24 BUSINESS IS FUN

    Well there's a tendency to think of economics and business only as serious issues but business can also be fun.And to prove it our program this week highlights companies and people who provide entertainment make money playing games and make fun products.

    BMW is best known for luxury 1)sedans and sports cars of course but there's one car in its stable that's in a class by itself. It's not the most expensive car on the road, nor the fastest, instead it may be one of the most loved. Here's the story of the rebirth of a driving legend.

   The first Minis rolled off the assembly linethey were the accessory to have. Hip 1, cool and somewhat classless, a car for the rich and famous but also found in many suburban 2 driveways. A unique front-wheel drive and a compact size for the streets of Europe and yet the car never made money for its manufacturer.

     Financially it was a flop 3. Mini-producer Rover spent much of the last decade facing economic troubles. Germany's BMW group thought it could turn things around and last year abandoned the British carmaker selling it to the Phoenix 4 2)consortium. However, it kept what it saw as Rover's prize 3)asset, the Mini, and with good reason.

    “I think that with Mini what they really wanted to do was go after a younger buyer. If you look at the average age of a BMW buyer it’s actually in the high, high 40s, just under 50 years old so what they wanted is a sort of younger brand to get a more youthful buyer.”

  In early July, BMW introduced its version of this classic car but only after investing around $900 million in the design of a 21st century Mini and a new plant near the English city of Oxford 5.

  “This car has all those qualities that you would expect from a car from the BMW group. But at the same time of course Mini is a separate brand. It is not a BMW Mini, it is a Mini Mini.”

   A vehicle BMW has high hopes for. It expects to produce more than 100,000 Minis a year, retailing 6 at about $14,000 each. Within three to four years the company expects the Mini to stop breaking even. Analysts 7 expect the car will eventually turn a profit, although maybe not until the end of the decade. But initial signs are good. The new Mini has been well received by auto 8 critics and the public in general. Even the skeptics reluctantly admit BMW’s offering is likely to find a market.

商海趣谈

年轻人的品牌---mini车新车的传奇

   一般人都认为经济和商业只是严的事情，但是生意也可以是饶有趣味的。为了证明这一点，本周我们的节目重点介绍一些提供娱乐的公司和人物，他们寓赚钱于娱乐中，出产有趣的产品。

   宝马以豪华轿车和跑车著称，而旗下有一个车系却独树一帜。它既不是最名贵、也不是最快的，然而它可能是人们最喜爱的一种车，以下是一个汽车重生的传奇。

   第一批Mini车于1959年在英国出厂，立刻大受欢迎。时髦、有型，各阶层都喜欢，名人富豪喜欢它，近郊地区也有它的踪影。它的前轮驱动绝无仅有，体积小巧，适合在欧洲的大街上行走，然而这种车却从来没有为厂商带来过利润。

   在财务上，它彻底失败，Mini的生产商罗弗在过去的十年里面临着经济困难。德国宝马集团自信可以扭转乾坤，在去年放弃了在英国的车厂，并把它卖给了凤凰集团，但是保留罗弗的珍贵资产：Mini，理由很充分。

   “我认为他们真正想做的是以Mini来吸引年轻的买家。如果你看看购买宝马的人的平均年龄，实际上已经是四十多岁，不会到五十岁，所以他们想通过年轻的品牌来吸引年轻的买家。” 在七月初，宝马推出这款经典车的新版本。设计二十一世纪的Mini并且在英国牛津附近开设新工厂，花了大约九亿美元。

 “这款车拥有宝马车系的所有优点，但是同时当然Mini是一个独立的品牌，它不是宝马的Mini，而是Mini的Mini。”

   宝马对Mini寄予厚望，期望每年生产超过十万辆Mini车，每辆零售价大约一万四千美元。该公司期望在三到四年内，Mini会达到收支平衡。分析家预测Mini最终会赚大钱，虽然那可能是十年后的事情了。但是这车推出后反应不俗，业内人士和大众很接受这款新的Mini，抱怀疑态度的人也不得不承认这车有市场。

1) sedan   n. 轿车

2) consortium   n. 合作，联合；国际财团   

3) asset   n. 财产，资产