MINI USA Sales Down 30% for April
The downward trend continued in April with MINI USA sales totaling 2,621 vehicles. That’s a decrease of 29.8 percent from the 3,731 in the same month a year ago. On the face of it the numbers is rather stunning. That is until you realize that the entire non-truck category was down 7.9% for April in the US.
However things were better for MINI USA Certified Pre-Owned which sold 1,170 vehicles in April. That’s sizable increase of 9.9 percent from April 2018. Total MINI Pre-Owned sold 2,637 vehicles, an increase of 5.8 percent from April 2018.
<p>Yikes! I hope this isn’t becoming the “new normal”. MINI USA would have to take steps to scale back operations appropriately. I really hope the dealers can weather this “storm”.</p>
<p>MINI USA sales down -29.8% for April is a shocking statistic, with YTD sales down -19.2%, but BMW USA Passenger Car sales in April are down -17.8%, with YTD down -13.6%.</p>
<p>It’s only BMW USA Light Truck sales up +35.6% in April and up +25.7% YTD, that keep the BMW USA Brand in positive sales territory, up +1.4% for April and +0.4% YTD.</p>
<p>Overall, BMW USA Group sales are down -2.9% for April and -2.1% YTD.</p>
<p>MINI USA SALES – APRIL vs YTD 2019:</p>
<p>F60 Countryman 880 (-36.3%) vs 4,076 (-35.3%)
F56 Hardtop 2dr 743 (+17.2%) vs 2,822 (-5.2%)
F55 Hardtop 4dr 460 (+16.8%) vs 2,127 (+19.2%)
F57 Converible– 338 (-65.2%) vs 1,462 (-23.9%)
F54 Clubman—– 200 (-42.9%) vs 1,039 (-35.3%)</p>
<p>BMW USA UKL2 SALES – APRIL vs YTD 2019:</p>
<p>BMW X1 1,618 (-35.3%) vs 7,474 (-30.5%)
BMW X2 0,822 (-23.1%) vs 3,773 (+87.2%)</p>
<p>BMW GROUP USA SALES – APRIL vs YTD 2019:</p>
<p>26,431 (-2.9%) vs 109,230 (-2.1%)</p>
<p>This is now officially scary. Can someone explain the constant + numbers for the CPO’s?</p>
<p>MINI never really played in the CPO world before very much, it was all about selling new cars that was unique to the owner or going with basic model leases for low payments. They’ve seen the opportunity to grow CPO sales now with more simplified builds, and they’ve jumped on it with marketing dollars too.</p>
<p>How far would sales have to fall before BMW pulled the plug on MINI?</p>
With U.S. sales of its MINI brand in free fall, BMW has turned to a former Ford executive and 30-year industry veteran to help reverse course.
Michael Peyton, who previously ran BMW’s motorcycle business in the Americas, will lead MINI’s North and South America operations starting July 1, BMW said Friday.
