Car 6

A special event at the weekend in Oxford continued celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Mini, with the 10 millionth of the nameplate since it was first launched in 1959, writes Brian Byrne . The 60 Years Anniversary Edition car had pride of place with a version of the original in a lineup of 60 cars to represent each year of production, at Plant Oxford. Launched in 1959 and designed by Alec Issigonis, the classic Mini revolutionised the automotive world and was produced at Oxford until 1968, before moving to Longbridge, near Birmingham, where it continued to be built until October 2000. Between 1959 and 2000 more than 5.3 million classic Minis were built. Since the brand’s rebirth in 2001 under BMW ownership, sales around the world have gone from strength to strength. Last year nearly 400,000 MINIs were sold in 110 countries across the globe.

Mini brand retailers are now accepting deposits for the first production all-electric Mini, writes Brian Byrne . Deliveries will be from March of next year for the car, which retails from €27,765 OTR. The price includes SEAI grant and VRT rebate. The 185hp electric motor gives a 7.3s sprint to 100km/h. The range in WLTP regime is claimed at 235-270 kms. Charging at a 50KW point will provide 80pc of capacity in 35 minutes. There will be three trim levels. A standard feature is a new digital dashboard.