Hi MINI fans,
Being the owners of our second MINI, a 2005 MCSC known as the KillerBee, I would like to think that the MINI marketing department is doing a bang up job. The only thing banged up seems to be their way of thinking on color choices.
We obviously like the black and yellow colors, having a jet black MINI with bright yellow racing stripes. Since our current KillerBee is almost 3 years old we would like to buy a new MCSC while the current body style is offered. Our problem is that the MINI marketing department has seen it wise to eliminate any real black color opting to use Astro Black which is really dark blue in the sun. We like to drive our MINI convertible in the sun so Astro Black is out. Along came the Mellow Yellow color and we thought that it was bright enough to become a KillerBee color. It is offered in the Cooper, the Cooper S, and the Cooper convertible. Why in the world would they not offer this sporty color in one of their most sporty models, the Cooper S convertible? They will not tell me how they made that brilliant decision as it is a secretive marketing tool that only the marketing people are smart enough to understand. So without a real black or a bright yellow available we will have to go to a different make that isn't smart enough to exclude a number of buyers who prefer a real black or yellow.
If you "ask MINI" you will get a smart-alect letter telling you that you are just not intelligent to understand their marketing plan. Well, we are intelligent to know when we are not wanted.
There just isn't a single good reason to offer this in 3 models and not in the 4th. No economic or logical reasoning can explain their decision. I have polled many people on this issue and not one has understood their decision. Can someone here help me understand why we are going to buy a different make of car when a simple push of the yellow button on the paint line would take care of the problem and keep us motoring in a MINI?
Help us understand.
Mick

 

I totally agree and wondered who in the hell came up with that idea in the first place.

Offering exclusive colors to higher end models? I see the point in that. Specifically excluding colors from the highest end only? Absolute stupidity.

And why the hell would they get rid of jet black? What car company doesn't offer a real black?! What is the logic?

 

Some of the logic has to do with greed...a metallic "black" brings in $500 more than a jet black. I was happy to see the brighter yellow in pace of liquid yellow and even more happy when it didn't contain any metal flake. I guess they feel the people willing to shell out more for the S convertible will bite for the extra cost of the metallic colors if not offered an alternative.

 

why not get the astro black and call your car the killerblue?

 

I wanted Dark Blue (Indi Blue) in 2002. Only a cooper color. So now I have a red/white top!

Matt

 

I really don't have that strong a preference about the color. If you could only buy MINIs in purple, I'd probably be driving a purple one.

As to the decisions of MINI corporate...they probably just looked at the percentage of sales of the old convertible, figured out the most popular colors, and dropped the least popular. Just because YOU love it, doesn't mean everyone does.

Lots of whole cars (much less paint colors) that I love get discontinued due to poor sales...

--Dan
Mach V
FastMINI.net

 

that all the cars go through the very same production line, and they artificially limit some colors to some models, even though it's just a constraint in the factory automation software. There's no reason that Indie Blue needed to be only for the coopers in 02. I think some in the marketing/options department have too much time on thier hands....

And all the purples are gone, but that burnt orange lived on! Go figure!

Matt

 

Well, I can understand, and agree with, the frustration that the color(s) you want are not available on the model you want, but I think claiming that "you're not wanted" and going off in a huff to buy a different brand of car beacuse of it is a bit of an over-reaction.

 

Try and get a deal on a color that doesn't sell and get it painted.

 

If we can not get a MINI in black or yellow then a MINI is not wanted by us. The reason a person buys a car is that it feels, looks, and performs in the ways that make that person feel excited...that is what MINI's marketing department has been leaning on since it was introduced. Part of that involves the looks...any MINI in another color will not make us excited, so a MINI will not do. I am just trying to understand why MINI chooses to eliminate buyers for no real reason other than Joe Blow in a marketing position thinks it is a cool decision. They refuse to give a reason for not offering yellow on only one model. That is different than making the color exclusive to one particular model. For some reason MINI enjoys playing games with their customers with their color offerings and I find that offensive and very unlike the so called "MINI culture."
We won't go off in a huff, we will just go away...is that what MINI wants? We would like to know why MINI would choose to indiscriminately eliminate customers. We would just like a real answer to a real question.

 

Man, Mick...that really sucks! I didn't realize that the MY wasn't available in the MCSC! I hate to see you go to another make, but I understand your frustration and disappointment.