<a href="https://www.autonews.com/executives/bmw-elevates-ex-ford-motorcycle-exec-steer-mini-americas" rel="nofollow ugc">https://www.autonews.com/executives/bmw-elevates-ex-ford-motorcycle-exec-steer-mini-americas</a>
<p>With U.S. sales of its MINI brand in free fall, BMW has turned to a former Ford executive and 30-year industry veteran to help reverse course.</p>
<p>Michael Peyton, who previously ran BMW’s motorcycle business in the Americas, will lead MINI’s North and South America operations starting July 1, BMW said Friday.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.autonews.com/executives/bmw-elevates-ex-ford-motorcycle-exec-steer-mini-americas" rel="nofollow ugc">https://www.autonews.com/executives/bmw-elevates-ex-ford-motorcycle-exec-steer-mini-americas</a></p>
<p>Interesting that they went to a former Ford exec … considering the pretty major revamp Ford is undergoing as well. I think another major thing is that even the non-luxo brands have gone up in quality and style tremendously in the last few years. There is a very fine line now between a nicely specked Hyundai for example and a BMW … for the non-enthusiast anyway … price difference could be 10-15k for two very similarly trimmed out cars.</p>
<p>Aurel – you are spot on. In fact, for some years, mainstream automakers have been upping their game and now, as you rightly say, the line between premium and mainstream is beginning to blur.</p>
<p>The Ford Fiesta has, justifiably, been the UK’s best selling car for four decades, and all the respected UK motoring journals have consistently rated the Fiesta ST above the Cooper S, except for interior quality; at least until now. With the arrival of the latest generation Fiesta, even the interior now matches the quality of the MINI. Despite that, Ford no longer can make a business case for the Fiesta in the US.</p>
<p>The biggest shock, however, is with the latest eighth generation Golf. By all accounts, only the GTi and R versions will be sold in the US. No wonder VW has never been able to make a business case for its smaller but equally well made Polo model in the US.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.motor1.com/news/347808/vw-golf-standard-killed-us/" rel="nofollow ugc">https://www.motor1.com/news/347808/vw-golf-standard-killed-us/</a></p>
<p>I think it would take a lot for BMW to pull MINI completely. Seeing that MINI is moving management around and is being very proactive in supporting dealerships means they have an interest in making this work. The entire auto industry is down as well and is playing catch-up with the internet, so it’s not just MINI — it’s just that enthusiasts like myself and most reading this feel and see the pinch a bit more than the general public.</p>
<p>As an indication of US buyers’ tastes, six of BMW USA Group’s top ten best sellers were either SUVs, SAVs or CUVs.</p>
<p>BMW USA GROUP – TOP TEN BEST SELLERS 2019 YTD:</p>
<p>X3 = 18,889
X5 = 15,693
5s = 13,202
3s = 11,867
4s = 8,616
X1 = 7,474
X7 = 4,477
F60 = 4,076
X2 = 3,773
7s = 2,860</p>
<p>Of the twenty-two current models in the BMW USA Group, the F56 Hardtop came in eleventh with 2,822 sold, and the F54 Clubman came in eighteenth with 1,039.</p>
<p>I think the CPO numbers continue to grow for 2 reasons. First, I think some people might use it to test the brand. They like the idea of a MINI but don’t want to take the risk of buying new (depreciation being a key factor). The second, which is sort of tied into the first, is pricing. MINIs are too expensive for what they are and what they offer. Small, premium cars in North America have historically been a niche market.
I’d don’t think BMW will pull out of North America until the ROI of keeping the brand alive becomes untenable. If they are as stubborn and arrogant as MB, that will be a long time.
I point to MB because of SMART. SMART was dead not long after they entered the USA yet, Mercedes kept it around trying year after year to force it it work.</p>
<p>Don’t overlook the joint venture with Great Wall Motor (GWM) to co-develop an all-new all-electric platform and drivetrain, to underpin the new 2023 MINI Metro City Car. GWM will produce its own version of the car. The JV is expected to save $billions in development costs, with the aim of lowering the purchase price.</p>
<p>When you have products that are outdated, unattractive and substantially overpriced you’re going to continue hemmoraging sales. This is the normal for MINI over the past 5 years. Ever since introducing the F56 they’ve had nothing but sales declines month after month. What’s shocking is that none of the MINI models even offer blind spot monitoring, their driver assistance features are way behind the competition and the interior design is awful. Just look at the automatic gear shift selector that sticks up like a sore thumb in the middle of each MINI. What a disaster. Each MINI from the base to the JCW is severely underpowered. I see MINIUSA being killed off unless BMW has a serious turnaround plan that includes completely restyling each and every model, lowering prices, increasing standard features, and substantially improving driving dynamics and engines. Without doing all of those things… MINI is finished in America. What a shame it will be. One terrible generation of cars ruined an entire brand.</p>
<p>brutually honest and hilarious but ConcernedCitizen said it best.
I am a time MINI owner myself; sold MINI’s for over 3 years and I would never buy one again…</p>