Hope someone from Mini corporate is a member here.....You never know with letters, if they ever makes it to the desk they should or just end up in a circular file with a polite letter back. So maybe a more public forum will provide the attention I think this requires.

Over the course of the last 6 years seems MINI is targeting a new market of buyer for the Hardtop model. With every model re-design dimentions increase. Some of it understandable when new engines are introduced but it goes beyond that. MINI commercial and advertising content is now absent the usual quirky, fun loving humor and personality of the car. And since 2010, the "special edition cars" are improperly equipped for target buyers, and their window sticker prices are now reaching beyond the finances of who have been purchasing them in the past, mostly due to their "package" assignments.

Which brings me to this. What the heck was the point of that Super Bowl Commerical this year ? Who was their target audience they hoped to engage for the brand. For those who have not seen it:
Destined to go down as the most confusing and forgettable commercial in the history of the Super Bowl. Basically leaving everyone scratching their heads asking themselves " what was that all about" only to be completely forgotten as they reached for the cheese/salsa dip 3 seconds later. Where were the Bulldogs ! Maybe the folks in the BMW media/advertising department was absent that day in college - Advertising101, where you learned two best ways in gaining a buyers attention to a commerical: 1) babies and 2) puppies/dogs. So bring on the DOG MINI !!!

This brings me to all the "speical edition" cars built since 2010. More recently, anyone been to your local MINI dealer lately to see the new Carbon Edition F55 ? Seems every dealer has one.....It's gorgeous ! Black metallic paint, flat black black sport stipes w/red pin, JCW exhaust with muffler by pass key fob, and tons of carbon fiber bits. Nice recipe for limited edition model right, so what's not to like ? Unfortunetly seems these BMW exectives ( maybe that's the problem ) decided to mate all these pieces to a FOUR DOOR WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION !?!?!?! What's the intended demographics of buyer being targeted here BMW ? "Hey lets put together a super cool looking quick family truckster for the guy/gal who's sent out on a Saturday to get a larger car AND wants to put one over on his significant other ??? What about a clutch/stick shift ? How about TWO doors ? Then there's the new JCW.....Super fast, nice original equipment options, BUT the first ones off the line are only available in an Automatic transmission ? Why you ask. Well it's right out of the play books of BMW. We are being force fed here folks. Go to any BMW dealer and let me know how many new BMW's they have on the lot with a clutch/manual transmission...

Then we have the ever growing problem of the "Ever Growing MINI" and it's window sticker price. Seems BMW's inabiltiy to learn from their own past mistakes has gone pandemic with MINI. BMW has a past practice of continually making their series of cars larger and that philosophy is now trickling down into MINI's engineering and development and production. Then as a fix, BMW has a history of having to back fill those voids due to lost product sales. Remember the size of the BMW 3 series 90's ?....their ever growing design became so large BMW lost many buyers to VW, Toyota and alike only eventually for BMW to refill those voids with new product lines like that of the 1 and 2 series BMW.

So why put us MINI buyers through all that while you lose clients, revenue, only to end up financing new design/engineering for a smaller model, then seek/purchase new factory or re-tool for that new car line you shouldnt have lost in the first place ?? It's the perverbial dog chasing his tail and costly. (Remember I am speaking here about the hard top model here - R50/53 )

So look MINI. It's a MINI ! Don't try to make it something it is not, a BMW, and just embrace what it is and should be. Maybe its a matter of going down the ladder at your office in Jersey, finding employee(s) with a MINI who is and has always been your target audinece/buyer and bump that person up the ladder as a pseudo consultant so you don't re-product line yourself into the red.....

It has happened in the car business before....Pointiac, Buick, Chrysler, Saturn, and more recently SAAB. Don't be so foolish to think it cant happen again in this economy. It was once said, "those who cannot remember the past are condemed to repeat it." So look folks, and I am speaking to the BMW exectives running the MINI program....learn from the mistakes made at BMW and remember the past from whence the MINI came.

The late Jack Pitney knew it. He was a great guy at BMW who knew the history of this little car, and heinsight to convince BMW to bring it to production. ( God bless him, he will always be missed ) And while we can no longer rely on his instincts and professionalism, you do have the ability, knowledge and the people there to continue the path he first blazed.

 

Right on

 

You are obviously not a millennial....

 

I rather like the commercial as it is encouraging people to look past the disparaging slurs hurled at the MINI and look at the car itself.

