Wednesday, 11 April 2012 08:39
Hierarchy of Wants | 2011 MINI Cooper S Countryman ALL4
Words by Niky Tamayo | Photos by Ken Tamayo
In an early attempt to explain the process of self-actualization, Abraham Maslow famously came up with his “Hierarchy of Needs.” The basic idea is that you aren’t concerned with high-level needs until your more basic needs are met. Thus, you’re not concerned with shelter until you’re fed, not concerned with love until you’re sheltered, not concerned with career until you’re loved, and so on and so forth. High up on Maslow’s pyramid, tackled only after every other need is fulfilled, are self-actualization needs like creativity and spontaneity.
In other words, the only people buying a MINI Countryman are people who’ve achieved Maslow’s equivalent of Nirvana. Unfortunately, most car buyers are stuck at Level 2: Security. Even your typical luxury car buyer falls further down on the pyramid, under Level 4: Self-Esteem (“mine is bigger than yours”). But apparently, there are a lot of self-fulfilled buyers in the Philippines, as the Countryman is selling like hotcakes.
The rest of the world simply doesn’t know what it’s missing.
Published in
Crossover
Wednesday, 18 January 2012 09:37
Peterhansel clinches 10th Dakar win with MINI in 2012
Words by Christopher Kho | Photos courtesy of the Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.)
After 14 stages covering 8,377 gruelling kilometers over gravel, mud, and sand in three different South American countries, Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel in his X-raid MINI Countryman ALL4 Racing emerged victorious and took his 10th overall Dakar rally win in Lima, Peru. With this win, Peterhansel indeed is the master of the Dakar after winning it six times on a bike (1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, and 1998) and now four times on a car (2004, 2005, 2007, and 2012). He is joined on the podium in second place by teammate Joan “Nani” Roma from Spain in the sister MINI ALL4 making it a one-two finish, while Giniel de Villiers in the South African-built Imperial Toyota Hilux V8 surprised all with a third place finish on the pick-up's debut.
Back in January 1, 2012, 443 bikes, quads, cars, and trucks took off from the starting line at the coast of Mar del Plata in Argentina for the 33rd running of the Dakar rally. 15 days later, only 249 of those who started made it to the finish line in Lima, earning the Dakar the title as the toughest off-road race in the world.
Published in
Motorsports
Tuesday, 03 January 2012 09:38
MINI, Hummer, and Toyota faces-off in Dakar 2012 (w/ video)
Words by Christopher Kho
The 34th edition of the Dakar rally is already well underway as 443 bikes, quads, cars, and trucks race through the deserts of South America. This year's route of what is considered to be the most demanding off-road race in the world will cover 8,300 gruelling kilometers, starting from the coast of Mar del Plata in Argentina on the 1st of January 2012, over the Andes Mountains into Chile, and finish in Lima, Peru on the 15th. And with last year's winner Volkswagen sitting it out in the sidelines this year, it's going to be a fierce three-way battle between MINI, Hummer, and Toyota for the top spot on the podium.
On its biggest Dakar campaign ever, X-raid is heading the field with five MINI ALL4 Racing machines this year. The newly developed MINI's are built ground-up with a tubular steel chassis and carbon fiber bodywork based on the Countryman. Powering this four-wheel-drive Monster is a 315hp 3.0L twin-turbo diesel sourced from BMW. Leading the pack of MINI's is nine-time Dakar champion Stéphane Peterhansel, with fellow drivers Nani Roma, Krzysztof Holowczyc, Leonid Novitskiy, and Ricardo Leal dos Santos piloting the other four.
Published in
Motorsports
