At first glance down the assembly line at BMW’s plant here, it’s almost impossible to tell the new Minis from the newer Minis.
Even the workers have to glance at television screens, which show each car in every color. On a recent Saturday, a black Mini Cooper S was followed by a red convertible and finally by a bright ochre Mini that was the latest version for 2007. Only its headlights and its slightly bigger size set it off from its siblings.
All of which raises an obvious question: Is this version of the Mini different enough to keep its outsize buzz going for a second generation?
It is no mean feat — the industry abounds with cars of the moment whose moment has passed, most notably Volkswagen’s New Beetle, to which the Mini is most frequently compared.
Like Mini, the New Beetle got off to a fast start, only to lose steam several years later — something Mini has avoided so far. One sign of its success is that at a time when many car companies routinely offer $3,000 or more in rebates and other deals, there have never been such discounts, only some lease deals, on Minis, which typically sell for $18,000 to $25,000.
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