Does anyone know how many cars MINI is projecting to sell in 2008? I'm guessing they might have a tough time hitting the number whatever it is but I'm curious.

 

Why would they have a tough time? Sales have been up for months now, they hit a record last month 51,000 cars YTD I think up like 33% from last year.

 

Sales have been good this year and I'm sure they'll be happy with what the number ends up being. Still, Sales objectives are usually set at the beginning of the year and in January no one knew how things were going to go. The high fuel prices helped sell a bunch of cars in the summer but BMW AG didn't start sending more cars to the US so in late summer and early fall a new MINI was hard to find in the States.

I think MINI is doing great. Just wondering if they're close to a number. They've been running a lease special since November...

 

Wouldn't they set sales objectives for the fiscal year instead of the calendar year???

 

Man I'm really hoping for a financing deal. I'd hate to drop almost 30K in cash in this type of economy. A nice 0% financing deal would rock. Infiniti has a 0% offer going on right now.

How likely do you think MINI will opt for low interest financing?

 

When I bought mine a couple of months ago BMW was offering 0%. Best MINI would do for me was 8%. Luckily I was able to get a MUCH better deal from a credit union.

 

Some good news in the car industry........The MINI had a year of growth, with 2008 sales of 232,425 up 4.3% from the previous year, in contrast to a 4.3% fall for parent company BMW.
Full Story:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7820119.stm

and in the USA:-
Biggest brand boost: Mini
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/..._losers/4.html
Quote:
"The biggest winner, in percentage terms, was Mini which sold 28.6% more cars this year than last.
Mini's diet-sized fuel consumption certainly helped, but the recent introduction of a second model to its one-car line-up probably helped even more. The Mini Cooper Clubman, which has more storage room and slightly more back seat space, made the brand accessible for drivers who needed more practicality."

 

Looks like maybe US exports will be a larger percentage of a smaller production run. http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/40...despite_slump/

 

Interesting that in the UK MINI sales fell more than the market overall according to that article. (UK overall down 11%, MINI down 13%.) Quite different from the US where sales rose despite the overall market being down sharply (like 30%). It just goes to show the different positioning and competition for the MINI between the 2 markets. (Like there's actually competition in its market segment in the UK.)

Also its still the "Cowley" plant to the locals (I used to be a local), like it always way, not the "Oxford" plant like BMW calls it.