MINI USA is urging INI Cooper SE owners to trade in helping to boost low-cost EV inventory. According to USA Today, the move by MINI USA is designed to populate showrooms with lower cost EV options bringing new, younger shoppers to the brand. It’s also laying the groundwork for what will be MINI’s biggest EV in size and sales; the 2025 MINI Countryman SE.
It’s an interesting problem that MINI USA has. The car is a huge success with owners as MINI earned the highest satisfaction score in quality and reliability of any EV in the recent J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience Ownership study released in February. It shows in how few owners are ready to trade-in their cars for newer models.
As a result MINI USA executive Pat McKenna started a direct mail campaign to some of those early owners, urging them to trade in their Mini Cooper SEs for a newer model. The campaign encourages owners to consider a trade-in. According to USA Today, McKenna would like to see more buyers who are ready to try an EV but can’t afford the sky-high prices of new ones, consider a lower-priced used EV instead.
It’s made all the more interesting when you consider what’s coming. The electric MINI Countryman SE is confirmed for US sales and should see showrooms by late summer 2024. MINI USA believes it will see a a percentage of current Cooper SE owners make the switch, But what about the next generation Cooper SE? You know that one that isn’t confirmed of the US officially yet?
Here’s what Pat McKenna said on that topic; “As the next generation Mini EV hardtop is still pending final confirmation for the U.S. market, it is too early to confirm a date for market launch at this time.”
Head to USA Today to read the entire article. And a hat-tip to USA Today for properly crediting and linking to MotoringFile as a source of information.