• The competition invited children aged 4 – 10 years old to predict the car of tomorrow, recognising that they are the generation who will grow up in a future dominated by electric cars

• The winning entry comes from Oliver Gorrod, aged 9, from Didcot, Oxfordshire

• The competition was aimed at tapping into the imaginative potential of children to envision the future design of a MINI Electric

With hundreds of entries from across the UK by brilliant young visionaries aged 4 - 10, Oliver Gorrod, aged nine from Oxfordshire, has been unveiled as the winner of the MINI Minds... with Crayola’ competition. Oliver commented, “I can’t believe I have won! It was such a surprise and was so fun to enter as I love designing things.”

The collaboration between MINI and Crayola was designed to explore the creative minds of children and discover their visions for the cars of tomorrow. Oliver was praised for his remarkable creativity and future gazing prowess. His design centred around championing nature, with Oliver stating, “I like the idea of all cars being electric, as they are better for the environment, animals, and the planet. My car is designed as camouflage, so it blends into natural environments.”

The competition inspired and fostered creative confidence in children, encouraging them to unleash their imaginations and design their dreams for the car of the future. As the generation growing up in a world dominated by electric cars, their entries unveiled some intriguing results, including over 25% saying they would like their car to be environmentally friendly to help the planet.

Oliver’s prize includes his winning design being made into reality using a vinyl wrap on a MINI Electric, plus a big bundle of Crayola art materials for him and his school. Oliver will also get to visit MINI Plant Oxford for a private tour, to see how the MINI Electric is made.

Federico Izzo, Director, MINI UK & Ireland said, “We’ve been truly inspired by the creativity displayed in the entries to our ‘MINI Minds… with Crayola’ competition.

Children are renowned for their boundless imagination, and this is evident in the ideas they have presented – we had entries which focused on being better for animals, boosting the mood of those around them, helping save the bees and plenty with a focus on sustainability - the creativity of the designs were fantastic. We are excited to bring Oliver’s design to life and hope he will continue to innovate and dream big in the future.”

Jade Childs, Marketing Controller at Crayola said, “Crayola is passionate about helping to raise creatively inspired children and seeing all the wonderful entries into the competition really demonstrated the children’s colourful originality and self-expression that, at Crayola’s core, we are all about unleashing. We are delighted to share Crayola art materials with Oliver and his class as part of the competition prize, and we hope they will continue to be inspired and express themselves as they explore, discover, play, pretend, and dream.”

Ends

The BMW Group

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises over 30 production sites worldwide; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2022, the BMW Group sold nearly 2.4 million passenger vehicles and more than 202,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2022 was € 23.5 billion on revenues amounting to € 142.6 billion. As of 31 December 2022, the BMW Group had a workforce of 149,475 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company set the course for the future at an early stage and consistently makes sustainability and efficient resource management central to its strategic direction, from the supply chain through production to the end of the use phase of all products.