With the F56 still ramping up MINI USA sales are down as expected for the month of May. The good news here (also as expected) is that MINI USA had another record month of used inventory. Basically there aren’t enough new cars for sale so customers are buying CPO MINIs. Full chart after the break. […] More...
It's not the new car it's the fact that MINI (all generation) are not reliable cars. Also the reason they have so may CPO cars is because they are buying them all up at the dealer only auctions. It not like people are trading in more MINI then can be made.
Actually, that's only part of the story. According to Cars.com, the 2014 MINI Hardtop was one of the hottest-selling cars for May, only sitting on dealer lots for 15 days until sold. If this trend continues (and with the supply of 2014 MINIs now ramping up), MINI's numbers for the year-to-date should be positive next month. 2015 models of all hot-selling vehicles outnumbered 2014 models 2 to 1. The fastest seller was the 2015 Porsche Macan, selling in 5 days, and the slowest seller was the 2014 Jaguar F-Type at 236 days. The average for all vehicles was 61 days.
I think its because of what MINI is now charging for new cars... Back when I got into MINIs you could buy a decently upgraded R53 for less than $30K... Last I was on MINIs website, I configured a Clubman JCW that came out over $40K! And now with all the tech stuff that the enthusiasts don't want, but are pretty much forced to have, that $40K is the new normal. Its ridiculous to think that your average buyer is going to shell out that kind of cash for a brand that has proven to be somewhat unreliable, when they could go to the Asian markets, get a car with as much or more pep, plus still be stylish and fun to drive for a LOT less. Plus have an actual car, not a computer full of distracting gizmos that nobody really needs forced on them if they simply want a better factory sound system, or have to purchase a $5000 options package, just because they would like to have a sunroof... What do I know though, I have an R53 that has been modded by me to be what I want. Manufacturers hate people like us, that would rather build it the way we want it, starting with their base "performance" oriented model.
