The Mini Hatch (stylised as MINI hatch, or MINI Hardtop in the US), also known as Mini Cooper, Mini One, or simply the Mini, is a three-door or five door hatchback first introduced in late 2000 by German automotive company BMW. The second generation was launched in 2006 and the third in 2014. A convertible version was introduced in 2004, with the second generation following in 2008.
The Mini concept was originally unveiled at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in September 1997, whilst the Mini marque was still a part of the Rover Group, owned by BMW, where it was intended to replace both the classic Mini and the larger Metro/100-series . The Mini Hatch was the first model launched by BMW under the new MINI marque that was created following BMW's divestment of the Rover Group in 2000, and the classic Mini's discontinuation that same year. The new model built by BMW is technically unrelated to the former.
The Mini is produced in Cowley, Oxfordshire, England, at Plant Oxford, and, since July 2014, at VDL Nedcar (the former DAF/Volvo plant) in Born, Netherlands. The Mini convertible is, since 2015, only assembled in The Netherlands.
