Most car owners, and even car enthusiasts, couldn’t tell you the name of the person running their favorite car brand. But many MINI owners can not only tell you his name, but can say they have met him and even motored with him.
James L. “Jim” McDowell is Vice President of MINI USA. He’s a Harvard graduate and formerly worked at Porsche. Jim joined BMW in 1993 and “famously” traded jobs with Jack Pitney to become the head of MINI USA in 2005. For an automotive executive, Jim is highly accessible. He often attends major events like MINI Takes the States and most new MINI dealership openings and will gladly chat and sign an autograph.
Jim might be most famous, however, for his recent challenge to Porsche: