KenL I can see what you are getting at. But my view is pretty precise on the matter.. and I don't put it down to snobbery. There is much more to think about here than paper facts.
The MINI is a premium small car... it may well be in the same size bracket as many other cars (Swift and Fox to name but a few) but the dealer experience, perceived history, nostalgia, Car quality and ownership experience sets it apart. You pay a premium price for something that in reality isn't much different but stands in a bracket all of it's own. If manufacturers wanted to they could build something comparable to the MINI (some try) but it doesn't sell as the MINI does due to so much more emotion, history.... and (through it's attachment to BMW) prestige attached to it. It'd just be another car that few are inclined to pay for or are impressed by.... hence the Swifts much lower sales, even though you (on paper) get so much more for you money.
If you heard reports of an awesome restaurant that was only £10 a head would you rush out with your wife to go visit? Generally I'm afraid the answer is NO. Yes the Swift might be fun to drive, look funky and be cheap as chips... but as we all to well know. Luxury goods just don't work that way - it's about more than functional value...... call us suckers for believing in the MINI but I guess we all just want that something special that means a little more than the same old same old |