On January 13, 2011, German automotive magazine Automobilwoche named the MINI Cooper ''Car of the Decade'' during the Auto Star ceremony at the company's headquarters, recognizing ''individuals, companies and products that were consistently successful and shaped the automobile business over the last decade,'' explained editor-in-chief Guido Reinking.
He presented the award to Ian Robertson, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Sales and Marketing, and Wolfgang Armbrecht, Senior Vice President of MINI Brand Management.
''The MINI was named 'Car of the Decade' not merely by virtue of its continually growing market success, but primarily for the impetus it has given the automobile industry,'' said Reinking, who believes the MINI unleashed a wave of similarly-polarizing models like the Fiat 500 and Citroen DS3.
During the ceremony, former Volkswagen AG boss Ferdinand Piëch was chosen as ''Individual of the Decade,'' while Audi received the award for ''Car Brand of the Decade.'' Unlike the MINI's, these two titles were based on reader votes.
Besides Reinking and Automobilwoche publisher Helmut Kluger, jury members included Robert Rademacher, president of the German Federation for Motor Trades and Repairs (ZDK); Bernd Gottschalk, long-standing president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA); as well as automobile industry experts Prof. Willi Diez from Nürtingen University and Prof. H. Dieter Dahlhoff from the University of Kassel.
The magazine is published by American media group Crain Communications, which also publishes Automotive News and AutoWeek.
He presented the award to Ian Robertson, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Sales and Marketing, and Wolfgang Armbrecht, Senior Vice President of MINI Brand Management.
''The MINI was named 'Car of the Decade' not merely by virtue of its continually growing market success, but primarily for the impetus it has given the automobile industry,'' said Reinking, who believes the MINI unleashed a wave of similarly-polarizing models like the Fiat 500 and Citroen DS3.
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| German magazine Automobilwoche named the MINI Cooper ''Car of the Decade.'' (Photo: MINI) |
During the ceremony, former Volkswagen AG boss Ferdinand Piëch was chosen as ''Individual of the Decade,'' while Audi received the award for ''Car Brand of the Decade.'' Unlike the MINI's, these two titles were based on reader votes.
Besides Reinking and Automobilwoche publisher Helmut Kluger, jury members included Robert Rademacher, president of the German Federation for Motor Trades and Repairs (ZDK); Bernd Gottschalk, long-standing president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA); as well as automobile industry experts Prof. Willi Diez from Nürtingen University and Prof. H. Dieter Dahlhoff from the University of Kassel.
The magazine is published by American media group Crain Communications, which also publishes Automotive News and AutoWeek.