MINIUSA Sets Goal of Doubling Sales

<p>33 employees. That’s not many people to cover an entire country.</p>

<p>Keep it small, MINI….keep it small!</p>

<p>Jim was at MINIsOnTop this summer (<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.gbmini.net/gallery/MOT2005/PICT0206?full=1">he is on the right in this pic</a>)</p>

<p>It strikes me that he has taken one of the easiest jobs on the planet. Step 1: get Mini to produce more units. Step 2: get Mini to send them to the U.S. Step 3: call it a day.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Where are these additional MINIs going to come from?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Here’s your answer:</p>

<p><a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.motoringfile.com/2005/02/18/mini_plant_oxford_to_expand">motoringfile.com/2005/02/18/mini<em>plant</em>oxford<em>to</em>expand</a></p>

<p><a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.motoringfile.com/2005/02/16/more_on_bmws_increased_mini_investment">motoringfile.com/2005/02/16/more<em>on</em>bmws<em>increased</em>mini_investment</a></p>

<p><a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.motoringfile.com/2005/02/01/bmw_to_increase_mini_production_capacity">motoringfile.com/2005/02/01/bmw<em>to</em>increase<em>mini</em>production_capacity</a></p>

<p>Or at least the increased numbers will include variants. I don’t mind seeing 5-10 MINIs a day, as long as there are some different styles.</p>

<p>A local dealer told me they will receive 50 less cars allocated to them this next year! How will that help. Is this the same for all dealers or are they just opening more dealerships?</p>

<p>How long is the wait to get your MINI after ordering it, generally?</p>

<p>I hope the first thing on his list is to get more dealerships in the western US. The closest dealership to me is an hour away and it’s the ONLY dealership in the entire state of Washington, and it’s the closest dealership to Idaho and Montana. Getting my car serviced is a gigantic pain in the ass.</p>

<p>JimOhio,</p>

<p>[here is what i would do bring back the austin mini</p>

<p>you have 3 choice austin mini 850 $6,500.00 austin mini 1000 $7,000.00 austin mini 1275 $7,250.00</p>

<p>and the only options are the following 1. left hand or right hand drive 2. rally lights 3. chrome GB ensignas</p>

<p>rally lights would be 49.99 chrome GB would be 12.99
]
<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/FUJI-PROFESSIONAL-ROAD-BIKE-FULL-CARBON-DURA-ACE_W0QQitemZ7175371977QQcategoryZ98084QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem" rel="nofollow ugc">http://cgi.ebay.com/FUJI-PROFESSIONAL-ROAD-BIKE-FULL-CARBON-DURA-ACE_W0QQitemZ7175371977QQcategoryZ98084QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem</a></p>

<p>Add a couple of rally lights & ensignas & you’d be in business…</p>

<blockquote>
<p>In the SF Bay Area the wait is from 6 to 18 months usually. Add a $2K – $3K dealer premium on top of that from most dealers here and you have a classic supply and demand market.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>When I placed my order in Feb ’04 from San Fran BMW/Mini it took 9 weeks for delivery (first week in May ’04). I paid a dealer markup of $1,0000 (SF Mini had a $1,500 mark up) but because I had done some research and found that Mt.View MINI had a mark up of $1,000 the SF dealer matched that. Pleasanton Mini had no dealer mark up but I would have had to wait 6 months of a Mini.</p>

<p>Now I don’t know how it is now in ’05. We here in the Bay Area have 4 Mini dealers and one in Sacramento. If you have that many dealers I would check each for mark up cost and deliver time, they seem to vary. Since you can’t get anything below MSRP try getting the mark up cost lower.</p>

<p>I was worried for a while there that we had lost Jim – thankfully we are not disappointed ;)</p>

<p>Go for it Jim; set up a company and sell classic Minis – just make sure the owners never get in an accident, or drive when it’s too cold or too hot. You’d make millions, especially with the high price of gas …</p>

<p>… right up to the first accident where the car shrinks even further from 10 foot long to 1 foot!</p>

<p>McDowell makes an interesting goal, but he has very little control over it. I do not see MiniUSA being able to double their sales without significant plant growth. The plant is already at capacity and they can’t make enough to meet demand.</p>

<p>Secondly, I don’t see them doubling sales without increasing dealerships significantly. We have less dealerships than England. We alienate a large portion of the population with the current dealer setup. For most intents and purposes, you can’t purchase a Mini practically unless you live near a major city and even then a lot of people simply don’t purchase a Mini because they don’t want to drive a hour or so to a dealership.</p>

<p>Either way sales for Minis is directly linked to manufacturing at this time, not marketing or any other factor. This is because in the US there is still a high demand, and a wait. People for the most part can’t buy one off the lot. If the cars were sitting on the lot, than marketing would cause an increase, but with allocations locked to a fixed number, than manufacturing is the bottleneck.</p>

<p>those are valid questions…</p>

<p>first..
when i bring back the austin mini.. though we could sell millions..</p>

<p>we would do what the MINI was supposed to have done.. i will limit the sales of new austin minis…. buyers will hav to pass a test in order to buy one.</p>

<p>if a buyer starts to ask about any of the following, they would be denied a purchase</p>

