Well there's a tendency to think of economics and business only as serious issues but business can also be fun.And to prove it our program this week highlights companies and people who provide entertainment make money playing games and make fun products.
BMW is best known for luxury 1）sedans and sports cars of course but there's one car in its stable that's in a class by itself. It's not the most expensive car on the road, nor the fastest, instead it may be one of the most loved. Here's the story of the rebirth of a driving legend.
The first Minis rolled off the assembly linethey were the accessory to have. Hip, cool and somewhat classless, a car for the rich and famous but also found in many suburban driveways. A unique front-wheel drive and a compact size for the streets of Europe and yet the car never made money for its manufacturer.
Financially it was a flop. Mini-producer Rover spent much of the last decade facing economic troubles. Germany's BMW group thought it could turn things around and last year abandoned the British carmaker selling it to the Phoenix 2）consortium. However, it kept what it saw as Rover's prize 3）asset, the Mini, and with good reason.
“I think that with Mini what they really wanted to do was go after a younger buyer. If you look at the average age of a BMW buyer it's actually in the high, high 40s, just under 50 years old so what they wanted is a sort of younger brand to get a more youthful buyer.”
In early July, BMW introduced its version of this classic car but only after investing around $900 million in the design of a 21st century Mini and a new plant near the English city of Oxford.
“This car has all those qualities that you would expect from a car from the BMW group. But at the same time of course Mini is a separate brand. It is not a BMW Mini, it is a Mini Mini.”
A vehicle BMW has high hopes for. It expects to produce more than 100,000 Minis a year, retailing at about $14,000 each. Within three to four years the company expects the Mini to stop breaking even. Analysts expect the car will eventually turn a profit, although maybe not until the end of the decade. But initial signs are good. The new Mini has been well received by auto critics and the public in general. Even the skeptics reluctantly admit BMW's offering is likely to find a market.
1） sedan n. 轎車
2） consortium n. 合作，聯(lián)合；國際財團
3） asset n. 財產，資產
BMW is best known for luxury 1）sedans and sports cars of course but there's one car in its stable that's in a class by itself. It's not the most expensive car on the road, nor the fastest, instead it may be one of the most loved. Here's the story of the rebirth of a driving legend.
The first Minis rolled off the assembly linethey were the accessory to have. Hip, cool and somewhat classless, a car for the rich and famous but also found in many suburban driveways. A unique front-wheel drive and a compact size for the streets of Europe and yet the car never made money for its manufacturer.
Financially it was a flop. Mini-producer Rover spent much of the last decade facing economic troubles. Germany's BMW group thought it could turn things around and last year abandoned the British carmaker selling it to the Phoenix 2）consortium. However, it kept what it saw as Rover's prize 3）asset, the Mini, and with good reason.
“I think that with Mini what they really wanted to do was go after a younger buyer. If you look at the average age of a BMW buyer it's actually in the high, high 40s, just under 50 years old so what they wanted is a sort of younger brand to get a more youthful buyer.”
In early July, BMW introduced its version of this classic car but only after investing around $900 million in the design of a 21st century Mini and a new plant near the English city of Oxford.
“This car has all those qualities that you would expect from a car from the BMW group. But at the same time of course Mini is a separate brand. It is not a BMW Mini, it is a Mini Mini.”
A vehicle BMW has high hopes for. It expects to produce more than 100,000 Minis a year, retailing at about $14,000 each. Within three to four years the company expects the Mini to stop breaking even. Analysts expect the car will eventually turn a profit, although maybe not until the end of the decade. But initial signs are good. The new Mini has been well received by auto critics and the public in general. Even the skeptics reluctantly admit BMW's offering is likely to find a market.
1） sedan n. 轎車
2） consortium n. 合作，聯(lián)合；國際財團
3） asset n. 財產，資產