MINI Sales Up, Everyone else down

OUCH! Percentage increases or decreases aside, the sales volume numbers are incredible. I never would have expected that MINI would top a mainstream brand like Volvo in units sold, especially with their limited dealer network.

I will say to MINI to enjoy the wave while you can. The financial crisis is beginning to hit hard Europe and Asia. We haven’t seen nothing yet.

Are these numbers based on US sales?

It’s an Apples and Oranges comparison – not accurate. All the other vendors – a buy decision and a sale occur fairly close together. For MINI, the buy decision usually precedes the “Sale” date by several months. The MINI sales numbers the chart shows are purchasing decisions made month prevously – so would more fairly compare to the other automakers sales in the same months the MINI “purchasing decision” was made, not the delayed delivery. Let’s see what the MINI numbers look like in Feb and March.

Mk1, C4 Perhaps you didn’t read the post by PatrickForman, so I will repeat – there is only a five to six week gap between order and delivery, ergo late August/September orders where delivered in October. November would be late September/October orders. Orders that were placed in the midst of the meltdown. C4, that is any easy prediction, given Dec-Feb is the slowest period for car sales, and in the north can be influenced heavilyy by the weather. Who wants to car shop in the worst of winter weather?

Okay – Checked with my old SA to really see what’s what. Yes Virgina, MINI sales are down too, pretty much in line with all the other manufacturers. Three/four months ago his Dealership had about a dozen MINI’s in stock, if that, and couldn’t get them in fast enough. Today, the count is ONE-HUNDRED THIRTEEN MINI’s on their lot, and about the same low foot traffic in their MINI dealership as in their BMW and Caddy Dealerships next door. Down to three SAs from five a few months ago.

We put down a deposit for the R57 early this year and I have a question for the veteran owners … talking to some of the local Mini owners, especially in the So Cal area, it sounds like there is no room to negotiate on the price of the vehicle … if you want a new Mini, you just have to pay the MSRP, take it or leave it. I’m wondering if now that the price has gone up, are dealers going to be willing to negotiate the price at all?

What’s really interesting is that the only two to have sales drop less than 10% were Subary and Lincoln! Go figure!

Matt