With one of the most detailed monthly sales reports of any auto brand competing in the United States, Mini revealed their March 2015 sales in a breakdown that included door counts. Not since Volvo’s monthly report divvied up the V60’s sales by regular and Cross Country variants has a numbers addict been so pleased. Excluding the 540 leftover niche versions of the second-gen BMW Mini – Convertible, Roadster, Clubman, and Coupe – and 1654 sales of the high-riding Countryman and Paceman, Mini’s core Hardtop model was up 429% to 3635 units in March 2015; up 319% to 8224 units in the first-quarter of 2015. 42%, or 1509, of the March sales were produced by the 4-door. Precisely four out of every ten Mini Cooper Hardtops sold so far this year were 4-doors. The year-over-year results of the 2-door model are skewed by the fact that there was little overlap between the outgoing and incoming models. At this time last year, the 2-door’s demand had mostly dried up, as had much of the inventory. Thus, sales of that model alone are up 151% this year; up 209% in March. But with its somewhat awkward stance and $1000 premium, the 4-door has quickly become an integral part of the Mini lineup. First-quarter sales of the 4-door were greater, albeit marginally so, than first-quarter sales of the brand’s other 4-door, the Countryman, sales of which tumbled 25% over the first three months of 2015. ..... More at 4-Door Is Providing A Big Sales Boost To Mini USA - The Truth About Cars
This I find very surprising. The 4 doors hatch reminds me more of a cross between a better looking Clubman and a Countryman than the 2 door hatch, and that look just doesn't work for me. I think it goes with the change in demographics that the MINI brand has undergone since 2002. "Awkward stance" is being kind. The car mags have said much worse, and I have to agree with them.
I don't find this surprising. There are a lot of people who wouldn't buy a 3 door due to lack of space, and wouldn't buy a clubman because of the rear door setup. Now, hopefully this doesn't convince MINI that discontinuing the 3-door is a good thing to do, just because everyone's buying the 4-door.
^^^^ yup they are selling to soccer Moms and tree huggers that only care about MPG and tech crap. They have sold out and are no longer interested in the driving enthuistes that made the MINI brand so popular so this is no suprise to me. Glad I have the MINI I want as I will not be buying another one.
I may not have gotten a first gen, but I at least got the best 2nd gen I could. I've got a feeling the next car will be a Focus ST or another GTI.
Not a surprise. I think the 4 door has better proportions than the 2 door. Not that I want a 4 door anything. I'll have my MINI a good long while yet then maybe the rumored new CR-Z with the type r motor.
I know Germans take things litterly.....but "growing the brand" means more than car size!! I can see how the 5 door is good to have...tempting the 20 something's that are getting married, starting families.... So a car they can grow into....but looks a bit like an higher price Honda fit.... Still waiting to pass one in "the wild" too see if it looks OK....the bigger size does seem to make the front look less...er...henious, and the back lights look less...er...comical...poprpotions are better than on the 2 door in some ways, but it is less mini and more tall 5 door....more like a tall wagon... Now if the sold them in brown and diesel, car journalists would be thrilled!! Might it be better than a fit in many ways...you bet...does it scream MINI...guess the market is deciding
For the last 8 years, MINI has talked about 'growing the brand', meaning selling more cars. They have created models that, in their estimation, would have broader appeal. If their Q1 results are duplicated in Q2-4, they will have sold about 40 thousand cars, which, if I'm not mistaken is about what they were selling 8 years ago. There's a rule of thumb in the automotive manufacturing industry: a manufacturer with a real dealer network and some advertising dollars can sell at least 10,000 of any model they introduce, meaning that no matter how bad or unpopular a car is, they'll sell 10k of them. MINI is essentially moving forward with 4 models, averaging the barest of minimum in sales. Maybe it's time to for them to take a risk and create a few aspirational models that bring prestige and excitement back to the brand (Superleggera would be a start, Rocketman, if they kept its stone cold mortal cuteness, would also help).
What many of you seem to forget is that BMW is the business of making cars for a profit. If they don't sell they don't make money. Thats the bottom line here. It is these "mass sold" vehicles such as the 4 door MINI that will provide more money to create halo cars like the GP's of yore. Much like Porsche builds the Cayenne to help pay the cost of things like a GT3. How many 6 cyl Camaros are sold for every SS version or whatever the halo one is. Keep that in mind when you keep kicking what MINI does. Oh yeah, you nattering nabobs of negativism. On top of all, you are chasing new people from M/A. A few people that have tried to show their F56 and mod it too, just get told around here their car is garbage. Think about how much you'd want to be around if what you are constantly berated for your car choice.
