All Stand Please for the MINI Horn Section

LONDON--July 5, 2012:

- MINI and the London Philharmonic Orchestra Honk Team GB to victory

In support of Team GB, MINI has teamed up with the London Philharmonic Orchestra ahead of the London 2012 Games to create a rousing rendition of God Save the Queen using just MINI horns.

The MINI Orchestra was made up of nine musicians from the London Philharmonic horn section, who usually play wind and brass instruments including the clarinet, trumpet and trombone. In the MINI Orchestra they played the horns of nine red, white and blue MINI London 2012 special editions.

The MINI Orchestra was conducted by Gareth Newman, who said 'It's the first time that we've attempted to play a piece using just car horns, and it was a fun and unique experience.

Jochen Goller, Director, MINI UK said, "MINI is best known for highly tuned, sweet sounding engines, so we are delighted to discover that a patriotic harmony can be created with the car's horn. We hope that this rendition of God Save the Queen will help rally Team GB to victory."

The MINI Orchestra is the latest in a series of MINI Team GB adventures. As an official partner of Team GB and ParlaympicsGB over the last year and a half MINI has created inspirational events and fun activities to encourage the nation to really get behind the home teams' athletes and demonstrate its support. The MINI hatchback is coming back in three London 2012 limited edition MINIs -These have included the MINI Roar, the MINI Britalian Job and the iconic London-Brighton MINI drive.

The film of the MINI Orchestra is here: MINI on YouTube

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 seven years.