Rory Jurnecka

on
April 21 2011 10:00 AM

It isn’t the first celebrity-automaker tie-in and it certainly won’t be the last, but at least this one’s for a good cause. Mini announced today at the New York auto show that it will sell four custom-painted Mini Countrymans hatchbacks (Countrymen?) with the proceeds going to charity.

Inspiration obviously comes from the rock band seen in the photos, KISS. Each of the vehicles is designed to represent one member of the band, with inspiration coming from the musician’s famous face-painted designs. Each Countryman will also be signed by each member of the band. The four custom-painted Minis will then be listed on 10-day-long eBay auctions starting May 29, with proceeds to go to UNICEF to aid children in Japan affected by the recent natural disaster.

Don’t think you’ll be able to pony up the cash to pick up a one-off KISSed Countryman? Mini also will also offer the design schemes as a vinyl wrap option as part of the Mini Motoring Graphics program. Starting today, the wraps will be available for purchase as a dealer-installed accessory, though pricing was not announced. Proceeds from the special wrap jobs will also be donated to UNICEF.

KISS frontman, Gene Simmons, introduced the cars along with two other band members live at the show (one member of KISS was unable to attend), alongside a face-painted Mini USA vice president, Jim McDowell.

Be sure to stay tuned to Motor Trend for the rest of our live 2011 New York auto show coverage.

Source: Mini

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Fairtheworld today commented on the new GM’s decision to join with eBay. The newly restructured GM had several moves: the old GM model is being scrapped, while the new GM will take environmentally-friendly small cars as its core research focus. As for sales, GM will now experiment with new operational models which will enable customers to purchase cars and services more conveniently.

The new GM is reported to be in talks with eBay, in the hope of building online auto sales channels through the eBay portal. If struck, the deal will allow customers to buy cars online, purchasing and auctioning them like they do on any other goods. This will fundamentally change the existing auto sales model, and may become a future direction.

Fairtheworld.com has already recently put forward the “online 4S store” concept. The revolutionary “Fair N Fair” 3D Virtual Expo platform, developed by Fairtheworld, will provide complete online sales solutions for auto companies. 3D virtual reality technology allows for a 360-degree, full view display of cars in “Fair N Fair”, greatly enhancing the experience of visitors and buyers.

The newly-emerged e-commerce platform “Fair N Fair”, with its vividness and industrial clustering feature, will help auto companies achieve functions such as purchasing and supplying, bidding and inviting tenders, and recruitment, as well as building and expanding sales networks.

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