<p>so again.. these topics would deny a buyer.. discussions of:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>ipods</p></li>
<li><p>blackberries</p></li>
<li><p>blueberries</p></li>
<li><p>18″ wheels</p></li>
<li><p>turbos</p></li>
<li><p>blue tooths</p></li>
<li><p>yellow teeth</p></li>
<li><p>run flats</p></li>
<li><p>heated seats</p></li>
<li><p>two vs 3 spoke wheel</p></li>
<li><p>any debate of shades of blue</p></li>
<li><p>discussion of a larger austin</p></li>
<li><p>leather</p></li>
<li><p>two tone leather</p></li>
<li><p>“works”</p></li>
<li><p>c d players</p></li>
<li><p>cassette players</p></li>
<li><p>radios</p></li>
<li><p>stereos</p></li>
<li><p>rear wipers</p></li>
<li><p>premium packages</p></li>
<li><p>sport packages</p></li>
<li><p>cold weather packages</p></li>
</ul>

<p>so.. i will eliminate “non real mini” owners.. </p>

<p>there will be a huge buzz over the new austin mini.. we will control who is allowed to buy one..</p>

<p>in fact the real austin buyer will have some shock and that we even offer left hand drive minis..</p>

<p>so this is my first major change.
there will be no left hand drive minis..
so now just two options</p>

<ol>
<li><p>rally lights 49.99</p></li>
<li><p>GB badges 12.99 </p></li>
</ol>

<p>ok ok..
now to the next question..
the new austin motors would sell enough to stay in business, employ enough employees to sell austin minis to who we deem capable of being a good austin mini owner.</p>

<p>see the new austin mini company debunks the theory that growth is always good in business.. we can make a reasonable profit, have fun doing it.. and keep the austin mini brand strong and vibrant..</p>

<p>i may even call it
the new austin motors</p>

<p>or the new austin mini</p>

<p>will bmw prevent me from using the Mini name.. i know they protected MINI.</p>

<p>have they protected Mini also</p>

<p>how can they protect Mini if Mini was around long before MINI was ever thought of..</p>

<p>well anyway…
Austin motors sounds good</p>

<p>or the new austin motors</p>

<p>well anyway..
we will do an initial IPO
we only need about $500,000.00
rent a small building.
some equipment
we will only build a mini after it is ordered.</p>

<p>we will not really have a service department.. we will have dealers.</p>

<p>real mini fans will buy a mini with no warranty.. we will not have a warranty..
mini owners will be so happy to have an austin mini they will pay for any work needed</p>

<p>we will offer a list of mechanics we know of that we have certified as mini mechanics</p>

<p>we will not sel parts either..
we will get a commission of parts sales to web sites we refer to</p>

<p>to become a dealer..
it will not be very expensives
small showroom</p>

<p>3 cars on showroom</p>

<p>mini 850</p>

<p>mini 1000</p>

<p>mini 1275</p>

<p>and our accessory case will hold our two accessories</p>

<p>rally lights</p>

<p>and GB emblems</p>

<p>this is a great idea.</p>

<p>who wants to invest in the IPO
we need a stock symbol</p>

<p>JimOhio, why do your posts seem to be covered in something sticky?</p>

<p>JimOhio, your business model is a complete failure. You will not stay in business for more than a week.</p>

<p>Think about it, no one wants to be JUDGED to be able to buy an AFFORDABLE car. No one will buy a NEW car without a warranty. Maybe a miniscule amount will, but not enough for you to stay in business.</p>

<p>What happens if you cannot find enough people deemed “worthy” to buy your product. I guess you’ll have to lower your standards or go out of business.</p>

<p>Also, will you attempt to control who these buyers then sell their USED Minis to after X years? Will the sellers be forced to subject the prospective buyers to a test? Do you really think people would stand for it?</p>

<p>Let’s say you have an initial mass influx of buyers. After all the “worthy” ones own your Mini, what then? Will they come back to you every year for another one? Will they amass a collection of Minis? Maybe they’ll decide to sell their used Minis (see paragraph 4).</p>

<p>You cannot be a specialty shop, charge the low prices you want, be as picky as you want with your customer base, and still stay in business. It won’t happen. You’ll have to go out of business, because your “standards” won’t allow you to sell out to a larger entity, either.</p>

<p>Then you just might start to see why BMW decides to expand production on the MINI and how businesses are actually run.</p>

<p>JimOhio,</p>

<p>why don’t you just create your own blog so that you can read your own headlines whenever you want? </p>

<p>this site is not your austin mini blog. please sell your mini asap as we obviously don’t rate with you.</p>

<p>nirvana</p>

<p>Does the phrase “beating a dead horse come to mind anyone?”</p>

<p>Wow, you <em>are</em> ignorant, OhioJoe. How do you think it will pass safety and emission standards. You know, that’s why they only sold the classics in the U.S. for a few years.</p>

<p>And with a 10% markup on a $7,250 car, they would need to sell over 138 cars… and that’s with your highest model.</p>

<p>And how could you never need retooling. Of course your original design will have flaws. And you will have recalls. And you will get your ass sued. No rust proofing? Nobody in the rust belt would even consider buying one.</p>

<p>Rally lights would cost a bit more than $50 I imagine. I know it costs almost that just to replace one headlight on my Jeep Wrangler.</p>

<p>I’d rather get a Kia Rio or something for the price you want. They have 100,000 mile power train warranties too. And they’re actually kinda nice (albeit slow)</p>

<p>Is there not a way we could have JimOhios MINI forceably removed from him and given to somebody who believes in the MINI spirit.</p>

<p>JimOhio posts from AOL – I don’t suppose Gabe can block those IPs!</p>

<p>Thanks Gabe.</p>

<p>Geez… What the heck happened with this thread? …Nastiness to MINI owners…a blogging fool …a banned IP? </p>

<p>What is this world coming too?</p>

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<li><ul>
<li>m</li>
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