Worldwide MINI Sales Down 12% Year to Date
BMW Release: Since the production of the current MINI Convertible ended in August, the final units are gradually being removed from stock. Nonetheless during the past month 498 MINI Convertibles were still delivered to customers (prev..yr.: 2,147 / -76.8%). However, fans of the MINI Convertible will have to wait for the new model to be launched in the first half of 2009. Due to this temporary interruption in the MINI model programme, deliveries of the brand were 3.4% lower in October than for the same month last year. In the month under review, MINI delivered a total of 17,385 vehicles worldwide (prev.yr.: 17,989).
Overall MINI recorded a decrease of 12.0% (2,233 vehicles / prev.yr.: 2,538) in the first three quarters of 2008.
Wow! So looking at how good USA figures are, there must be some huge downturns in other countries!
Mini has been having some issues at home with their sales figures and have been loosing some ground in many other pars of Europe also (along with every other brand).
The last time I saw the English figures they showed a slowdown. I am sure this is a two part causation,first the economic slowdown hasn’t helped anyone, also with more direct completion think they have lost a tiny bit of market share. It does make me wonder if this is part of the reason for the production of the R60, since Mini’s classical area of prime small cars is having other builders successfully building tough competition for its current market.
Having said all that still think Mini is much better off than most brands at this point.
Yes, I’d guess the lower sales in the European market are due to a lot of head-to-head in the small car space. Europe has a ton of cars in that space we never see in the U.S., and most of those manufactures were quick to design/build models to compete with the MINI.
Mini dealers in the USA have had either low or no inventory of key models for months–with months more to go. Anybody want a Mini ragtop with a current drive train? The first rule of retail is that you can’t sell from an empty cart.
So Mini sales are down. Duh. What was your first clue?
Still, this is a growth rate that Chrysler, GM or Ford would die to have….
Sorry for the poor choice of words…
Matt
Indeed Matt, actually many manufactures out there that looks at this data drooling these days. As for you wording Matt think it was spot on!
Yes, but MINI sales are a drop in the bucket compared to that of the major league dogs.
Still, the MINI is the right product at the right time and BMWUSA should pat themeselves on the back from bringing this car at a time when gas was cheap, SUVs ruled the sales charts and no one believed that “Small”and “Cool”would ever set the US automotive landscape on fire.
The US market is definetely driving MINI sales. However MINI needs to continue to improve the product and lower admission prices.
MINI Europe sales up to October 2008 are ahead 6% to 128,000 (ACEA). When you think that Europe isn’t much larger in sales than the US, then market penetration is almost three times higher. The US still has much potential for MINI on that basis.