Frankly, I personally find the "quirky" marketing bs entirely offputting. I don't drive an image, I drive a car for its performance. In marketing I learned the best use of advertising is to educate potential buyers about the product.

You need to look no further than what models BMW and other European manufacturers do NOT sell here. MINI one, diesels, MB B's, VW Passat wagons, BMW 1 series, 2 series Active Tourer, ad nauseum, to see where the problem is.

 

I like the commercial and my 2015 JCW 6MT.

 

Epic rant homes. Typical 1st gen owner claptrap. Hey, Forest, your not the only person in the world, and YOUR opinions and ideas are yours and dont necessarily reflect the views of others.
That tall skinny guy? Thats retired MLB pitcher Randy Johnson. Hes 6' 10" AND he DOES own a Mini.
Guess what homes. Your Mini? Well I got bad news for you. It isnt an original Mini. Its Bigger. Its longer, Its wider, Its taller. It totally doesnt hold true to the idea of the original Mini. Just because it has "quirks" engineered into it to somewhat make it reminiscent of the originals poor British manufacturing quality doesnt make it the same.
Also, the commercial is great. It wasnt that commercial that made me realize I could own a Mini, but if I would have seen it I would have gone and checked em out. It just so happens I saw a TV segment on them with a 6'3" reporter in one and realized I might fit.
So, in my opinion the new car is great. Better than any of its predecessors, despite the lack of BS "quirkiness".
And the commercial was great. Addressing stereotypes of the car and people.
Good job BMW!! Keep up the good work!!

 

I get the commercial, but it is definitely more about perception that the car itself. Agree with DunkM, it's aimed at Millennials. If you look at any car brand and look at their models as they evolve, each generation gets larger. Even MINI Gen 1 to Gen 2. I have noticed lately numerous brands advertising 84 month financing for their new cars. I can't imagine financing a car for 7 years, but with the earning power of the young generation in this economy it may be the only way to buy a new car.

 

Yeah, I don't think people realize the average cost of car now days is 33,000 dollars, that makes the cost of the current minis right where they should be and it's their very good price that made me get it over a BMW, particularly a 2 series .

 

Another myopic rant that completely ignores pretty much all the facts in lieu of a good story. The vast majority of actual car buyers demand an automatic trans. Get over it, and get over yourself. MINI and BMW are in business to make money by selling cars to people that want to buy them, not pander to your disconnected personal preferences.

 

Local mini dealer has 89 out of about 420 cars that are manual transmission, should be able to find a car on the lot.

 

Every car manufactured has advanced from it's original design. If every manufacturer refused to change Ford would still be making the Model T.

 

That's not force feeding, it's called consumer demand. What would YOU do if you owned a BMW dealership? Order manual transmission cars to sit unsold on the lot for months?

 

I dislike automatics, but if I lived in a major metropolitan area and had to do the long commute grind in gridlock or sludge speed stop and go traffic 5 days a week, an automatic might be a good thing after a while. The Mini Super Bowl commercial is good for its intended purpose. Personally, I'd rather see a Mini or a bunch of Minis banging around a road course, along with the great exhaust notes for a sound track. But that's just me.

Mini is still a Mini. I think BMW has done a pretty good job with the car so far. Keep those First Gen well maintained... they are an absolutely great car. The newer ones have their good points, too. The newest Mini is still about 10 inches shorter than the diminutive Ford Fiesta. If you need really small mininess and can't get a First Gen Mini, there's always the Fiat 500! It's about 8 inches shorter than the current Mini and within about an inch of the First Gen Mini.

 

I thought the commercial was decent. But I hope dealers would have atleast a manual model in stock. I was looking at the inventory at MINI of Universal City and they have ZERO manual transmission cars. 80% of their inventory is 4-door Hardtop and I'm starting to see them everywhere.

But, can you really blame them though? Their job is to build cars that a lot of people want, not just enthusiasts.

 

Besides if its good enough for The Wolf......................................
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NNdvwzUCD8M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

I liked it. The point was drive it because you like it and it's a good car, not because you need to maintain a certain image. I thought that was a pretty good message.

 

Comparisons between older and newer MINI's aside, the commercial addressed labels that don't even apply to the new cars. The new cars are not small. They are not slow. They are certainly not chick. I've heard people saying that about our R50 back in the day, but never a newer MINI.

 

My 20 year old son and I were watching the game when the MINI commercial came on. He watched it and then turned to me and said wtf was that, that was terrible?

