Tuesday 27 May 2008

Experience Four Different States of Euphoria: Rolling Stone Music Stage to Present Performances by Leading Musical Acts at MINI Takes the States 2008

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J., May 27 -- When hundreds of MINI
owners and their MINIs roll into four cities this summer for MINI Takes the
States 2008, Rolling Stone magazine, the number one pop culture reference,
will present performances by leading musical acts that are sure to rock the
crowd.

Hosted by MINI USA, the series of events for MINI owners and future
MINI owners will celebrate the spirit of the MINI brand in the U.S., and
will foster a sense of community among a growing group of passionate owners
and enthusiasts. MTTS 2008 will converge upon Miami from June 13th-15th,
Boston from June 20th-22nd, Chicago from July 25th-27th, and Los Angeles
from August 1st-3rd. Online event registration, more information and
specific event details are available at: http://www.minitakesthestates.com.

Headline artists to be presented on the Rolling Stone Music Stage at
MTTS 2008 are:


-- Michelle Branch (Miami), Sat., June 14 at 8:00 p.m., Homestead Miami
Speedway, Homestead, Fla.
-- Fountains of Wayne (Boston), Sat., June 21 at 8:00 p.m., University of
Massachusetts, Boston, Mass.
-- Blues Traveler (Chicago), Sat., July 26 at 8:00 p.m., Road America,
Elkhart Lake, Wis.
-- Vertical Horizon (Los Angeles), Sat., Aug. 2 at 8:00 p.m., Rose Bowl
Stadium, Pasadena, Calif.

Admission to MTTS 2008 is $20 for advance online registration at
http://www.minitakesthestates.com, or $30 for on-site registrants. The net
proceeds from the registration fees will benefit regional MINI Motoring
Hearts(TM) charitable organizations. The Motoring Hearts program helps
members of the MINI community easily find volunteer activities that match
their interests.

The MINI Takes the States 2008 events will welcome members of the MINI
community, prospective MINI owners and the otherwise curious for two days
of action-packed events and activities. Event highlights include: an
autocross, go-kart racing, rock climbing, a fun zone, a mountain bike stunt
show, a car wash, MINI merchandise, product displays, live music and
entertainment.

The inaugural MINI Takes the States of 2006 drew more than 6,000 MINI
enthusiasts to join in a 15-day, 19-state, cross-country road trip from
Monterrey, Calif., to Lime Rock, Conn. The 3,904-mile route included major
event stops along the way in Nashville, St. Louis, Indianapolis and Jersey
City, N.J.

For more information about events for MINI Takes the States 2008,
please visit http://www.minitakesthestates.com

MINI in the US

MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States,
MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC which has
been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA,
LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States
has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations
for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand,
and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial
design firm in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and
various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC
in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's global manufacturing network and
is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all Z4 models, X5 Sports Activity
Vehicles and X6 Sport Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is
represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car centers,
335 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 142 BMW motorcycle retailers, 82
MINI passenger car dealers, and 30 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US)
Holding Corp., the BMW Group's sales headquarters for North, Central and
South America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.



Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the
Internet at:

http://www.bmwgroupna.com
http://www.bmwusa.com
http://www.bmwmotorcycles.com
http://www.miniusa.com
http://www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com
About the Artists

Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Michelle Branch has always been a
young woman in a big hurry. At the age of 18 she released her first
multi-platinum album and turned the world onto her catchy, heartfelt sound
with the hit singles "Everywhere" and "All You Wanted." Her second album
proved to be just as successful with the hit singles "Are You Happy Now?"
and "Breathe." Branch has collaborated with Carlos Santana and broke down
the barriers between pop and country with her band The Wreckers. The Grammy
winner is now back at work in the studio on her new solo album that is sure
to embody the timeless, bold music fans have come to expect from her.

Fountains of Wayne took America by storm in 1996 with their single
"Radiation Vibe," solidifying it as a top hit of the decade. The New York
band has shown that their sound is just as relevant almost a decade later
with their irresistibly catchy 2003 hit "Stacy's Mom." Their newest album
Traffic and Weather received a four-star review by Rolling Stone, and is
reestablishing the band as a definite force to be reckoned with in 2008.

Blues Traveler formed in New York City twenty years ago. With the
release of Four (1994) Blues Traveler spawned one of the biggest hits of
1990s -- the Grammy-winning "Run-Around" -- which spent nearly a year on
the charts and, along with the hit single "Hook," drove the album to sell
over 5 million copies. Over the course of their career the band has
released 8 studio albums, six of which have been certified either gold or
platinum and have collectively sold over 10 million units worldwide.

Vertical Horizon developed their reputation for electrifying live
performances through years of touring, building their fan base from a
devoted grass-roots following to a fiercely loyal international audience.
Their multi-platinum debut album, Everything You Want, featured four hit
singles, including "You're A God," "Best I Ever Had," "We Are," and the
title track, which reached #1 on the Billboard charts and was the most
played song of the year 2000 on Top Forty radio. Their follow-up album, Go,
featured the hits "I'm Still Here" and "Forever." Vertical Horizon's new
release, Burning the Days, will be released this fall.




See Also