[AidenL]

And, I do believe the MINI is a GREAT car !!

[swerks]

Quote:

Originally posted by MINIAC

I think you'd be surprised at the number of enthusiasts who are in the front of waiting lists. A lot of us have been waiting for the MINI to come back to the US, since getting a sneak peak of the prototype at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 1997. Some of us found out the dealers to be offered franchises before the official announcement and have been on waiting lists since before June 15, 2001. I think a lot of "trendy" people are going to find out that they are "a little late for the dance". Sure there will be those who can get a MINI by paying big bucks to a dealer selling cars over MSRP.

Sorry, I should have been more specific:

Given that dealers here are saying the allotment of Mini models will be roughly 1/3 Cooper S vs. 2/3 Cooper, my guess is that most of us are waiting for Cooper S models are going to be waiting a while. No slight to the handful of you true enthusiasts that want a Cooper model over the Cooper S, I just think that people with a lot of money will be first in line, pulling favors at dealers and paying way over sticker to get one.

A local dealer here said that Mini of North America doesn't want them to mark cars up or tack "market value" premiums onto the sticker. So this dealer is going to "accessorize the crap out of them" (their words, not mine) to recoup some costs and make better margins. Remember, Mini's are being sold through BMW dealers in North America and BMW dealers are NOT used to the small profit margins that compact cars like the Mini have. They are already bellyaching about it... should be interesting.

Also, this particular dealer is NOT taking deposits and instead is just writing names on a list (350+ names so far for less than 300 cars they will receive for the first year). They claim they will just sell them first come first serve, but you can bet that the guy that is willing to spend a few grand extra will get a car first.

The paltry number of cars that Mini is bringing to North America is going to be the biggest problem. Volkswagen sold 56,000 New Beetles here in the first six months of introduction... Mini is only bringing 20,000 total for the whole first year. Granted the Mini doesn't have the the same history in America that the Beetle did, but it still doesn't look good for those of us that want one!

I myself am going to wait it out till second year to pick up a Cooper S.

Cheers,

-jamie

[Basil]

Quote:

Originally posted by swerks


I just think that people with a lot of money will be first in line, pulling favors at dealers and paying way over sticker to get one.

I believe this is happening at my dealership..... I went from #3 to #9 on the list !!!

[BruceK]

Quote:

Originally posted by Basil


I believe this is happening at my dealership..... I went from #3 to #9 on the list !!!

Perhaps you should tell them that is not appreciated. Try and work the words "Molitov Cocktail" into your conversation.


(Just kidding)

[Basil]

Quote:

Originally posted by BruceK


Perhaps you should tell them that is not appreciated. Try and work the words "Molitov Cocktail" into your conversation.


(Just kidding)

I have to admit, I was extremely annoyed, but just figured they'd only lie to me if I asked them why.

Should get a part time job as a valet parker and take out my frustrations there.

[SoggyCornFlakes]

Seems those early fears were faily unfounded

[AidenL]

[TheBlackKnight]

The MINI would never go the way of the New Beetle, because quite simply, it's not a drongo (or a Golf dressed up in a naff chassis, take your pick) !

[Martin L]

The MINI is the victim of its own success as unfortunaely it's now too common it's lost it's individuality
But where it still stands heads and shoulders above the beetle is that the MINI is actually a very good car to start off with
The new MINI will continue to be sucessful I predict

[Washy]

Strange reading these old threads...I actually remember that I didn't like the MINI when I first saw it at the 2000 motor show....we only went to the launch because Sandra wanted a look....As we were BMW customers at the dealership the sales manager wangled us quick test drive on launch day.....I can honestly say I drove the car 300 yards down the road and from that point on I had to have one.......I even went to two other dealer launches that weekend to drive the car again.....we ordered our first Cooper that afternoon.....

The rest as they say is history......but even now 4 MINI's later the car still gives me the same buzz....It doesn't matter if it is my JCW S or my other halfs Cooper, the thrill is still the same. I know that the MINI wil always be a part of me and I confidently expect there to be one with us for many years to come......

Please forgive the sentimental post, but I just felt like sharing today.....nostalgia eh

[SoggyCornFlakes]

Quote: Originally Posted by washy

Strange reading these old threads...I actually remember that I didn't like the MINI when I first saw it at the 2000 motor show....we only went to the launch because Sandra wanted a look....As we were BMW customers at the dealership the sales manager wangled us quick test drive on launch day.....I can honestly say I drove the car 300 yards down the road and from that point on I had to have one.......I even went to two other dealer launches that weekend to drive the car again.....we ordered our first Cooper that afternoon.....

The rest as they say is history......but even now 4 MINI's later the car still gives me the same buzz....It doesn't matter if it is my JCW S or my other halfs Cooper, the thrill is still the same. I know that the MINI wil always be a part of me and I confidently expect there to be one with us for many years to come......

