Mini Union Jack tail lights

Stallingrad

Saw one last night.



I get the whole Mini English icon thing (despite the company being rescued and owned by the Germans) and I have no issue if you want a Union Jack decal on the roof, that is an optional extra and your prerogative. I am not anti UK or anything like it.

It may play well in the UK, but the idea of a nationalistic emblem (ANY nation) being a prescriptive part of a cars design seems arrogant and misguided to me. Especially in markets such as Ireland, France and Germany.

I am not sure if it will hurt sales but it would certainly rule the car out for me.

mickdw

Is that the standard tail lift or an option.
No issue with it as an option but if they have gone with it as standard fit, they have made a serious error.

This will probably spawn a whole pile of tacky aftermarket union Jack lights for all sorts of cars.

Leonard Hofstadter

They're standard over in the UK, but they're a cost option here. First time since BMW took over importing the cars directly that Irish and UK cars get different specs (other than kph clocks for here, obviously).

Stallingrad

As standard they have removed them here, but if you upgrade to LED headlights you have to have the Union Flag rear lights.

colm_mcm

This was discussed here before and apparently there’s the option to not have them but maybe you lose the led lights, apparently most Irish buyers are still taking them.

The mini itself is a brirish icon, so if you’re any way funny about the 800 years of oppression and all that, you probably won’t be the target buyer either way.

Tacklebox

It's quite a clever design all the same.

ELM327

If the trends I've seen on the ISF group on facebook about "the tans" continue, owners of these in Ireland may wake up to smashed lights.

coylemj

Stallingrad wrote: »

It may play well in the UK, but the idea of a nationalistic emblem (ANY nation) being a prescriptive part of a cars design seems arrogant and misguided to me. Especially in markets such as Ireland, France and Germany.

Didn't seem to hurt Irish sales of the Fiat 500 featuring the strip of colours from the Italian flag! Not technically an 'emblem' but certainly 'nationalistic' by anyone's standards.

Let's be honest here, it's only the Union Jack that offends us Irish. Go into any patisserie where you'll probably see French flags stuck into the pain au chocolate and nobody is offended.

hi5

Range Rover Velar has Union Jack seats and speaker grilles.

ELM327

coylemj wrote: »

Didn't seem to hurt Irish sales of the Fiat 500 featuring the strip of colours from the Italian flag! Not technically an 'emblem' but certainly 'nationalistic' by anyone's standards.

Let's be honest here, it's only the Union Jack that offends us Irish. Go into any patisserie where you'll probably see French flags stuck into the pain au chocolate and nobody is offended.

French, Italian etc we don't have a problem,
We even put german fonts on our cars.


UK is an issue of course.

V8 Interceptor

coylemj wrote: »

Let's be honest here, it's only the Union Jack that offends us Irish. Go into any patisserie where you'll probably see French flags stuck into the pain au chocolate and nobody is offended.

Its daft. Ireland is represented on the feckin' Union Jack.

As purely a piece of design the taillights look quite good. Wouldn't be my cup of tae though.

ELM327

V8 Interceptor wrote: »

Its daft. Ireland is represented on the feckin' Union Jack.

As purely a piece of design the taillights look quite good. Wouldn't be my cup of tae though.

The current union flag dating from the act of union in 1801 has the cross of st patrick on it to represent Ireland.


Of course that was an Ireland where the elected house of representatives were from the protestant landed gentry (the original west brits) and did not represent the Irish people.


It does not represent Ireland, now.

BrookieD

i love that design... also the Velar one is subtle, on my option list me thinks.

Stallingrad

colm_mcm wrote: »

you probably won’t be the target buyer either way.

You'd be wrong about that. I've driven Minis and they are great cars, like most people but I wouldn't buy one because of it Britishness, it would be because they are fun cars to drive.

jimgoose

Plenty Rover 75s knocked about here with the little Union Jack badge on the back and there was surprisingly little rioting or killing. The UJ is offensive anyways, on account of not representing Welshists, boyo.

bear1

I suggest we counter it and put our flag on every single car.
That'll teach em.