 

Wait, was he talking about Coldplay?

 

I have a MINI, I have knowledge about Mini's, and when that commercial came on the graphics were fine (since I hardly ever see a MINI commercial anyway), but honestly I didn't "get it" until the end when the guy spoke of the new Clubman...the initial "speak" I didn't really get immediately, but after watching the commercial a second time on here I caught the gist of what the ad was trying to say. I think it could have been presented in a better way honestly. If MINI wants to get away from the cutsie image, then just do it. Show real images of the cars on the roads in their abundance of colors and options...show the JCW screaming around the race track, etc. People catch on where there's quality you don't need to force feed the consumer.

 

I liked the commercial: great personalities with Serena, Abby and The Wolf. The problem of expensive, soul-less, people movers is not limited to MINI. It's industry-wide. If you want a visceral car, go back a decade or more, or modify what you have. I do wish MINIs were a little prettier...

Oh, and Ryephile is our very own Wolf, so 'If he's curt with you, it’s because
time is a factor. He thinks fast, he talks fast, and he needs you guys to act fast if you want to get out of this. So pretty please, with sugar on top, drive the f4ckin‘ car'.

 

Wow, seems some folks havent read what I wrote skim reading what they wanted to see....I'll stay away from the juvenile name calling and stick with the facts if I may.

First off, I never wrote or inferred MINI should produce any more or less manual stick cars over automatics...They all have their place, its just a matter of knowing where to put them. So for folks who said that where the heck did you read that exactly ? Stop skim reading on your iphones folks.

However, it was in reference to strapping an automatic to a limited edition ( 90 cars I think ) performance equipped JCW Carbon Edition then adding two more doors to it when most if not all of those looking for those performance parts and decor will be looking for it on a 6 speed stick and third pedal and two less doors.

And if I have 41K to spend on a new car and happen to like BMW's, then like 90% of consumers out there I'll buy a BMW if that is what I am looking for. MINI is not BMW, with it's foundation built solidly upon the 2 door hardtop and 2dr hardtop S model. Lets go back in time, and take a look at the earlier years. Of the first generation models 80% of those sales from 02 to 2006 were S models, and of those S models the largest portion ( appx 87%) of them were manual transmision. Why would you think market demand is any different now than it was then ? Have the roads changed that much in 10 years? Do you think folks who buy MINI just happen to be smarter now or more enlightened ? GMAB.

And some have indicated that "everyone wants automatics these days like Rayphile." Then wheres the sales figures to back that statement up since that is all you can find on their lots right now and sales are in the abyss. By that logic everyone who wants a new performance JCW 2dr Hardtop wants an automatic...if that were the case then why are sales low for that performance upgrade model with majority of folks holding back waiting for the manual stick to be avaialble ? Myopic indeed....lol.

So lets take a look at MINI'S current sales figures for the 2dr Hardtop. In comparison to previous models a terrific car, I driven the new Hardtops and the new JCW ( paddle shifter ) on the track. It just needs a better marketing strategy...

http://libraryofmotoring.info/catego...ion-and-sales/

For December 2015, down some 68% over last year folks....And January while picking up some, nothing to write home about. Down almost 19% over last year with the other MINI models and their new F55 model sales offsetting some of that loss....good thing for that.

IMO MINI could be doing so much better not using BMW philosphy in marketing their new 2dr hardtop and for some of those models, at a BMW premium price....MINI is to BMW as Scion is to Toyota, Nissan to Infinity and so on. While they all have their place, just not "under the same roof" and certainly not with same bottom line sticker price.

I welcome any constructive input to this, heck I'm only writing here what I am seeing and hearing every day from MINI folks. And for those who have demonstated the inabiltiy to refrain from name calling, well how about you just click next page and leave your diatribe some place else. Good forums will not thrive being a one way street for those who seem to think their carrying biggest stick...

 

I liked the commercial. I've been dealing with people labeling me base on the car I drive and this ad simply said something I've been wanting to say for a while. I don't see any issues in making hardtop 4 doors w/ an auto. As long as they continue making 2 door manuals I'm happy. Prices will go up no matter what brand or model, it's just how it is. Time goes by, everything gets more expensive. It's called inflation.


note: I'm an R53 owner

 

Blame your dealers for this. The Carbon Edition had the option of the manual, but most dealers opted for the automatic because, well, that's what's selling these days.

