The next 18 months will be huge for BMW's MINI brand. Execs are looking for big sales increases by 2011, and the fuel efficient little car company is adding 17 dealerships to its retail network in that time frame to help get the job done. The additional dealerships will predominantly go to urban areas that don't currently have a MINI presence, bringing the total figure to 100 dealerships in the States. MINI is looking for a "double digit increase" from 2008's record 54,077 U.S. sales by 2011; a number that is impressive considering the current state of industry sales, but more likely due to the addition of a new model line (Clubman) as much as anything else. With more dealers in the fold, the lofty sales goals ought to be attainable, though, provided the nation's economy improves.The first new dealer network, which comes online later this year, will be in Birmingham, Alabama. The next 18 months will see still more openings in urban hotspots like Austin, Texas and Seattle, Washington. For a complete list of new locations, hit the jump to read the press release.
Showing posts with label MiniCooper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MiniCooper. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Mini dealership network to expand by 20% to meet demand
The next 18 months will be huge for BMW's MINI brand. Execs are looking for big sales increases by 2011, and the fuel efficient little car company is adding 17 dealerships to its retail network in that time frame to help get the job done. The additional dealerships will predominantly go to urban areas that don't currently have a MINI presence, bringing the total figure to 100 dealerships in the States. MINI is looking for a "double digit increase" from 2008's record 54,077 U.S. sales by 2011; a number that is impressive considering the current state of industry sales, but more likely due to the addition of a new model line (Clubman) as much as anything else. With more dealers in the fold, the lofty sales goals ought to be attainable, though, provided the nation's economy improves.The first new dealer network, which comes online later this year, will be in Birmingham, Alabama. The next 18 months will see still more openings in urban hotspots like Austin, Texas and Seattle, Washington. For a complete list of new locations, hit the jump to read the press release.
Monday, April 13, 2009
RUMOR: MINI Roadster??
[from AutoBlog] BMW has been on a roll with its MINI brand, and after the raging success that the revived Cooper had in its first generation, the German automaker saw fit to give the brand its first major revision back in 2006. A year later, the automaker released the extended-length Clubman model and this year it finally launched the new convertible. What's next? Almost certainly the first MINI Crossover, which is expected to make its formal debut at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show.
You'd be forgiven for assuming that BMW's MINI team would be content to rest on its laurels for a few models years after all of this activity, but the ever-active rumormill wouldn't agree. According to MotoringFile, a new MINI Speedster may (finally) be on the way, based on the running gear of the current R56 Cooper. If true, we can expect to see a fabric top along with a possible removable hardtop and the same 1.6-liter engines as used in other models from MINI. Longtime MINI followers may recall that a speedster variant was often mooted for the previous Cooper, but in recent times, that talk has diminished somewhat.
A small, two-seat, roadster that promises equal portions of driving fun, reasonable fuel economy, and an attainable price tag? Now that's an idea we can get behind.
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