(2001 - current) The rebirth of a classic. The MINI is a blast back into the past when the Austin Mini was king of the small car world. BMW in engineering, but British in the design, the new MINI has many more changes from Austin’s Mini than just the capitalization of its name, but is not without it’s tributes to the old Mini, like front wheel drive, and a body so compact it seems impossible. But fear not, unlike the old Mini, the new MINI is able to sit people as tall as 6’6.