Global MINI Sales: Best June & Best First Half of the Year Ever
Worldwide MINI Sales have surged this year capped with an incredible 38,282 cars delivered in June. A total of 174,898 MINIs were sold in the first half of the year, an increase of 5.4% compared with the same period last year.
“This is MINIs best first-half-year performance to date,” commented Peter Schwarzenbauer, BMW AG Management Board member responsible for MINI, Rolls-Royce, BMW Motorrad. “Our newest two premium models are proving to be strong growth drivers. We are delighted to see that the third generation of the MINI Convertible is proving so popular, while the MINI Clubman’s offering of every-day practicality in the larger compact class has won many new fans for the brand,” he continued.
The new MINI Convertible has been delivered to a total of 14,136 customers in the first six months of the year (+54.5%), while 27,511 customers worldwide have received the keys to their new MINI Clubman. Both of those figures are up over their predecessors but it’s the Convertible that’s particularly impressive.
<p>Oops…somehow you forgot to mention that U.S. sales have sucked for six months. Not so incredible.</p>
<p>Nice advertisement. Poor objective reporting.</p>
<p>We report US sales every month and have done so since 2003. We report worldwide sales every month and have done so since 2003. Not sure how that’s an issue to you.</p>
<p>This is the big picture for MINI and the most important number they report.</p>
<p>You should have qualified your post title with the words “…Worldwide Sales…” It would have made the post far less misleading.</p>
<p>Those are the first words in the article.</p>
<p>Ahhh…but one must open the article to deduce that fact. Crafty!</p>
<p>Seems like your looking to make some other point in trying to split hairs.</p>
<p>You may be right. Perhaps I’m just hoping to sensitize your staff to the overwhelming perception of MF among the heritage MINI enthusiast community…that promotion of the brand is Job #1, often at the expense of real objectivity, in order to avoid jeopardizing your unique, intimate access into the corporate MINI inner circle. You don’t have to take my word for it, just browse through the recent responses to MF re-posts in the online forums and FB. Again, whether true or not it’s a prevailing perception. As much as anyone, I’d like to see that trend reversed because I know the great work you guys have done and the positive value that MF has contributed to the MINI community since its inception.</p>
<p>For 14 years we’ve used the word “worldwide” to start every one of these type of articles. This morning due to what was likely a typo it wasn’t there. The fact that that leads you to MF having a slanted view is a bit of a stretch. We’ve never been slanted to my knowledge. Ever. We have been objective in the most honest way possible. See today’s update on our long term Clubman. See almost any other review. The internet is filled with negativity (often unnecessary driven by the increasingly contrarian nature of our society). I won’t apologize for MF writers not follows this trend. We call it like we see it. And often that’s positive more than negative.</p>
<p>There is a difference between negativity and objectivity; and the perceptions aren’t based on one post but on a trend observed by a lot of MINI enthusiasts over many years. But I’m only one voice and easily dismissed, as you have obviously done. Just remember that self-assessments are never free from bias. A reader feedback survey might be just the ticket. Good luck.</p>
<p>Or you could write for MotoringFile directly and add your voice to the site. I like to have well articulated opinions out in the open rather than buried in comments.</p>
<p>Isn’t global a synonym for worldwide?</p>
<p>Yes, but note that it was added to the title after-the-fact…</p>
<p>Never mind it’s also the first word in the article.</p>
<p>There’s some truth to both of you guy’s last statements. But I think it’s OK. The MINI brand is important to me, I love it and want to see them do well. But you do have to call them out from time to time. And I believe I’ve seen Gabe and MF do that.</p>
<p>Globally, MINI is on a roll and last year recorded its highest sales figures ever, and in the first six months of 2016, sales are already up by 5.4% YTD. Only in the US are MINI’s sales figures falling. In 2008, almost 1 in every 4 MINIs sold globally was sold in the US. By 2015, that figure had fallen to almost 1 in every 6 MINIs sold globally, and in the first half year of 2016, only 1 in every 7 MINIs sold globally was sold in the US.</p>
<p>TOTAL ANNUAL MINI GLOBAL SALES vs TOTAL ANNUAL MINI USA SALES</p>
<p>2008: 232,425 vs 54,077 = 23.27%
2015: 338,466 vs 58,514 = 17.29%
2016: 174,898 vs 25,144 = 14.38% (6 Months YTD)</p>
<p>I would like to get to the bottom of why USA sales lag, while other countries’ increase. I’m sure MINI USA would, too.</p>
<p>One thought that I believe needs consideration is the way MINI USA tries to keep the profit up and the base price low. The package configurations are particularly bothersome.</p>
<p>Why, for example, do you offer a nice, bright, non-metallic color like Chili Red no-extra-charge for years, and change to make it available only as part of a JCW Exterior Package?</p>
<p>Why do you “dumb-down” a nice-handling little hardtop by taking away its nice handling? And then not even offering decent handling as an option? You have to buy a JCW to get the sharp handling, or add it, aftermarket.</p>
<p>Is this building the brand? How many more JCWs, or JCW “packages” are selling now?</p>
<p>You raise some interesting issues. Selling premium ‘Superminis’ in the US was always going to be a challenge, and now that ‘Muscle Cars’ are the fastest growing automobile segment in the US – even faster growing than the SUV/SAV segment – that challenge has got a whole harder, especially while fuel prices are relatively low.</p>
<p>The third generation MINI has become more BMW than MINI, and in the rest of the world, that is perceived by buyers as a strength, and they feel secure in the knowledge that their car is underpinned by BMW, while still enjoying the lifestyle image that MINI offers. This does not seem to be so attractive to buyers in the US.</p>
<p>Perhaps it is time for MINI to appeal to the ‘Muscle Car’ urge in the US. We hear from the enthusiast crowd that 189 horsepower from a 2.0 liter engine is anemic. Perhaps offers a clue on how to boost sales.</p>
<p>I’d like to address the earlier commentary and just say Thank you to Gabe for providing and maintaining the Motoring File site. As a MINI enthusiast I get an enormous amount of value from the stream of news and of course the community of commentary that follows.
With that said What Oldsbear and Nick Dawson tapped into is the most interesting topic with regards to the sales report. What are the core reasons behind US sales slump and global sales success? I have some thoughts on that too. Obviosuly biggest concern is what does that mean for MINI as a brand, and further as a brand in the US?</p>