MINI USA April Sales: Up 25% with the New Five Door Killing the Countryman
For April, MINI USA reports 5,476 automobiles sold, an increase of 24.7 percent from the 4,390 sold in the same month a year ago. Good news for the brand but the more interesting news are the detailed figures. The Countryman’s numbers are down by almost 40% (800 units) year over year at least marginally due to the new five door. That five door (the F55) is selling briskly with 1503 units sold in April. That’s only about 600 less than the F56 three door hatch.
Other interesting figures after the break.
In its last full month of production the Roadster’s sales rose 14% to clearly take the crown of the low volume MINIs (the Roadster, Coupe and Paceman). Speaking of low volumes the Coupe limped along with 53 sold while the Paceman managed just 82. That Clubman can’t come soon enough later this year.
MINI Pre-Owned Vehicles
In April, sales of MINI NEXT (certified pre-owned) sold 955 vehicles, up 32.6 percent over April 2014, with a year-to-date gain of 25.5 percent to 3,532 cars over the same period in 2014. Total MINI Pre-Owned sales were 2,203 cars, an increase of 2.1 percent from April 2014. Total MINI Pre-Owned sales for the first four months were 7,958, a 2.2 percent decrease from the same period in 2014.
<p>I know this is an article about MINI sales, but how is that i3 doing relative to expectations? In the 400s for the month doesn’t seem that great, but 3000+ for 2015 doesn’t sound too shabby. Hard to say without knowing what BMW was expecting from the model.</p>
<p>I read some where BMW goal was 10K units per year. I don’t remember if that was WW or US only.</p>
<p>it’ll be interesting to see how the new clubman numbers will compare to the 5 door.</p>
<p>I would think that the new clubman will hurt the countryman even more. Of course, there still be be folks that need AWD for their Winter driving conditions.</p>
<p>Don’t be surprised to see the Clubman eventually offered with AWD.</p>
<p>I’d be all over a JCW Clubman ALL4…!</p>
<p>I’m biased because I’m extremely excited for it, but I really think the new Clubman will crush the rest of the lineup in sales.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>For April, MINI USA reports 5,476 automobiles sold, an increase of 24.7 percent from the 4,390 sold in the same month a year ago.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>… and a decrease of 5.4 percent from the 5,786 sold in the same month the year before that (2013, when they actually had their flagship model to sell).</p>
<p>The usual response is “oh, but they had big cash incentives back then” … I’m getting $1000 off the F56S I’m taking delivery of next week due to a nation-wide “Make It Yours” April sales event on the new models. That’s pretty good as far as MINI incentives go.</p>
<p>” I’m getting $1000 off the F56S I’m taking delivery of next week due to a
nation-wide “Make It Yours” April sales event on the new models.”</p>
<p>I’m assuming that’s 1K off of MSRP? If so, while it’s better than nothing off, I got $1650 off MSRP (F56S) on my order at end of Feb 2015. In that context, the April make it yours sales event isn’t giving buyers more off than at other times.</p>
<p>My motoring advisor was talking “deals” early on, and not just for a car off the lot, like they routinely sell for below MSRP (pretty much unheard of back when I bought my 2009 R56S). But the dealership is being incredibly generous with a long-term loaner until my F56 gets here, and I figure that’s a fair trade for a below MSRP deal. The $1000 off sales event is through MINI USA, though, so it’s a “freebie” as far as they’re concerned. Pretty sweet all around!</p>
<p>R.O. I thought you just picked up a volcanic Orange f56s, are you getting another one as well?</p>
<p>Yes I picked up a VO F56S in April. I think you missed the quotation marks I had around fishbert remark about “getting $1,000 off”. I commented that I was able to get $1,650 off when I place my order at end of Feb (took deliver on Apr 10th)</p>
<p>I should have had you guys dealing for me…I only got 600.00 off my custom order and I spent some cash on upgrades</p>
<p>As a Coupe owner, I find it fitting they sold 58.</p>
<p>Will be interesting to see if when the new Clubman goes on sales, if it will take away sales from the F55 5 door.</p>
<p>I found the F55 rear doors and seating room to be poor and tight. I had difficulites getting my feet/legs in and out (& I’m not a tall person). Don’t see the F55 advantage over Clubman, only that in F55 buyers are getting new layout/design and improved interior quality + materials.</p>
<p>I think the new Clubman will have a somewhat different group of buyers compared to the F55. The F55 may tend to get former R56/F56 owners or all new MINI buyers who just want easier back seat access & more room back there compared to the F56 meaning they want to stay with a ‘smaller’ MINI compared to the much larger new Clubman.</p>
<p>I also believe both the F55 and new Clubman may take sales form the Countryman. Should add that many Countryman owners may have gone that way since they wanted more room than the 2 door hatch when the F55 wasn’t yet on the market.</p>
<p>I’ve had my F55S since late Dec & really like it. Granted the access to the rear seats is barely satisfactory for some via those small rear door, but it’s still much easier than the 2 door hatch. And once inside, there’s much more leg room.</p>
<p>I expect the F55 will fix itself as the close 2nd in sales to the F56 in the months to come & may even match it or surpass it in some markets areas.</p>
<p>FYI, not liking the look and new re-designed MINI USA configurator. Besides the look and layout, it still doesn’t have complete info for each option (missing and/or lack of info on what’s included and not included.) I’m having some heartburn on some things I felt my F56 S should have come with but MINI USA configurator and MINI USA wasn’t clear on.</p>
<p>From the very moment that the F56 went on sale in Europe in the spring of 2014, the remaining R-series MINIs were rendered technically obsolete. Sales of the, already declining, R58/R59 went into free-fall, with the Paceman not far behind. Now that the F55 has been on sale for a full six months, we can see the effect it is having on the obsolete R60 Countryman, previously MINI’s second best seller and its most profitable model.</p>
<p>This is not good news for MINI because in China, the world’s largest car market – it grew from 2.3m in 2003 to 16.9m in 2014, eclipsing that of the US – the demand for small and medium-sized SUVs is booming. It is the fastest growing segment, and Asian customers are notoriously discerning when choosing premium products. With the new F54 Clubman being launched later this year, and the F57 Convertible next spring, the new F60 Countryman SUV won’t go on sale until late 2016.</p>
<p>Nick…..you added big points regarding the F series new technology being driving force for those models to sell much better than the ‘aging’ R series which have to wait another several month to 1 year or more to become F series.</p>
<p>After just over 4 months, I continue to be a happy F55S owner. Have just spent the past few days at the MOTD gathering driving with lots of enthusiasm around the Dragon as well as the many other tight winding hilly roads. Been a blast with some 700 or so other MINIs……even several Minis!</p>
<p>Now will have to get back to my ‘normal’ & ‘green’ driving modes!</p>
<p>Thanks Bob – good to hear that you enjoyed the MOTD gathering.</p>
<p>Now that it appears that the proposed BMW Z2 sports car has been cancelled – see BF May 1 – that almost certainly sounds the death knell for a new MINI Roadster. As reported in MF on March 17, a production Superlegerra Roadster, would have had to have been based on the UKL front-drive platform which, crucially, would have been shared with the BMW Z2 Roadster. A new stand-alone MINI Roadster would never be commercially viable.</p>
<p>Slightly off topic but why does the miniusa website still not display mileage ratings for the F series models? They’ve been on sale for quite a while now.</p>
<p>I’ve been averaging about 32 mpg on my f56s and that’s a fairly broad range of driving between sport and mid range and side streets and freeway</p>