 

Wow, I too didn't realize that MY wasn't offered in the MCSC. That really does suck.. MINI what were you thinking!??

 

The MINIUSA configurator is still showing the "old" body style and even though they offer three of the new colors on it, has it already been determined that the new '08 body style will not be offered in MY?

If not, I would at least wait until the '08 convertibles hit the configurator...I'll be pulling for ya! GO MY!

Edit: Never mind, I see that you want the current bodystyle...

 

Mick,

let me try to break it down for you. There is a very SLIM market for yellow cars.

 

Yes...It is so SLIM that they offer the same color yellow on the Cooper, Cooper S, and the Cooper Convertible. Why not the Cooper S Convertible?

What is the logic in offering 45 blue colors and 109 versions of Silver?:impatient

 

I've been saying for years that they need to offer us the entire color palette from the big Crayola box of 64 crayons. Let us mix and match any color for the body and roof.

But apparently, I too must be an idiot who doesn't understand marketing to think that people would love the option to choose just about anything they want.

 

and the BS about restricting it to certain models (when they all go past the very same paint guns) is purely an artificial way of creating the wrong kind of exclusivity. There's really no reason for it, as the factory could make all body styles in all colors. I really can't see any math that would justify the restriction, because surely there are more that will walk away because they really wanted XX color on YY body style as a requirement. I really doubt that there are many who say "I want MY MORE because it's exclusive to 3 of the 4 body styles". Yes, this is Shooting the Foot 101!

Matt

 

.....because silver and all it's versions is the most popular color in the world on cars, period! Astro Black looks black much more often than it looks blue.

 

Reverse exclusivity.

 

IMO -

Remember that MINI is not sold only in USA. The market in EU is quite different from the North American one, age and economical factors being the biggest differences.

While in US the MINI has very little competion among other small cars, in EU, MINI (around for 48 years) has a vast competition. Small cars are the norm overseas so making a MINI sale is more challenging.
During my last MINI UNITED experience I had the opportunity to talk with MINI VPs from other countries and MINI Germany has a different understanding of its customers and the more I talked with the MINI "insiders" and the more I understood that MINI Germany - thus its marketing- design team- knows very little about the type of people who buy MINIs in USA.

Not all colours are sold equally in all countries..2 years ago while in UK we noticed a prevalence of red MINIs, in Italy the two different cities we visted had two different colours: Bologna had more yellow .. Roma was big on Pure Silver, of course some colours are only available to specif models and w/ the cost of gasoline overseas we did not see many MCS around .. but the ones we encountered were mostly Dark Silver .. EB was rare...
I think that when the design department comes up with a colour is based mostly to appeal to the EU market.

Does it make sense?

 

Not really, because they already have the equipment to allow any MINI, regardless of model, to be painted in any color. The fact that they restrict some of the colors is mind-bogglingly stupid.

 

They have 8 colors. they have 4 body styles. Once the colors are chosen it doesn't matter what car goes through the line. Everything you listed has to do with the choice of the colors they will offer. All that matters is that for some reason they are saying that one color can't be ordered on one body style. This is purley an artificial constraint. There's no added cost for them to paint any of the bodys any of the colors. The robot programs are in place, the colors are in place.

So what if they only sell 6 MY MCSC in the US. That's 6 more cars than they would have sold, and the colors are already on the configurator.

Matt

 

To give a name to a colour say "Chili red" is a marketing decision - and good marketing attracts customers ...

I had a Polo Green Camaro .. not very much different from the MINI Racing Green and this a colour with a history for MINI ..

..... Racing Green Camaro or better Racing Green Toyota doesn't sound quite right

By removing some colours makes some MINIs more special and rare..
how many Velvet Red or Silk Green do you see around ????

 

I can understand offering exclusive colors to certain years, but offering mellow yellow to every model but Cooper S Convertibles just doesn't make sense.

I still don't know why they continue to pull Jet Black off the list every few years, but I can totally see why they would release some colors for just one year.

 

Poor babies can't get your colors?? Well, I say whine on brother!! I griped (and griped) about Electric Blue not being offered on Coopers in the U.S. (as it was everywhere) and lo and behold, here came Oxygen Blue....and suddenly life is good. So continue to let your "request" be known...you may luck out yet!!!