Official MINI Press Release: After the worldwide launch of the new model generation, the MINI is continuing its sustainable growth. In May 2007, the millionth MINI since the market launch was delivered. Under the BMW Group umbrella, this premium small car has been available since summer 2001. On an accumulated basis, 1,003,536 MINI had been delivered to customers up to the end of May. In a monthly comparison, the sales growth for the MINI is 14.1 per cent, or a total of 19,864 vehicles sold (prev.yr.: 17,405). For the year to the end of May 2007, 85,110 MINI were sold, which is 3.5 per cent more than in the previous year (82,246).
The product mix remains high: in the first five months of the year, the MINI Cooper represented 58 per cent of deliveries, or 49,155 units, followed in second place by the top model, the MINI Cooper S, with 26,704 units (31 per cent). The MINI One, the latest version which has been available since the end of April, sold 9,251 units (11 per cent).
But we were told that Mini lots were full of these “failures”. Oh no, they’ve become Camerys!
R56s are piling up and collecting dust in MINI dealerships accross the country. Some members in NAM have been able to verify fairly large numbers of cars sitting at dealer lots. Cheap sub $250 leases on new R56s are the norm now days to move the metal out of dealer lots. You don’t have to base any of this by looking at inventory reported on each dealer’s website. A quick visit in person is all it takes and may be a few phone calls.
During the R53 era, MINI dealers kept an average of 11-day stock supply of cars. I would like to know how what is the day stock supply average for the R56. That is the number that tells the tale.
-Nigel
Same old story here… supply is far greater than demand on the R56… the complete flip side of the R53 era.
Same old story, sales are up along with denial.
oh yeah… sorry, I forgot. What we have here is a “miscalculated allocation” problem with the R56, there is no glut. 🙂
The MINI is no longer the “it” car it used to be.
Same comments from the same people. Somebody needs to get a life and a different car.
Apparently the reporting of a sales increase of 3.5 percent doesn’t make any difference. These same people would complain no matter what the circumstances. They probably complained when the supply was more constrained. Now, when the company has accounted for increased demand with proper planning, it’s still a failure.