Dr Turk Turkelton

Only one person on the whole thread to correctly refer to it as the Union flag?
Or just fleg if your a nordie.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Dress it up anyway you want but this is an anti-British thing. If Toyotas, Hondas, Nissans, Mazdas, Subaru's etc had the Japanese flag on them no one would bat an eyelid, in fact people would spec their cars with them if they were optional (I certainly would) I don't have any intention of ever buying a mini and so I couldn't care less what they have as their rear lights, it makes no difference to me.

Wishbone Ash

Bicycles often come with the flag of origin of the maker on the frame. One of my bikes has a union jack, another has the Italian flag. Cyclists aren't small minded enough to get worked up about such things.

jimgoose

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Dress it up anyway you want but this is an anti-British thing. If Toyotas, Hondas, Nissans, Mazdas, Subaru's etc had the Japanese flag on them no one would bat an eyelid, in fact people would spec their cars with them if they were optional (I certainly would) I don't have any intention of ever buying a mini and so I couldn't care less what they have as their rear lights, it makes no difference to me.

HAI!!



:cool:

Cee-Jay-Cee

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Dress it up anyway you want but this is an anti-British thing...............

No one is trying to dress it up as anything else

biko

Tbh, I like it. The car is an icon and already famous for the Union Jack roof

People should be able to separate politics and icons

jimgoose

biko wrote: »

Tbh, I like it. The car is an icon and already famous for the Union Jack roof

People should be able to separate politics and icons...

Damn right!

Stallingrad

biko wrote: »

Tbh, I like it. The car is an icon and already famous for the Union Jack roof

People should be able to separate politics and icons

You're missing the point, the roof flag is optional, there is a good reason they don't all leave the factory that way, it would alienate too may people. THAT is why it is an option.

The same applies to the UJ lights.

Guy:Incognito

People need to get themselves some hobbies and stop worrying about other peoples things.

V8 Interceptor

ELM327 wrote: »

The current union flag dating from the act of union in 1801 has the cross of st patrick on it to represent Ireland. Of course that was an Ireland where the elected house of representatives were from the protestant landed gentry (the original west brits) and did not represent the Irish people. It does not represent Ireland, now.

:rolleyes:

Gregor Samsa

Any Republican Mini fans put off by the idea of the Union flag can always pretend it's a Basque flag

stoneill

Dr Turk Turkelton wrote: »

Only one person on the whole thread to correctly refer to it as the Union flag?
Or just fleg if your a nordie.

Butchers apron

realdanbreen

Dr Turk Turkelton wrote: »

Only one person on the whole thread to correctly refer to it as the Union flag?
Or just fleg if your a nordie.

The 'Butchers apron' ?

biko

Apron bucher?

Guy:Incognito

Butchers sausages

colm_mcm

Stallingrad wrote: »

You'd be wrong about that. I've driven Minis and they are great cars, like most people but I wouldn't buy one because of it Britishness, it would be because they are fun cars to drive.

I think you’ve taken me up wrong there. What I’m saying is anyone that has a problem with the flag would probably have a problem with it being a British icon so wouldn’t be buying one.

I’m not saying the mini is a car for anglophiles.

twin_beacon

ELM327 wrote: »

If the trends I've seen on the ISF group on facebook about "the tans" continue, owners of these in Ireland may wake up to smashed lights.

Like all groups, when it gets too large, the scum floats to the top. Its a real shame, that was a great group up to around 18 months ago.

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Dress it up anyway you want but this is an anti-British thing.

I seen those lights on a mini for the first time, I thought it was a clever design, but not in a million years would I get them on a car I owned, not because I'm anti-british, but because some people in Ireland are. As posted above, there is a chance those lights will be smashed.

Marcusm

hi5 wrote: »

Range Rover Velar has Union Jack seats and speaker grilles.

Interestingly the BMW version is of the post 1801 union flag (ie including the cross of St Patrick for Ireland) whereas the Range Rover equivalent seem to be the post 1707 Union Flag, ie Saltire and Cross of St George only. Wonder if that’s a nationalistic point.

Marcusm

jimgoose wrote: »

HAI!!



:cool:

More worryingly that is not the Japanese flag; it’s the Japanese war flag!

Zubeneschamali

When Scotland leaves the Union, will there be a recall to change the lights to the new flag of the United Kingdom of England, Wales and Northern Ireland?