This is the question many of us have been asking for years now. But now with the UKL platform, that change might be upon...The post Can MINI Grow Its Brand Without Losing Its Fans? appeared first on MotoringFile. (visit MotoringFile for the full article) More...
The core of the brand will remain the two-door hatch and the Clubman is as big Mini will get are significant statements! I am so glad I went for the Roadster before its extinction.
It may be my imagination, but it seem's to me that as the MINI itself, and the brand have grown bigger, the content of the various "fan based" forums that sprung up in response to the release of the Gen 1 MINI has declined.
I'll say yes, but it will be a different set of fans. I think it will become even more premium and it will gain the same support of BMW, Merc, and Audi. At some point there will be a re-launch of a small retro-MINI that will likely be even bigger than the F56, but after a couple more years of the offerings getting bigger and bigger it will seem MINI again.
I never was a "fan of the brand" - I like the R53, nothing much else. They never were able to top the appeal of that design with anything that followed in my view. That's the problem when you hit a home run on your first try. After that the investors ask the company to do even better by selling such a car to more people, even those who don't have the slightest clue about cars or why the small Mini is such a gem. These potential mass market buyers are presumed to want a blend of what the R53 was and what makes a Toyota Camry a best seller, without realizing that when you blend those two design philosophies, you get neither. The crazy thing is, that this in fact will sell more cars, just not cars I would want to own. Thing is, I will never buy a new car from a dealership anyway. Makes no sense to me, so I am really not even remotely the target audience of what BMW is trying to peddle at Mini dealerships. I'm willing to do a little wrenching here and there to make up for the $20k I save over a new car that in a few years will have the same or even more problems, just without an enthusiast following to help me along to keep it going. There won't be a cult following for the 2016 Mini anywhere in 2026.
They regurgitated the same Automotive News article that is already the subject of an active thread here.
There is a whole industry devoted to subtle re-writes of original content then giving it a click bait headline.
Funny you say that... I'd actually buy a small FWD pickup that handled. All I need to do is haul bikes around. :lol:
My Dad had a VW Rabbit diesel pickup truck. It got 40 miles/gallon and lasted forever. It got passed around the family for years. It didn't handle too bad either.
New MINI is trying hard to be BMW... If I wanted a BMW, I wouldn't drive MINI... I'll pass on "disco light" interior, rear view camera, plush/stitched leather, etc. I'm sticking with my 2006 JCW... Until the ROCKETMAN... Maybe... If BMW ever wakes up from profit induced comma of just going after new customers who just buy one MINI, and then after move on to the next brand.