Hey there. I have tried searching some forums but didnt get the answer I was looking for.

Does anyone have any news or know of related links for any plans to expand the pathetic number of dealerships from 80 to something more reasonable?

As it stands, these "regional" dealerships make shopping around difficult and falls just short of a true monopoly. I also wonder if there are any plans to expand with the upcoming Clubman and the plans to take the MINI into other demographic market segments. It would seems like a logical step. Then again, BMW seems to be preoccupied with the notion of maintaining strategic positioning of dealerships and maintaining the exclusivity of the brand.

Just my feelings on the subject and wondering if anyone had any info.
Thanks.

 

I don't think it's the conspiracy that you might think. MINI doesn't really have the production capacity to support more dealerships.

 

They could at least train BMW dealers to service the Mini.

 

Yeah. Just having more BMW dealerships honor the service would save a lot of people having to go long distances to get service. My closest dealer is 85mi away.
As for production, I heard it has been increased in preparation for the Clubman. The dealers say the wait time on the cars they order is down to 5-6 weeks if you live on the east coast. We'll see. I just think a handful more dealerships (i.e. one more in each state) would help a lot.

 

I've not seen anything indicating an expansion.