Well, it's been a few months since the F56 hit the streets and the sales numbers thus far have been, to be blunt, pretty sad. The 2013 model year was a pretty bad one for Mini, but 2014 appears to be quite a bit worse. Instead of our shiny all new model lighting up the sales numbers, for the months of May and June, the F56 is under selling the aged R56 of 2013! The May and June numbers are here-

June (see 67) - http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2014/07...-rankings.html
May (see 72) - http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2014/06...s-figures.html

Ouch!

 

May and June had huge production problems. On these forums in the big order tracking thread I don't think we had a single person with a car that was made from mid April to May 20th, that week things picked up again on a normal pace. I wouldn't look too much at those sales figures, wait another month now that the factory is running properly again. I'm wondering if those sales numbers aren't so much 'this is all we sold' as 'this is all we could make' instead.

 

While I am not the biggest fan of the front end of the new generation, this is no where near the death of MINI. This is the same thing that happened with the launch of the r56. There were production issues and recalls that delayed delivers and made the actual sales numbers much lower than they could have been.

Most people I have spoken to received their new f56 at least a month or more later than they were originally expecting. I expect the numbers to increase with the supply.

 

I do agree with this....not so much where sales numbers are concerned, but from an identity standpoint. The F56 marks the move toward the MINI brand becoming just a small BMW. It shares the same platform that will be used for several BMWs that will begin coming out in 2015...

so many Mini-specific items were removed or radically BMW-ized on the F56, it does not look, feel, or drive lime a MINI, IMO. i understand they are taking these steps to increase profit margins by sharing platforms and components between several BMW products. it's just sad to me.

After seeing and driving the F56S, i went out and purchased one of the last R56 JCW's left and am very pleased that I did.

I understand I am putting my head in the lion's mouth with these comments in the F56 section, but I was trying to respond in the spirit of the thread.

 

It's production and delivery problems, not anything near "the death of Mini". Talk about over-dramatizing a thread...!!!

 

Then you don't even want to hear what a world of Classic and Gen 1 drivers feel about this whole thing.

 

The negative feelings towards the new car remind me when the Shovelhead engine was replaced by the Evolution. The Harley faithful were up in arms yet the engine was almost 100% responsible for saving the company and keeping it moving forward towards profitability. When the Evo was replaced by the Twin-Cam 88, You would have thought someone killed their first born. The Evolution was accepted and is now highly regarded in Harley circles.

I feel that in time,the F-56 will be accepted and revered by people who love Mini's. History will shine nicely on this car.

 

IMO the F56 is going to bring in a number of new motorers and there will be current 1st and 2nd gen owners that will make the switch. I predict that either the normal mid cycle refresh or aftermarket will help those of us that don't like the current front end. I wasn't a fan of the R56 at first, but I've now owned three 2nd gen MINIs. I still like the R53 the best though.... He MINI is very popular world wide, so I don't think we're anywhere near the death of MINI.

 

This post is from a guy that posted elsewhere that he drove an F56 for five days, had pleasant things to say about how it drove (he did say he hated the look of the car), and posted a month ago his GP2 with 17K miles was in the shop for a what implied needing a new clutch and now he speculates the F56 will be the ruin of the brand based on two months sales when there clearly were production issues.

I'm sure there are concerns about US sales and what's going on with several other models, but I think the F56 and the upcoming 4 door model are going to do fine for Mini.

And worldwide, Mini demand is strong enough that they are bringing a second plant into the mix to produce additional Mini production -- that isn't a "sky is falling" move.

 

I think we already heard from some of them.........

 

+1

I couldn't even place an order till the end of June to get exactly what I wanted.

I'm an R53 owner and love the F56. Sticking to old stereotypes for what a few brand loyalists think it "should" be is how companies die.

"If you don't like change, you'll like irrelevance even less" -General Eric Shinseki, US Army

 

I also blame poor marketing, many that I have talked with had no idea Mini Cooper was all new for 2014...

 

They marketed it as the all new mini. The simple fact is that people that aren't into MINIs can't tell them apart. They can look at one and say "That's a MINI" but they wouldn't be able to tell you the differences unless you put them side by side.

 

F56 The death of Mini? Its the future and some people seem really, really butt hurt over that fact. BMW has invested MILLIONS of whatever currency you prefer into this new platform. Mini isn't going anywhere.

The car grew in length, by what...4 inches? The way people talk about it, its like the mini cooper grew to the length of a crown vic.

I think the silent general population/majority is going enjoy the car...its the vocal minority with all the doom and gloom posts.

 

Ditto! I also think it is comical to read the comments of those who don't own an F-56 but continue to bash it. Even saying it is now "just a small BMW". Get a grip folks. The 2014-2015 MINI (F-56) will be just fine. I know for a fact that my dealer has thus far had good sales on the F-56. Quite frankly, the bashing of the F-56 here in this particular forum is getting a bit old. If you don't like the F-56 then please don't waste your time here. The word "trolling" comes to mind.

 

Then I would recommend deleting threads that ask opinions regarding the F56, and in this case, whether it is detrimental to the brand. The OP asked for opinions on a specific subject, and I provided mine. What part of that is "troll"? I call it the reason forums were built-to exchange ideas and thoughts on specific subjects, and when asked for an opinion, providing one that is thoughtful and germane to the subject, which I think I did in this case.

 

^+1.

 

The MINI brand was driving BMW into the ground, so the re-design is hoping to bring more mass market appeal. I think they nailed it.

 

FoMoCo killed the first car I ever owned; a 1947 Ford Convertible. I'll never understand why!!

 

Two points of data, especially with extenuating circumstances, do not make for a very compelling argument.

I'm no great fan of the F56 - they look funny and the interior still feels too cheap by half - but c'mon...

Sent from my phone using NAMotoring, which is why I've probably mistyped something.

 

On the lines of the Harley engines as mentioned above, this is what happens every time a manufacturer makes a big change to a model.

-Miatas losing their popup headlights
-Porsche going to liquid cooled engines in the 911
-Porsche changing the signature round headlights of the 911 (and later going back to them!)
-BMW renaming the M3 coupe to an M4

Can someone name a change that sparked a reaction among enthusiasts and actually did lead to the death of a model or whole manufacturer?

The F56 is hated now, but slowly people will warm up to them: "I only like them with different wheels" "I guess they look OK when the windows are tinted"

and then when it's finally accepted and we're all friends on here, the new model will be released and it'll start over.

I do think everyone should voice their opinions. Maybe the next generation will see a size decrease? at least in the taillights, they can't possibly make those bigger can they?

 

The exact same thing happened when the R56 was released.

"The R56 looks so bloated. It's HUGE!"
"I hate the new R56 interior"
"The R56 feels so floaty compared to the R53" (which was valid)
"Ugh, no more supercharger whine?"

 

This same thing happens with any new model. I'm on Miata and BMW forums and each time a new one comes out, the old guard is convinced it's the end. It's not, carry on.

 

Exactly.

 

And the average height/weight of the buying demographic of the MINI grew by how much over the past 40 years?