The Carbon Edition only exists in the first place because it is a consolation prize to people who wanted a JCW F55. MINI (rightfully so) decided it didn't really make financial sense to create a JCW F55 and the Carbon Edition F55 was born; a standard F55 Cooper S with a selected group of accessories (which you can affix to ANY Cooper S F55) installed at the port and exclusive graphics. Before you complain why people would want a 4-door MINI and how it's diluting the brand. IT IS GROWING IT. I am one of several thousand people who loved MINIs because of the way they drive, their relative size, fuel economy, and interesting interiors, but because of my needs, I needed something bigger than the 2-door. Did MINI stop making the 2-door? No! They supplemented it. At my local dealer, in fact, the 4-doors are selling 60:40 over the 2-door Hardtops. PEOPLE WANT THESE and as long as they continue to offer the 2-door Hardtop configuration that's existed since the beginning, I don't know why people complain that MINI has more than one model now...

First of all, we are not comparing like for like here. BMWs and MINIs are similar in ways, now more than ever, but they are still very different.
Regarding your price comparison, you're comparing one specific car and applying it to a whole brand. We all know the starting price of the MINIs is in face much lower - the 2-door Hardtop starts at $20,700 for a Cooper and $24,100 for a Cooper S. The cheapest BMW you can buy new is the 228i at ~$32k. From a price perspective, they are not even on the same level. Once you add equipment and options that people demand (infotainment, seating options, comfort, performance) the price on both will inflate so let's compare a loaded MINI with a loaded BMW. You were looking at the Carbon Edition, so lets look at that. Navigation, Dynamic Dampers, Sport Auto, LED headlights, body kit, rear PDC, comfort access, leather, carbon accessories, etc...that's a lot of car for $41. If we compare a BMW 4-door, in this case, the 320i as the cheapest option, we come close with similar equipment and accessories at ~$43k, but that's without the tuning kit and bi-modal exhaust and in a bigger car. Both engines put out ~180hp, but the JCW tuning kit on the Carbon Edition bumps the MINI to ~196hp. On paper, the MINI is the better deal. IMO, outside of the M-series, the MINIs are just more fun to drive as well. I'm sure anyone reading this probably agrees

Foundation is important, but so is building on it. The roads haven't changed, but people have. Customers and their demands change all the time. Not just in the auto industry, but in any business. You are comparing the MINIs of today with the MINIs from a decade ago, but there are a whole new group of people that are in the market now that may not have even had their license a decade ago, they may not have had a family to think about a decade ago. People change. What they want, changes. To not pay any attention to this ever-changing group of customers is business suicide.

How many MINIs were sold in the US in 2003 when MINI had the Cooper and Cooper S hardtops for sale? According to your source, about 36k. How many in 2015? Over 58k! Why? Because MINI diversified what they offered to appeal to more buyers and kept up with what the market wants. Yes, they do it to make money, but that's how business works. What's a crime is if they just sit on their money and watch it pile up, changing nothing, doing nothing to evolve until the market gets bored and moves on. Instead, they use that money to grow the brand to more people, develop new technology for their cars, not just screens and bluetooth, but fuel saving technologies and performance and efficiency advances.


I don't think it's true that everyone wants automatics. In fact, MINI knows this and is one of a shrinking number of auto manufacturers that still offer manual transmissions on it's entire lineup. Standard. You mention the JCW; I think it's safe to assume most people who get the JCW are performance minded prefer the control of a manual, but it doesn't matter, because MINI offers the automatic too and has since 2013. People buy them and more power to them if that's what they want. The delay with the JCW manual wasn't deliberate - the manual transmission in the F56 JCW was not ready by the time it was supposed to come out. Rather than delay the whole car until it was ready, they released the automatic and released the manual when it was ready, only a couple months later.

Again, you're using ONE specific model and using that to create your own conclusions without looking at the big picture. MINI sold more cars in 2015 than they did the previous year (although, admittedly, that's not saying too much with all the stop sales and holds they had in 2014) and this year should be even better as they are updating the Convertible and Countryman (which were both becoming long in the tooth).

I hope I was constructive! I disagree with some of your views, but I see where you're coming from.

 

Very nice write-up siriuszero! You said a few things I was tempted to say, especially why the manual transmission release was delayed....you are spot on....it wasn't ready! Nobody was upset more than me for that delay. BTW, Ryephile's & my 2015 JCW's were two of the earliest 6MT's imported! Not many were made!

John