IT's a MINI Wanderlust World

MINI Countryman launched the MINI Countryman Wanderlust marketing campaign today. The Wanderlust Movement challenges their fans to create their own Wanderlust event, share it with the community via Facebook and their site at MINIspace.com. The event ideas that get the most votes are added to the Wanderlust map so that you can see what's going on near you.

Additionally, MINI is sponsoring up to 18 invitation-only Wanderlust events, hosted by different influential people in different genres in five cities– Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, Chicago and New York. These events include everything from food, to art, to modeling, and surfing and MINI Countryman is there for each.

Fans are also invited to submit ideas and a selected winner could win their own MINI Countryman. The deadline for entries is May 27, 2011.

Chad Marshall a well known surfer hosted the first of the events this past weekend when he and 25 cronies headed to Leo Corillo State Park for a surf and beach party. Six MINI Countryman's chauffeured attendees and their paraphenalia to the beach for the big party.

MINI gets Classic

Love the new mini stunt work for the MINI Countryman. They load a MINI classic on top of the Countryman and are driving around New York and a bunch of other cities. Must be fun to be a part of MINI.

http://www.skiddmark.com/2011/01/12/mini-countryman-re-enacts-suv-stunt/

Microsoft and Chevy Volt

The Chevy Volt is doing some great integration work with Microsoft.

Users will be able to take a virtual test drive through Kinect Joy Ride, Microsoft's controller-free racing game. The game works with Microsoft's forthcoming motion-control gaming hardware, the Kinect.

It's pretty slick stuff and good to see Volt doing innovative marketing efforts.

And the beat goes on with MINI vs. Porsche

We're loving the MINI vs. Porsche effort. Don't really know what to call it. Challenge? Stunt? Either way it's got the Mini fans crazy (guess they were before?) and has to attract a few Boxter fans to peek at the MINI or perhaps even some GTI or other more direct competitors. The track for the race has been posted and it looks as good as it can be for MINI except that there are a couple straightaways that are going to trouble and maybe spell doom.

If you read the fine print on the track details MINI just published you'll see that the cars are starting out facing in the opposite direction and will race for one lap. First one around wins. They will race 4 times.

We're hoping it's close. Just like we always root for 7 game series in the Finals. I'd wager it being closer than expected with Porsche edging them out by a bit each time.

Since MINI gets significantly better mileage we've got to be rooting for them.

Free Charging Stations for Volts

News today that the first 4,400 Chevy Volt owners will be eligible to receive the much faster 240-volt home-charging stations . Every owner receives the basic 120-volt speed cable but the 240-volt will drastically improve charging time.

Some nice incentive to buy early.

The MINI vs. Porsche Toy Story

MINI is using a toy set to attract journalists to their big showdown race at Road Atlanta on June 21st. This clever little toy set is being sent to invitees (how come we didn't get one?).

Nice!

GM gets its Leaf-ON

GM making a splash in China. More sales in China than US?

Also, how do they get away with calling the car the Leaf? figure Nissan owns that.

Regardless you'd have to say GM looks pretty good in this case.