Bernd Körber takes the reins at Mini
On the 1 April just past, the reins of the BMW Mini brand were handed over to Bernd Körber (44), who was previously responsible for strategy and management at BMW. Körber succeeds Sebastian Mackens at Mini and will lead the brand “towards an electric, dynamic and urban future”.
Körber already worked for Mini from 2003 to 2010 – initially in marketing planning and product management, before he became head of international brand management. In 2010, he moved to BMW, where he was responsible for global brand strategy and brand management.
Meanwhile, BMW Board Member Peter Schwarzenbauer has revealed more about the electrified future of the Mini brand. The production version of the first all-electric mini model will be presented at the IAA in September, before assembly begins at the company’s plant in Oxford, England “in the second half of this year”. The market launch is planned for the beginning of 2020. In the future, it will be possible to order any mini model with an electrified drive train, with Mini also planning to include plug-in hybrids for the time being – unlike Daimler’s small car brand Smart, which is set to become a purely electric brand. However: “To secure the long-term future of Mini, we will enable the range to be all-electric, should the customer prefer that,” says Schwarzenbauer.
Just a few days ago, the BMW Group also announced details of the launch of the Mini in China. For this, BMW and their partner in China Great Wall Motor are setting up a joint venture under whose direction the first electric Minis are to roll off the assembly line in the Chinese province of Jiangsu in 2021.
0 Comments