Please forgive the sentimental post, but I just felt like sharing today.....nostalgia eh

Round of applause for that man

And it's your fault that I got my MINI, I fell in love with them when I saw yours in the flesh.

I can't see me wanting another car, sure if I win the lottery I'll have some great supercar parked in the garage, but I'd still have a MINI tucked away for some country road blasts.

[Doctor Wha?]

Some very good analysis in here, but I'll chip in my .02 worth anyway.

The Beetle was a re-tread. Designed to be cute and trendy, it was largely a look-at-me-aren't-I-cute "accessory" for a large chunk of its market. And "large chunk" applies in more ways than one. Their import numbers have been quoted elsewhere here. The unintended result of that, however, was to effectively saturate the market. The charm wore off pretty quickly, and that was that. Eventually, along with the less than enthusiastic driving performance of the car, that may be seen as VW's "other" misstep with the Beetle.

The Mini, meanwhile, is a resurrection. Designed not just to recall the looks fo the original, it had just as much emphasis put on what it can do, as what it looks like. For those who want a "cute" car, fine, they can have it. But those who want a real machine to be driven have it as well, with no compromise. It's almost an apples-and-oranges comparison between the two, really. The manufacturers had fundamentally different approaches to their cars.

Meanwhile, the import strategy for Minis can be compared in some ways with what Nintendo, for example, did in the '80s. By strictly controlling how many units are allowed in the US market, the perception remains that it is a highly desirable, "just-out-of-reach" item. This keeps demand high, and doesn't allow the market to be glutted with something that will soon be seen everywhere one looks. Consider that Beetles are commonplace now, and very much thought of as such. But it's still something of a minor occasion to happen across another Mini on the road. Perception, in sales and marketing, counts. You need to keep the aura of "specialness" around your product as long as you can. Words like "waiting list" play hugely into the perception that this car is something people are willing to queue up for. Far from being a mistake, or underestimation of demand, this is more likely a keen strategic point.

I think BMW played the Mini the right way in design and marketing, but I also think they learned something else: It was (and in a way, still is for them) an experiment in how to sell cars in a economy that isn't as go-go as the US BMW heyday. By introducing a smaller car, but not skimping on good design and performance features, their sales numbers took off in a way that helped to offset the lower profit margins. BMW learned, for the first time, that the market in the US isn't cleanly cut between big-ticket, big-luxury cars, and "everything else." They have proven (somewhat by accident, and much to their own surprise, I expect) that there is indeed an appetite for smaller cars that retain some well-appointed features, and good performance.

Somewhere I have a scan of a BMW magazine's sidebar on the early development of the Mini, speculating that A) BMW would likely not sell it out of their own dealerships, and B), this being the case, it would likely never hit US shores! It seems laughable to read it now, but in a way, it shows how BMW must be just as shocked, albeit pleasantly, at how well the MINI has done in the US.

It also shows that applying "conventional" thinking to the Mini may not be as easily done as with other cars.

FWIW,
DW


EDIT: Found the Article...
From BIMMER Magazine, April 1998:

[ItHurts]

Washy, I know exactly what you mean. I was at the same show on the Saturday, and probably reacted the same way most classic owners did - yuk. Amazing how much better the car looks on a road though - almost as if it has been unfettered. Thought nothing more of it as I was caught in the company car loop, until it came to choose a new car... and I wouldn't swap it for anything.

[dcfkan]

I do not expect MINIs to have the same life span as the old Minis, however, I strongly believe it will last longer than the new Beetle

DK :apple:

[Washy]

Quote: Originally Posted by dcfkan

I do not expect MINIs to have the same life span as the old Minis, however, I strongly believe it will last longer than the new Beetle

DK :apple:

The original mini was a work of genius, years ahead of its time. As good as the MINI is it will never have that iconic status......

[SoggyCornFlakes]

Quote: Originally Posted by washy

The original mini was a work of genius, years ahead of its time. As good as the MINI is it will never have that iconic status......

I'm not so sure, after a while it will all be one MIni, just with a break in production

[Washy]

Quote: Originally Posted by SoggyCornFlakes

I'm not so sure, after a while it will all be one MIni, just with a break in production

Unfortunately there will alway be those who don't regard it as a proper mini....

Well my 5000th post wsn't a very good one was it......

[KenL]

For me the MINI has lost it's "magic" as there are so many of them mostly driven by non-enthusiasts who don't flash or wave.

It won't quite go the same way as the Beetle as it was never applauded in terms of it's handling. I still like the way they look - especially the soft top.

[dcfkan]

Quote: Originally Posted by washy

Unfortunately there will alway be those who don't regard it as a proper mini....

Who cares about what other people think? I love my MINI

DK :apple:

[AidenL]

Quote: Originally Posted by washy

Unfortunately there will alway be those who don't regard it as a proper mini....

Well my 5000th post wsn't a very good one was it......

Congrats Washy !

I feel the same, think I'll always have a MINI around...........