MINI Countryman Wins ALG’s 2011 Best Residual Value Award
More awards news from the LA Auto Show. ALG (The Automotive Lease Guide) has named the all new 2011 MINI Countryman the winner of thier 2011 Residual Value Award as Best Sporty Car. What this means is that ALG predicts the 2011 Countryman will retain the highest value percentage of its MSRP of any car in its class after three years. From the ALG website:
Recognizing that residual values are a widely used measure of brand health and vehicle quality, ALG honors those vehicles in each segment predicted to retain the highest percentage of their MSRP after a three year period. The annual awards are derived after careful study of segment competition, sales strategy, resale performance, and industry residual values. ALG also includes Industry Brand Residual Value Awards, bestowed on the brands with the highest predicted resale values among all mainstream and luxury vehicles.
This makes for the sixth time MINI as a brand has received a best in class award from ALG for predicted residual value. Raj Sundaram, SVP, Solutions Group and ALG, had this to say about the Countryman specifically:
“The 4-door Countryman combines the brand’s trademark superior handling with more passenger and luggage space and optional all-wheel drive for a ride that offers more utility than any other MINI Cooper. With a unique distribution strategy and strict supply management, MINI maintains some of the best residuals in the business.â€
With the Countryman likely to be a significant sales success in the US market, higher residual value will work to sweeten the deal for anyone who purchases one, and likely help further cement MINI’s reputation as a premium car company. Congratulations to everyone at MINI!
<p>It seems like odd concept to me, like annually awarding a football team a trophy for being the “most likely” to win the next Super Bowl.</p>
<p>So just how accurate has this organization been in predicting residuals three years out?</p>
<p>“So just how accurate has this organization been in predicting residuals three years out?”</p>
<p>I’d say extremely accurate since they get the numbers straight from bmw/mini – and they are the ones who set the residuals.</p>
<p>Now what could you sell/trade the car for after 3 years? That is a different question.</p>
<p>I’m more interested in predicted reliablity, especially with respect to the All-4 drivetrain.</p>
<p>One of the most worthless awards for sure. Though the MINI Cooper has retained great resale for many years I don’t think you can then just apply this to other cars in the brand. I would expect the R60 to hold value decently but awarding this before the first car is even delivered is a bad joke.</p>
<p>Wonder what it will do to lease prices on the Countryman. The high residuals should make for a nice lease payment, although I’m still planning on buying my wife’s Countryman that is in the paint shop now.</p>
p>@Robert</p
<p>It’s actually the other way around. ALG is very highly respected in the industry, and they predict residual values independently. They do consulting for automakers and finance companies as well, so many manufacturers actually use ALG values to set their own lease residuals. I know that BMW regularly uses ALG data to set their lease residuals.</p>
<p>If they are getting this award for best residual value, then mini financial should be offering a better lease deal then they are. When calculating payments on the miniusa website, the payment for a lease on a countryman is significantly higher than a MINI s and makes it unaffordable, at least for me, since i will not be financing. So i will be getting a MINI cooper S.</p>
p>@Chris</p
<p>First of all, you are comparing a car with a base price of $23,700 to another car with a base price of $25,950. Second, the Cooper S Hardtop currently has lease special and the Cooper S Countryman is not even available yet. MINI has no need to subsidize a model that isn’t even available yet.</p>
<p>So, of course the Cooper S hardtop will have a cheaper lease!</p>
p>@CraigE</p
<p>No, i built the cars to have the same msrp of approx. $31000.00 then used the pymt calculator and lease deals on the countryman were terrible. Second of all the vehicle IS available for order just like the Cooper S hardtop. Third of all, I understand that there is no lease special available as of yet. I have leased cars all my life and know a little something about leasing, but if the countryman is not even available yet, the prediction of best residual value is a bit early.</p>