Does anyone know how many MINIs have been sold date compared to the sales of the New Beetle over the same number of years? :smile:

 

VW sold 90,000 New Beetles in the first year in the U.S.
MINI sold 25,000 MINIs in the first year in the U.S.

 

Not surprised, the original Mini didn't have anywhere near the impact the original Volkswagen Beetle did. The only difference between the 2 new contenders is the new beetle is a copout b.s. deal that only looks somewhat like the original whereas the Mini has stayed true to its heritage to a much greater extent.

 

The New Beetle is a reskinned Golf, the MINI is a brand new platform.

The New Beetle's mission was to reawaken affection for the Volkswagen heritage brand. The MINI's mission in the US is to establish a whole new car paradigm (as the old Mini never made a serious impact in North America).

The New Beetle's mission was to embody and promote Volkswagen brand values and serve as an advertisement for the whole VW product line. The MINI is the whole product line.

The New Beetle's initial cachet was ruined when VW flooded the US market with 'em, driving down their perceived value. The MINI's cachet is intact... so far.

 

Both cars totally revitalized their respective brands.

You have to remember that in 1998 when the New Beetle was first produced it was the very first car out on VW's new MK4 platform.

This was the face of VW before the New Beetle.


The Golf MKIII


The Jetta MKIII (Vento)


The Passat B4

 

>>VW sold 90,000 New Beetles in the first year in the U.S.
>>MINI sold 25,000 MINIs in the first year in the U.S.

Thanks. It seems the New Beetle is very common to see on the road today now unlike the MINI. Same with the PT Cruiser, not that I like either of those cars. I'm glad BMW is keeping the number of MINIs sold low to increase its value and uniqueness on the road.

 

>>>>VW sold 90,000 New Beetles in the first year in the U.S.
>>>>MINI sold 25,000 MINIs in the first year in the U.S.
>>
>>Thanks. It seems the New Beetle is very common to see on the road today now unlike the MINI. Same with the PT Cruiser, not that I like either of those cars. I'm glad BMW is keeping the number of MINIs sold low to increase its value and uniqueness on the road.

Oh, please. I see more BMW 3,5 and 7 series here on the road than New Beetles. SoCal is so full of BMWs that the cachet of it being rare is laughable. The MINI is gaining ground too - no matter how much BMW artificially tries to inflate it's value by NOT mass producing it.

 

I don't think that VW "flooded the market" because the average wait time, in my area at least, is the same for the mini as it was for the beetle. And every single VW dealer across the country was able to order one, unlike BMW who only built 50 some-odd mini dealerships across the country. The demand was just plain higher for the beetle, hence more cars sold.

 

>>Not surprised, the original Mini didn't have anywhere near the impact the original Volkswagen Beetle did. The only difference between the 2 new contenders is the new beetle is a copout b.s. deal that only looks somewhat like the original whereas the Mini has stayed true to its heritage to a much greater extent.<<



The original Mini may not have had a big impact in the USA, but it sure did globally! I loved the original VW Beetle, but don't care much for the New Beetle, which I test-drove before ordering my first MINI. Can't get with the huge lauch-pad dash, nor does the handling compare to our MINIs.




Clo/Wanda

 

I think this year, that sales are slumping for the new beetle. The design has been around awhile and like the PT cruiser, people are tired of both. There are quite a few on sale new and many on the used market as well.
When I go to car events I see lots of old beetles and lots of Jettas and few new beetles.

 

>>I don't think that VW "flooded the market" because the average wait time, in my area at least, is the same for the mini as it was for the beetle.

I dunno about that. When the New Beetle was first released I joined the mob at my local VW dealership to check it out. They had one on the showroom floor, one to test-drive, and it took at least six months on the waitlist to get one in your own driveway. Today that same dealer has 30+ New Beetles sitting on the lot and is selling them way below MSRP, and they're not moving. VW absolutely blew the New Beetle's coolness factor by shipping so many car, and made the car a flash in the pan... a two-year style story. MINI, by contrast, is managing the same coolness factor with much more intelligence -- they haven't gotten greedy.

There are only three real "cool car" stories out of the US market in the past five or six years: the New Beetle, the PT Cruiser and the MINI Cooper. Greed and overproduction screwed up the first two. You can bet MINI's marketers paid attention and are determined not to make the same mistakes.

 

>>>>I don't think that VW "flooded the market" because the average wait time, in my area at least, is the same for the mini as it was for the beetle.
>>
>>I dunno about that. When the New Beetle was first released I joined the mob at my local VW dealership to check it out. They had one on the showroom floor, one to test-drive, and it took at least six months on the waitlist to get one in your own driveway. Today that same dealer has 30+ New Beetles sitting on the lot and is selling them way below MSRP, and they're not moving. VW absolutely blew the New Beetle's coolness factor by shipping so many car, and made the car a flash in the pan... a two-year style story. MINI, by contrast, is managing the same coolness factor with much more intelligence -- they haven't gotten greedy.
>>
>>There are only three real "cool car" stories out of the US market in the past five or six years: the New Beetle, the PT Cruiser and the MINI Cooper. Greed and overproduction screwed up the first two. You can bet MINI's marketers paid attention and are determined not to make the same mistakes.
>>

Lets hope your right. I don't want to see 5,000 every day. I love to get together with 100 and go on a drive but we usually get 10 - 15 still a lot of fun.

