What are your thoughts on the Future of Mini?

I heard rumor that the New Beetle will be discontinued soon. It doesn't surprise me. VW wasn't able to do much with the styling since it came out around 1998.
There is always room for mechanical improvements in a car but at some point people won't buy a new car if it looks the same as a 10+ year old model. Can the current styling pull off the longevity of the original? Am I underestimating the room for styling changes or additions of new models?

 

Yea I think you are underestimating Mini. With the addition of 3 new models comming out, I think they will be fine, as long as they don't get any more pricey. The 2 seaters will take away some of the Miata's thunder and the SUV will be ok as long as it isn't too funky looking

 

As popular as the Beetle brand is/was, I don't think it can compare to the Mini today. My reasoning for this is that the Beetle was known for being a cheap, affordable, reliable car back in the day. That's where it got it's fame.

The New Beetle isn't efficient in gas, isn't cheap for a car (Kia and Hyundai wins in that department) and isn't reliable. In fact, they fall apart (I had one) in no time. Don't be fooled by the "German Engineering" bit, because they're made in Mexico and it shows after a few years of use.



The Mini on the other hand is gas efficient which is popular now, it's reliable and very very well built, and is known for it's performance, which it does MUCH better than the Beetle could ever dream of doing (they are very top heavy and aren't powerful or well balanced). In fact, I always liked the Mini, but I assumed it would perform similarly to the New Beetle I had since they have similar size, ect, so I never bought one. It wasn't until I rode in my friend's 09 turbo that I realized I was VERY wrong!

Basically, the Mini is still doing what it's done for decades, while the Beetle isn't.. and has just become... a car. It's not uber cheap and it's not good on gas, and that's what the New Beetle's main focus should have been from the start. Instead, Volkswagen had a few years of great success because of the fact people were happy to see the Beetle brand again. However, after a while once the excitement wore off, there is no substance... and that's something the Mini has in droves.

 

My older sister's '01 Beetle started falling apart just last year. She got rid of it before the repair bills piled up.

I don't think we'll see iconic cars being produced for decades with little change again. Three examples off-hand, the classic Mini, original Beetle, and the VW Mk1 Golf - it was still made in South Africa until recently.

 

I think that the MINI has a distinct classic look that is part of its draw.

The problem with the VW Bug wasn't the classic look loosing its appeal. I think many people bought it for that reason. The problem was poor construction. I heard a number at one point in time that 50% of the cars rolling off of the line had some type of manufacturing flaw.

 

MINI, in one form or the other, has endured nearly 51 years. No reason not to go another 50 or beyond.

 

Oh let me count the ways:

Rotors were destroyed by brake pads before the car was 5k miles old
Exhaust system, the whole thing, FELL OFF the car
Door handle bars that you pull to close the door felt like eraser shavings after a couple years.
2 recalls. One on a brake sensor, another on a hatch sensor.
Hatch kept needing tightened.. would loosen after 7k miles or so and need tightening by dealer as it would thud and move while you drove
Power mirrors stopped working
Hubcaps had a weird issue of wanting to fly off (yes they were applied properly by dealer)
Small red (non-brake light) light on the back bumper kept falling out
Cloth seats deteriorated abnormally quickly for a 36k mile car
Emergency brake handle came off...literally
Window gear that raised and lowered windows broke 3 times on each side, broke a total of 3 glass windows in all.
My Beetle was the year they decided to alter the engine.. they did it wrong as the car needed a quart of oil about every month in order to run. When I complained about it guzzling oil they said "yea we know about that, sorry, it's a problem all cars the first batch of 2002 Beetles had".....thanks!
Windshield scratched by wipers
OEM wipers last 3-4 months... if that
Horrible gas mileage


Oh I could go on....I'll never buy a VW again, I can assure you...

 

I can produce a similarly long list for my two Minis (MCSs). Minis are no paragons of reliability, imo.

Their only saving grace is that they're fun to drive. People will put up with a lot if you make a car fun to drive. Examples -- original Beetle, the old rust-bucket Fiats which were sold in the US, and now BMW-era Minis.

BTW, the next-gen Beetle is on its way. I just wish they'd go back to the rear-engine RWD configuration of the original. It's a faint possibility now that VW owns Porsche.

 

Well...we may have been one of the lucky ones...but we bought my wife a MINI Cooper S in 2005 and have loved it.

Other than the run flat tires wearing seemingly too quickly...something that seems to have improved with a switch from Pirelli to Continentals...we love it and have had no problems.

In fact I just ordered a 2010 Camden Cooper S for myself last week.

 

Yea, that doesn't sound like the experience my friend has had with his last two Minis at all. If the Mini ends up being as bad as my Beetle, where the exterior and interior literally fall apart like wet cardboard, then I'd be ticked.

I mean, the car was just 5 years old and waxed regularly and the red faded to what looked like an plum tomato. Also, if my wife's Mini is indicative of what you guys call "cabin noise" as far as creaks or squeaks go, then the Beetle was a million times worse. Her Mini barely makes any noise at all, even with the speakers up. The only thing I've noticed is that I hear the wind and stuff quite a bit, but that's just probably a pair of aerodynamics and the fact I'm going 85-90 on the freeway.

