Saw umpteeen BMW convertibles out yesterday .
As somebody who grew up in the era where the original Mini was already an icon, calling the new version a āMiniā seems to me to be more than a bit of a misnomer.
Unlike the original, thereās nothing whatsoever diminutive about the new Mini.
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Are āGerman carsā even made in Germany or owned by German shareholders these days?
[quote=āGee3, post:20, topic:84673ā]
The Mini is now a BMW & has no connection, other than brand name with the true Miniās.[/quote]
Really? It doesnāt seem to be that clear-cut. Although āThe new model built by BMW is technically unrelated to the formerā, the āMINI is a new edition of the British small car Miniā. Although āThere are numerous styling and badging differences between the models, both interior and exterior of the MINI are based on the classic model.ā
Both. The MINI weāre talking about will be manufactured in Leipzig among other models produced right now, just to give one example. BMW being a PLC is also owned by German shareholders the biggest of them being the Quandt-family, most notably Susanne Klatten and her brother.
Large parts of German auto-manufacturers shares are in the hands of others like the inevitable Chinese as well as Kuwaitis etc., and Opel are now part of Stellantis.
BMW manufacture in China, Mexico & the USA too and Mercedes also manufacture in China as well as in the USA, Romania and South Africa, and VW group cars too are made all over the world.
Many of the parts used in German cars are sourced from a global pool, meaning that (as with many other things) lots of the parts are either completely Chinese or of Chinese origin.
Not to forget Munich and Leipzig in Germany.
You missed Bentley Cars from your list, Caricature. BMW owns Rolls Royce.
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I would agree, that both the new & old Miniās have 4 wheels, 5 if you count the steering wheel. Both also have window wipers, interior heaters & several other things in common. But beyond the name these standard fittings nothing of any value still exists in the new non mini, in itās true Mini form now. Not even itās size.
I was pointing out where outside Germany some so-called German cars are made and naturally supposed that it was fairly obvious that German car marques would primarily be manufactured in Germany.
Hence my use of the words ātooā and āalsoā which it would appear that you either missed or misunderstood.
Iām sorry, youāre right. I was in a hurry (thatās why my one-line reply) and missed them.
As far as production sites within the country are concerned it is a hard struggle to keep those and, thus, the jobs where they are.
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No problem and youāre absolutely right regarding the jobs.
This is going to be a problem facing all the major auto-making countries and those with higher concentations of auto-related jobs are likely to be the worst-afftected IMHO.
AIUI Germanyās auto industry accounts for around 5% of German GDP compared to the Franceās 1.7% and the UKās 0.8%.
Forecasts have already suggested that Germany faces the loss of 400,000 auto-industry-related jobs by 2030 which is a huge number by any measure, but TBH I donāt think that any car-producing country will come out of this manufacturing revolution which is being brought about by a change in the method of powering vehicles unscathed - and that includes the likes of South Korea and us here in the UK.
When BMW took over Rover Group, there was an exercise to differentiate between the brands:
a) BMW - sporting heritage and German quality
b) Rover - typical British middle class based on luxury
c) Mini - new younger market
We had to come up what were typical British middle class names and what would the younger buyer aspire to.
The engineering for Mini and certain shared components are manufactured in Germany.
The British emblems are part of the marketing exercise.
Iāll stick with my VW thing. Donāt like Mercs, I find the seats too hard for my fine childbearing hips on every one Iāve had.
Not sure I get that. Donā t other manufacturers offer pcp deals as well? If so, there wouldnāt be any need to go for a German one?
Thatās true, but German cars are seen here as a prestige car so everyone wants oneā¦it shows youāve made it,
That holds true for German premium marques as well over here. If itās true, though, it means that I havenāt made it since Iāve never owned one in my life, not even took a seat in any of them. 
Yes over here if you drive a merc,bmw or Audi you donāt have to indicate and , in the case of an Audi, remain a foot off the bumper of the car in front
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@ Primus 1, Yes l see what you mean,
Not much use having all that power and prestige when the roads are blocked
by peasants in bangers eh ??
Must be very upsetting !!
Donkeyman! 
Thereās not just German cars on British roads but also vice versa. Range Rover, for example, is quite popular especially Vic Beckhamās choice which my neighbour also has. I wish I couldāve driven it in the old days. Unfortunately, Rover prices are a bit on the high sideā¦ Taxes? I donāt know.
Itās not so much taxes @Dachs but the things are status symbols rather than capable mud-plugging off-roaders, hence the cost of the things.
Theyāre nice enough and all that, but people very very rarely use them for their abilities (unlike my BIL who is in fact a farmer) and theyāve long been known as āChelsea tractorsā and for being so beloved of pro. footballers etc.
In terms of reliability though they are terrible, regularly featuring at or near the bottom in the worst makes according to various ratings.
That said I have to say that Mecedes, BMW and Audi donāt do much better but Range Rover are truly awful.
My BIL despite having numerous problems with his last one actually only just bought a new one again!
