MINI sales correction
June 15th, 2010 by Richard Aucock
MINI has contradicted the scrappage rule by posting a sales RISE since the end of the scheme.
Observations that the scheme only benefited small cars have been disproven by the British-produced car’s sales.
That’s despite MINI introducing a special value-priced First model during the campaign, that aligned prices much more closely with mainstream superminis.
UK head of sales Jochen Goller told Car Dealer Magazine the firm had been seeing an upturn in sales since February. In the first 5 months of 2010, it has sold 17,500 cars in the UK.
MINI is now eager for more now the destabilising effects of the scrappage scheme have ended.
‘Other car makers benefited over-proportionally from the scheme. Our latest figures show the correction has started.’
Further growth is expected towards the end of the year, with the UK launch of the family hatchback rivaling MINI Countryman. ’50 percent of UK 2010 production is already ordered – we’ve also had over 5000 web-based leads already.’
The MINI hatchback will still be they key car in the UK though, added the German, who arrived in the UK last year from a spell in China. 7 in 10 of all MINI sales are the hatchback, which has been further extended this month with a low-consumption Minimalist ‘eco’ range.
Even this isn’t safe, though. ‘This year, we’ve had to reapportion some hatchback production volume to Clubman instead.
‘A rise in orders means some variants of it now have a waiting list.’
Goller continues to be surprised at the UK love of convertibles, too. ‘Out of our top 10 world markets, the UK takes the highest share of Convertibles. That’s higher even than the US and Asia!
‘Your weather can’t be that bad…’
By Richard Aucock