 

It's always reassuring to hear from someone with a great MINI experience! All cars have their problems, (even the ever-reliable Toyota!), but I'm hoping for an experience like yours with my MINI.

 

There is no future for Mini.

The MINI, however, will continue on for sometime to come.

 

I think MINI is in a great place. BMW needed a way to break in to the small car market without diluting their brand, and MINI has worked very well for them. Hell, in the US it created the premium small car market. May not last forever--what does?--but they're not going away any time soon.

 

You haven't seen my list of warranty repairs yet have you? MINIs aren't exactly reliable. Everything from repeated minor failures, to major part replacement to getting to know the tow guys where my cell phone doesn't work.

I think we'll continue to see more and more break from the cheeky car of the sixties to evolve into an economical set of vehicles, that provide smaller luxury vehicles than most of the market. Small SUVs, coupes, and maybe the roadster. Cars that aren't the smallest, fastest, most economical, most reliable in their bracket; but cars that fit into many of those brackets, and can be comparable on many levels without entirely sacrificing the others. Which means that they will still very much be the car that you can take out with the Ferrari club on Saturday and drive to work on Monday. Which is a very narrow segment of the market.

 

The Newest Beetle is in development. It's supposed to be RWD. They are supposedly toying with the idea of shoving a boxer engine in it.

I agree, these things are not the example of reliable IMO. I mean seriously, I drive my ragged out, tin can 1996 Suzuki Sidekick harder than my MINI, and the only thing I've had to do to it in 13 years is keep the oil changed, new tires, new brakes, etc. I'm still on the original clutch. After 4 years with the MINI.....blown strut towers, broken passenger's seat, seized strut bearing, faulty clutch and a leak that I now believe is coming from the oil pan. There are some other nit noid things, but for the amount of money paid for this thing, it should be more reliable. Still, the car is fun to drive, no doubt. And yes, MINI will be around for a while. After all BMW spent a lot of money on the Rover group and only kept the MINI and Triumph name plates. Not to worry people. The MINI is its own platform while the New Beetle is just a Golf in disguise. And, if Fiat brings over the 500, you know BMW is not going to play nicely.

 

Longetivity on the same concept has worked for Harley, and to a lesser extent, Triumph ( motorcycles). Why not MINI?

 

Well it will be interesting to see what the future will bring. We are now at 8 years with the same basic look, and from recent news sales for MINI are down in 2009. From looking online at various dealers inventories it loooks like buyers aren't falling over themselves to get inside to purchase a new 2010 MINI. The coupe and roadster will put some new looks on the sales floor and the SUV will offer as real change in character. Until better data is in on 2010 sales the mystery will continued. As nobody is predicting a huge upswing in the economy, I think sales are going to be about level with 2009. What BMW will do is a question. They can come up with a bigger engine, 1.8 or 1.9 L and more power 220 or 240 hp. Improved handling with better wheel combos and stronger suspensions within the same basic size package. But those changes will up prices and that won't help sales. Revised styling? Maybe but not too far from the current look. It is a QUESTION?

 

The New Beetle is not dead.. it's just becoming "new" again... final details finally emerging:

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car..._2011-car_news

 

Mini has advantages that the beetle doesn't; it's own dedicated dealer network, the opportunity to expand the line (I can't quite picture a Beetle SUV, but the Mini AWD Crossover is a slick looking vehicle). The Mini was/is a brand on it's own, the Beetle is just a single car in VW's line-up. Because of these things, Mini will have a longer life span. However, the Mini is still a niche vehicle and will probably run it's course at some point. The minute sales start to fall too low (as mentioned above, they have been dropping slowly already), BMW will drop the line.

..........and if VW was smart, they'd drop the word "new" from their advertising for the Beetle, JMHO.

 

The VW Beetle has another public image problem.... In Germany, the "New Beetle" has never sold well. Reason? The Beetle = Hitler's car in many people's minds there...

 

Additionally, Europeans aren't fond of the "New Beetle" because it is essentially a Golf with the hatch rounded off, making it less useful.

 

Blech. I hate that they capitalize MINI. It's not an acronym, so wtf?? So I refuse to do it. It's almost as pretentious as BMW calling their SUVs "SAV" and making up their own silly acronym for them.

 

I think the Beetle also suffers from the demographics of its buyers. Its predominately women. Not that there's anything wrong with that (lets not start a war here). I think I read well over 60% are owned by the ladies. That type of data sterotypes a product and then tends to limit the appeal to a broader customer base.

 

Ok it sounds like I was misinformed about the beetle.

Yes mini can add and drop models but can you see a future for Mini where it's has a more conventional lineup and maybe there isn't a "cooper" reminiscent of the original mini?

Is adding an SUV a risky move? A Mini SUV seems to go against what I thought normally drives people to buy mini.

I'm not trying to be pessimistic here I'm just curious? The reallist in me tells me there is a chance my beloved car may be part of an automotive fad.

 

I think adding an SUV is a risky move at the same time having a single niche product is also a risky move. I think that as the product line expands there's a risk that it dilutes what is 'mini' about MINI. Today if somebody says they own or saw a specific MINI there's no doubt what is being referred to. As the product line expands that distinction blurs and we start thinking of a brand and not a specific vehicle.