Mini Cars in India

The first Mini, or Mark I, was at some point in time sold under BMC’s other brand names, which included the Morris Minor and Austin, and was launched in 1959. During the 1960s, the popularity of the compact Mini led to it taking on its own distinctive identity.

The Mini Cooper’s future was somewhat uncertain through the 1970s and the 1980s as the license for the brand was sold to Spanish and Italian companies. While new Mini models were designed and released, most of them were based on the original Cooper and Cooper S designs, becoming more of a novelty than a progression. By the 1990s, the Rover Group, who owned the rights to the Mini, was bought by the German manufacturer BMW. Although selling off Rover at the end of the decade, BMW retained the Mini marque, and since 2000 have relaunched the brand.

While car enthusiasts in India were more than aware of the classic Mini Cooper, thanks to the television coverage given to the Mini Cooper by world-renowned shows and movies like Mr Bean and The Italian Job, MINI officially arrived in the Indian market only in 2012.

The first ever MINI cars offered in India were the Cooper, Cooper S, Cooper Convertible and Cooper S Countryman as Completely Built Units (CBUs). The MINI range was initially sold through three exclusive BMW dealerships – Deutsche Motoren and Bird Automotive in New Delhi and Infinity Cars in Mumbai. 

The range of MINI cars in India consists of the Cooper, Cooper Convertible, Clubman and Countryman. In a bid to cater to the increasing demand and reduce their car prices, MINI commenced the local assembly for its largest model, the Countryman, at the BMW Group plant in Chennai in May 2018. Interestingly, all MINI car models in India come mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission.

All MINI car models in India come mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. MINI car prices start from around 29 lakh rupees for the 2018 Cooper (3-Door Diesel). All MINI car price listings can be found on the website of autoX.