MINI sets a world record approved by Guinness World Records™ for the longest wish list ever delivered to Santa Claus.

 

 

Maria Conti, Spokesperson MINI Italy, receives the Guiness World Record for MINI for the longest wish list ever delivered to ...

 
MINI sets a world record approved by Guinness World Records™ for the longest wish list ever delivered to Santa Claus.
Mission accomplished for the international MINI Goes to Santa Claus project: 75.954 collected wishes.

In its usual unconventional style, MINI has completed its Christmas mission. The MINI Goes to Santa Claus project has made it possible for MINI to set a Guinness World Records record, collecting 75.954, the biggest number of wishes ever delivered to Santa Claus. The delivery directly to the hands of Santa Claus of the longest wish list in the world (3798,5 metres) took place today at the Santa Claus Post Office in Rovaniemi. The wish list was put together by joining the wishes end-to-end and using a special paper that has a minimal impact on the environment.

The MINI Goes to Santa Claus project
A fleet of eight MINIs traveled from one end of Europe to the other, heading for the Arctic Circle in order to deliver to Santa Claus the Christmas wishes written by children and adults the world over. To set a Guinness World Records record, MINI got a total of 16 countries involved in the collection of the wishes: Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Portugal, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Russia, United States of America and Singapore.

The MINI Family’s journey to Rovaniemi
Saturday, 24 November, the MINI Family departed from the headquarters of the BMW Group in Munich with Rovaniemi as its destination. Along the way, covering more than 3,500 km, the MINI Family passed through some of Europe’s most beautiful cities, such as Copenhagen and Stockholm, where the collection of the wishes continued.
 
The new MINI Paceman
The new MINI Paceman, the seventh model in the MINI family, welcomed the MINI Goes to Santa Claus caravan upon its arrival in Rovaniemi. With its unique personality, the MINI Paceman offers an innovative combination of sporty and extroverted design. It is the first Sports Activity Coupé in the premium compact segment and is available with the MINI ALL4 four-wheel drive system.

An outstanding guest: Rauno Aaltonen
In Rovaniemi the MINI Family was welcomed by a very special guest: Rauno Aaltonen. The Finnish driver showed off his exceptional talent at the wheel of a new MINI Paceman, bringing to life for the international press the MINI Ice Driving Experience. Rauno Aaltonen won the European Rally Championship in 1965 and, thanks to his incomparable driving style and the intelligent choice of tyres, he was victorious in the historic 1967 Monte Carlo Rally behind the wheel of a classic Mini. Rauno Aaltonen has also been nicknamed “the Flying Finn” and “the Rally Professor”, and he has to his name an incredible number of prizes, awards, and accolades.

In collaboration with Rovaniemi
To realize the MINI Goes to Santa Claus event, MINI could count on the collaboration of the city of Rovaniemi, “the Official Hometown of Santa Claus” and “the Heart of Lapland”. Rovaniemi is located on the 66th parallel inside the Arctic Circle, about 800 km from Helsinki and 2,600 km from the North Pole. The city is situated between the Ounasvaara and Kokalovaara hills, at the confluence of the river Kemijoki and its tributary, the Ounasjoki. The name “Rovaniemi” has often been thought to be of Lapp origin, since in the Sami language “roavvi” means a wooded hill; whereas in the Finnish language “rova” means a “pile of stones” or “rock”. The capital of Lapland is a magic city. As a matter of fact, although Christmas comes but once a year, in Rovaniemi it is possible to run into Santa Claus every day of the year.

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For further information please contact
Maria Conti
MINI Comunicazione e P.R.
Telefono: 02.51610.710 Fax: 02.51610.416
E-mail: Maria.Conti@bmw.it
Media website: www.press.bmwgroup.com (press releases and photos) and http://bmw.lulop.com (films)

The BMW Group
The BMW Group is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI, Husqvarna Motorcycles and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 29 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2011, the BMW Group sold about 1.67 million cars and more than 113,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2011 was euro 7.38 billion on revenues amounting to euro 68.82 billion. At 31 December 2011, the BMW Group had a workforce of approximately 100,000 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy. As a result of its efforts, the BMW Group has been ranked industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the last eight years.

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