I'd argue that you've got the cart before the horse in your MINI and Porsche analyses: Porsche sells tons of Cayennes because the GT3 creates brand value and prestige. If Porsche didn't have aspirational cars, the sport utes wouldn't sell. They don't make Cayennes so they can sell GT3s, they make GT3s which maintain the incredible brand value of Porsche, so people buy Porsche sport utility vehicles, even though there value isn't as good as their competitors. That's why it's vital to maintain the brand enthusiasm for MINIs by producing at least one car that has true enthusiast value. Folks that wouldn't otherwise buy an aspirational MINI (like Superleggera, Rocketman) come to love the brand, and purchase the 4 door, despite it offering less value than it's competition. Without an enhanced brand value created by aspirational cars, MINI is an 'also-ran' in the 4-door hatch market (VW sells between 150-200k Golfs per quarter).
Now, now now....Many of us R53 owners were told over and over how crappy our car was compared to the new R56 when it hit the scene. Didn't bother me one bit. Many of the R56 owners are regulars here, we agree to disagree and the world turns. To be honest I have a hard time telling who owns what anymore. Except for Dave.:cornut: But, it's a different crowd coming in now, and you're right, we're going to have to be more civilized if they're going to join in. I'm trying....Really, I am.... As these cars get harder and harder to modify, they attract a different demographic. But there are a few out there that come in here with an attitude similar to all of ours in 2002, excited to get into the MINI thing, and yeah, we should encourage them, even if the F56 isn't our thing. Once they've been around for awhile, I suspect the skin will thicken and we can good naturedly and not so good naturedly take shots at each other, and no one will get hurt. I may not like the F56, but if someone comes in here and mods the crap out of it, I suspect most if not all of us will applaud or at least take an interest. Otherwise sites like these will eventually die as the R53's and R56's gradually disappear. But your post leads to a great swag idea--picture a T-shirt with this: Motoring Alliance "NNN" Club I'd order one.
The thing is, the "halo" cars and cars folks aspire to buy moves the more more mundane..... This increases volume....even if some are sold in low numbers at a loss.... The volume cars support the few "halo" cars cause you cannot expect to amotrize the cost of making a few cars like a "gp", etc... Up till now, mini has tried to make nothing but deritives of the basic mini.... Kinda like the Honda accord and the crosstour, or the Toyoda highlander and the venza... Both deritives ...and both newly canceled...they were just too much like their cousins to make sense to many folks......even with a low development cost.
Just for perspective on this topic, MINI USA sales figures and number of models offered: 2002 - 24,590 (1) Hardtop only 2003 - 36,010 2004 - 36,032 2005 - 40,820 (2) Convertible added 2006 - 39,171 2007 - 42,045 2008 - 54,077 (3) Clubman added 2009 - 45,225 2010 - 45,644 (4) Countryman added 2011 - 40,828 2012 - 45,111 (6) Coupe/Roadster added 2013 - 41,915 (7) Paceman added 2014 - 31,385 (7) Hardtop transition year 2015 - TBD - (5) 4-door Hardtop added, Clubman, Coupe, and Roadster retired Has "growing the brand" with more models been an effective strategy to increase sales? It was for a while.
^^^ have that for Worldwide? While the US is probably the largest single market, if I remember the capacity levels, it only is about 1/6 of the total volume.
If people will just admit that MINI sold out and killed a great "little" driving enthuistes car the world would be fine . Just admit it already. :incazzato: They don't build large MINI's to support anything other then the BMW Mothership. The X3 is a pile of steaming dung so they made the MINI BIGGER to sell more cars to the masses because they failed with the BMW versions. They took a unique little trendy car and made it an appliance. They have ruined the brand and unless someone like Stevenson comes back it will continue to be just another ugly car and just MINI by name only. The world does not need bean counters with silk scarfs as designers. We need real visionaries that can look at the past, design without limits and not the BMW techie parts bins. Again I am glad I have the only MINI I will buy besides a nice used GP. "The Real Original GP" Don't like my view of BMINIW, just keep scrolling.
I was going to write something similar about 2 posts into this thread but didn't. It's real difficult to post anything without getting smacked for having anything that with a chassis code that doesn't end in 3. I don't think everything BMW has done is a masterstroke, but there are different strokes for different folks.