The Mini is a small car that was produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The most popular British-made car ever, it was superseded by the New MINI, which was launched in April 2001. The original is considered an icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout (that allowed 80% of the area of the car's floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage) influenced a generation of car-makers. This distinctive two-door car was designed for BMC by Sir Alec Issigonis. It was manufactured at the Longbridge and Cowley plants in the United Kingdom, the Victoria Park / Zetland British Motor Corporation (Australia) factory in Sydney Australia, and later also in Spain (Authi), Belgium, Chile, Italy, Portugal, South Africa, Uruguay, Venezuela and Yugoslavia. The Mini Mk I had three major UK updates: the Mk II, the Clubman and the Mk III. Within these was a series of variations including an estate car, a pickup truck, a van and the Mini Moke — a jeep-like buggy. The Mini Cooper and Cooper "S" were sportier versions that were successful as rally cars, winning the Monte Carlo Rally three times.

In Portugal and Greece, the MINI One is powered by a 1.4 litre version of the Tritec engine but all other petrol powered MINIs use the 1.6 litre version. Since 2004, a soft-top convertible option has been available across the entire range. In some markets, such as Australia and the US, only the MINI Cooper and Cooper S are sold because the MINI One's engine was considered to deliver insufficient power to run an air conditioner — a necessary feature in those climates. Almost fifty percent of all MINIs sold in Australia and about seventy percent of those sold in the US are the top-of-the-range Cooper S model. As standard, the MINI had a 'drive by wire' electronic throttle, electronic brakeforce distribution, cornering brake control and electronic stability control (standard or optional, depending on model and region) to improve control and handling in adverse conditions. Adding a supercharger to the 1st generation Cooper S model required that the battery be relocated into the rear of the car - leaving no room for a spare tyre. Hence this model comes with run flat tyres as standard.

From November 2006, the hatchback MINI range has been replaced by an all-new MINI, consisting of MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S models, powered by a new 1.6 litre engine co-developed by BMW and PSA Peugeot-Citroën. The "old" MINI Convertible continues to be sold alongside the new hatchback range. The Mk II MINI One will be on sale in April 2007 with Mk II Convertibles in the 2009 model year. The MINI One has a 1.4 litre engine derived from the same engine in the MINI Cooper and Peugeot 207. With the introduction of the R56 MINI, the CVT transmission has been dispensed with altogether, and replaced by an hydraulic automatic transmission unit, similar to that of the previous Cooper S. This gearbox is available throughout the whole range of R56 MINIs, appearing lastly on the Cooper D from 2008.

Additionally, steering-wheel mounted paddle-shift is also available. The MINI Clubman is a separate model available in Cooper, Cooper D, and Cooper S variations. It is several inches longer to accommodate more leg room and a larger boot. It has double doors as a boot instead of a pull-up hatch. It also features a Club Door on the right-hand side for passengers in the back. All MINI models have R-series model numbers assigned to them. These are a legacy of the MINI's original development within Rover Group. The following designations are known: R50: "Mk I" MINI One and Cooper, R52: "Mk I" MINI Convertible, R53: "Mk I" MINI Cooper S, R55: MINI Clubman, R56: "Mk II" MINI One, Cooper, S and D, R57: "Mk II" MINI Convertible, R58: Possible future four-wheel drive MINI.