MINI USA Sales Down 17% for March
MINI USA sales continued their trend downward in March. In total 3,769 vehicles sold, a decrease of 16.8 percent from the 4,531 sold in the same month a year ago. On the upside MINI Certified Pre-Owned sold 1,238 vehicles, an increase of 10.3 percent from March 2018. Total MINI Pre-Owned sold 2,849 vehicles, a decrease of 5.8 percent from March 2018.
MINI USA sales continued their trend downward in March. In total 3,769 vehicles sold, a decrease of 16.8 percent from the 4,531 sold in the same month a year ago. On the upside MINI Certified Pre-Owned sold 1,238 vehicles, an increase of 10.3 percent from March 2018. Total MINI Pre-Owned sold 2,849 vehicles, a decrease of 5.8 percent from March 2018.
Interestingly it’s the hatch (both three and five door) that were positive for the month. The Countryman is down for the third month in a row. While there was a stop to sales due to a technical issue, we’re surprised to see numbers still down for March. Any insight from our Motoring Advisor readers?
<p>Baron MINI did pretty well last month. The goal was 25, they sold 28 cars, 6 of them the last Saturday of March.</p>
<p>Price, Brand Awareness, R-series Reputation : (…other brands offer more desirable standard features (blind spot, active cruse control, lane departure warning, etc.) and scream the message of premium (even though they aren’t) but at a lesser cost.</p>
<p>I agree … lots of CUV alternatives out there that are cool, priced better and offer more for the buck, Kia Niro, Mazda Cx3/5, new Forester, Volvo XC40 if you go higher pricepoint, etc. … not much competition for the 2 door hatch now however.</p>
<p>MINI of San Francisco sent out an e-mail (also a tweet) that they are going out of business/closing. The sales/showroom last day was March 31. The Service center closing is April 30th. For us owners, Stevens Creek Mini (in Santa Clara) is 49 miles from SF. MINI of Marin is 14 miles from SF (depending on what part of SF you live in, could be up to 18 miles). While MINI of Marin is closer, have to drive through city traffic to get to GGBridge and toll just got raised to $8.00.</p>
<p>I noticed on Yelp, quite a few people posted they brought a MINI (both new and pre-owned) from SF MINI this year. Wonder if they were told dealership and service center was closing/going out of business when they bought the car?</p>
<p>Without a MINI dealer/service center in SF(or within 7 miles of) I wouldn’t think of buying another MINI. Some people might have no problem driving 20 to 50 miles (or more) for service, but I do. There are many Gen I & II MINI’s in SF that will require Maintenance. SF Mini should at least keep the service center going IMO.</p>
<p>MINI is popular in San Francisco, with probably the densest concentration of MINI vehicles of any area in the US. If a dealer in San Francisco can’t survive, it’s an omen of things to come across the country.</p>
<p>A few years ago, I talked with the motoring advisor who sold me my R52 in 2005, and who had stayed with MINI of SF all this time. It seems that their move into the new showroom on Van Ness about 6 years ago was a bad business decision. They were losing money from the high rent, and they had logistical problems with the smaller space. They could only stock a small number of vehicles onsite for immediate test drive and purchase, and customers had to wait a half hour while they shuffled cars across the city from storage.</p>
<p>BTW, I found that plans had already been filed last year with the SF Planning Commission to transform the building into a fitness center, so the closure had been planned for some time.</p>
<p>“It seems that their move into the new showroom on Van Ness about 6 years ago was a bad business decision.”</p>
<p>Yes, agree 100%. Bad move. Also Van Ness with all the construction and changes to the Street was a poor location choice. They would have been better off moving to Serramonte.</p>
<p>Moving the service center was not a good idea either. 6-months before the move of the service center, a service advisor said that BMW of SF need MINI to move because BMW needed more room. Move to Mission street wasn’t the best place either (traffic of all kinds).</p>
<p>I will be writing a Letter to MINI of USA on the closure. Many MINI owners in SF will be affected by this closure.</p>
<p>I’ve been looking at a Countryman since the end of December. I had a loaner for about 5 days and really loved it and then also test drove an S version when I went back to pick up my car from service. I’ve owned three (2002, 2009, 2016) Hardtop S models but now want something bigger and with All4 for northeast winters etc. My local dealer (Mini of the Mainline) in Philly has been sending me emails and postcards with offers on the Countryman but you have to take from dealer on-site stock and they’ve only had on average 10-11 new Countryman in stock and of those 11 more than half are grey or white. I’ve been searching dealers within the east coast and most dealers seem to order very bland cars and do not do a good job of ordering different color and trim combos so you can really see all the options and colors in person. In addition, I’ve noticed I can get a 2019 BMX X2 that is a retired corp car or loaner with 2-3K miles for $37-38,000 (versus a Countryman with Iconic trim package) and you get essentially the Countryman JCW engine and a little more of an upgrade over the Countryman.</p>
<p>I have seen loads of $3-5K discounts on some Countryman and they seem to roll out a new offer each month. I think its worth holding out for deeper discounts because the car is priced very high when you get into the Iconic trim of the low 40’s.</p>
<p>Wait, when did they bring back the U stripe? I thought that was an ’06 only thing!</p>
<p>If I am not mistaken, this is the 2nd month in a row that the 4dr hardtop sales have increased, and ytd it is doing very well. My guess is that some of the MINI faithful are turning to the 4 door because the Countryman has just gotten too big and too expensive. I know that is my case and it’s why I would buy the 4dr hardtop as my next MINI when my current 2013 Countryman is retired. Any thoughts on that hypothesis?
Also, unrelated but very significant, the 2019 configurator does not offer British Racing Green, Jungle green or Connaught Green on the hardtops anymore—Can that be true????</p>
<p>British Racing Green (II) is being replaced with British Racing Green (IV). See the new 60th edition MINI for reference on the latest BRG, which will be applied to all models.Not available just yet, but it’s coming.</p>
<p>Thanx for the news—all is right with the world again. A MINI without a BR Green or similar color option is just not right!</p>
<p>I remember reading comments (various sites, including on Motoring File) and complaints about the 4-door hatch when it first came out. People complained that the back seat area was cramped and not enough room. Commentators believed sales would be low due to unpractical rear seat area. How times seemed to have changed.</p>
<p>I remember there being some whispers here by Gabe and Nick Dawson there was a possibility that MINI would consider putting a CUV body on a platform similar in size to the current 4dr hardtop and slotting it under the Countryman for the next gen hardtop—-I still think this is a great idea</p>
<p>Mini of Plano is also closing their doors. It’s</p>