehicle.

The Mini's popularity has been heightened by the addition of fresh models to its American family after that first hardtop. The Mini Convertible came in multiple versions, each with a fully automatic ragtop that could be deployed halfway to create a sunroof. The Mini Clubman, aka the “estate” Mini, allowed the brand to add more legroom, storage space, and functionality. The Mini Countryman was the first true SUV Mini, with both AWD and diesel-engine versions. Further variations on the theme joined the family such as hatchbacks, coupes, and John Cooper Works vehicles—Mini's top-of-the-line sport models—including a coupe that was the fastest production Mini (0-62 miles per hour in 6.4 seconds, top speed of 149 mph).