Earl

 

I think you're giving MINI too much credit here for not wanting to flood the market. While MINI did intentionally limit the MINIs distribution in the U.S., it wasn't to keep the uniqueness of the vehicle. They had to decide where to sell the car. Europe justifiably got most of the allocation with the U.S. getting enough to make a presence. Given MINIs production limits, I don't think we'll see the U.S. market getting their allocation changed anytime soon. Another factor to consider is that MINI is basically limited right now by the number of engines they can get. The 1.6L engine is essentially point designed for the MINI and only made at one factory in Brazil. I believe part of the reason for Peugeot producing the MINI Gen II engine is that Peugeot can deliver more engines.

With regard to the NB, Volkswagen has New Beetle production in both Germany an Mexico. The factories have a lot of output and the car uses the same platform and the same engines as a lot of other VAG products.

Maybe not in the U.S., but certainly on a global basis it's the Golf and not the New Beetle, that is the core X/ product. The New Beetle served it's purpose, but now that the new MK5 platform is in production, I would expect that the New Beetle will disappear from VW's extensive line-up.

The new VW (in America):


The new Golf MK5


The Passat B5.5 - I believe the B6 is about a year from release.


The Touareg


The Phaeton

 

Here are the latest figures for MINI sale in North America

MINI Sales

 

If MINI and BMW could build them faster and get more to the US, they would. Manufacturers exist to make money. The Beetle made VW in the 40's and saved it's butt again in 1998. VWoA was on the verge of bankruptcy and possibly pulling out of the US. The new Beetle did exactly what it was supposed to, sell, sell sell. The car pulls people into the dealership. Sounds like our car too. Check out the new MINI while you are buying a new 745. Don't forget another major reason for BMW to sell the MINI, CAFE. Every manufacturer needs to average about 25 mpg for their lineup. Not easy when you are stocked with M5's, M3's and lots of v8 powered vehicles.

 

>>>>I don't think that VW "flooded the market" because the average wait time, in my area at least, is the same for the mini as it was for the beetle.
>>
>>I dunno about that. When the New Beetle was first released I joined the mob at my local VW dealership to check it out. They had one on the showroom floor, one to test-drive, and it took at least six months on the waitlist to get one in your own driveway. Today that same dealer has 30+ New Beetles sitting on the lot and is selling them way below MSRP, and they're not moving. VW absolutely blew the New Beetle's coolness factor by shipping so many car, and made the car a flash in the pan... a two-year style story. MINI, by contrast, is managing the same coolness factor with much more intelligence -- they haven't gotten greedy.
>>
>>There are only three real "cool car" stories out of the US market in the past five or six years: the New Beetle, the PT Cruiser and the MINI Cooper. Greed and overproduction screwed up the first two. You can bet MINI's marketers paid attention and are determined not to make the same mistakes.
>>


Oops, sorry..i guess i meant to say "WAS the same as the mini is now". You are correct about there being plenty available now. The beetle came out in 1998. I would expect that after 6 years the mini will be very easy to come by too.

 

This is a great time to own a MINI when there are relatively few on the road. The uniqueness of the car is a big plus. Obviously as the years go by you will see more and more MINIs on the road and their sales numbers will continue to increase. There is no way BMW will limit their production just to inflate their value. I don't think they're doing that now nor will they. You can get MINIs now at msrp just about anywhere.

Also keep in mind that the New Beetle has been out for 6 years and sold nearly 3-4x as fast as the MINI. They are also a very distinctive design, as is the PT, so you tend to notice them more than other cars.

 

>>I think this year, that sales are slumping for the new beetle. The design has been around awhile and like the PT cruiser, people are tired of both. There are quite a few on sale new and many on the used market as well.
>>When I go to car events I see lots of old beetles and lots of Jettas and few new beetles.

Actually, VW sales figures for November 2003 just came out and it turns out that New Beetle sales are up 55% from last year!

Model: November 2003 Sales November 2002 Sales Percent Change
New Beetle 4,542 2,920 55%
New Beetle Convertible 1,841 1 N/A
Golf 938 1,385 -32.3
GTI 2,117 850 149.1%
Jetta Sedan 9,420 9,276 1.6%
Jetta Wagon 1,343 1,010 33%
Passat Sedan 4,201 5,119 -17.9%
Passat Wagon 1,511 1,720 12.2%
Phaeton 82 0 N/A
Touareg 2,863 0 N/A
Eurovan 126 375 -66.4%

 

>>>>I think this year, that sales are slumping for the new beetle. The design has been around awhile and like the PT cruiser, people are tired of both. There are quite a few on sale new and many on the used market as well.
>>>>When I go to car events I see lots of old beetles and lots of Jettas and few new beetles.
>>
>>Actually, VW sales figures for November 2003 just came out and it turns out that New Beetle sales are up 55% from last year!
>>
>>Model: November 2003 Sales November 2002 Sales Percent Change
>>New Beetle 4,542 2,920 55%
>>New Beetle Convertible 1,841 1 N/A
>>Golf 938 1,385 -32.3
>>GTI 2,117 850 149.1%
>>Jetta Sedan 9,420 9,276 1.6%
>>Jetta Wagon 1,343 1,010 33%
>>Passat Sedan 4,201 5,119 -17.9%
>>Passat Wagon 1,511 1,720 12.2%
>>Phaeton 82 0 N/A
>>Touareg 2,863 0 N/A
>>Eurovan 126 375 -66.4%
>>

I would assume the Beetle convertible had a lot to due with the increase in sales.

 

Given the sales breakdown, it looks like the regular hardtop NB sales may have bumped up as a result of additional traffic in the dealerships looking at the convertiable NB.