A New Age CAR

摘要

Misconception number one: Mini was the cheapest small family car for the masses. It was a cheap car but not the cheapest. And most other cars were bigger. So why did anyone buy it at all? A fair amount of criticism was levelled at the tiny 10-inch wheels, lightweight construction, small size etc. It certainly had no credentials as a quality car but it probably seemed to be a good alternative to the strange European three-wheeler imports and the diminutive Fiat 500. It created a new niche in the UK car market and, for an uncomfortable moment, the crowds stood and stared at the new curiosity. There must have been something other than simple economics that made the Mini into a hit. Its boom years in the UK market were 1961 to 1966. Fewer than 8,000 were sold in 1959 (they weren't launched until August that year) but in 1963 BMC sold around 135,000 Minis in the UK, their best ever sales year at home.