MINI Cooper
December 2, 2010 1 Comment
Here’s one of the first MINI Countryman Commercials set during the winter time. What do you think? Post your thoughts in the comment section, would love to hear what you think of this video.
December 1, 2010 1 Comment
Woodcliff Lake, NJ – December 1, 2010… The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported November sales of 22,883 vehicles, an increase of 27.1 percent from the 18,002 vehicles sold in November 2009. Year-to-date, the BMW Group has sold 238,157 vehicles, up 9.3 percent from the 217,840 units sold through November 2009.
“November is normally a tough month but we increased our sales momentum thanks to strong demand for our all-wheel-drive vehicles, the X5 and X6 in particular, and now that it’s available, the 5 Series with AWD,” said Jim O’Donnell, President and CEO of BMW of North America, LLC. “The overall market shows signs of improvement with consumer confidence increasing slightly but our dealers know they have to work for every sale and that work is paying off.”
BMW Brand Sales
Sales of BMW brand vehicles in November increased 30.2 percent for a total of 20,097 vehicles from the 15,438 units sold in November of last year. Year-to-date, BMW sales are up 11.8 percent to 196,833 vehicles from the 176,104 units sold in the same period of 2009.
In November, best performing vehicles included the 5 Series, up 58 percent to 5,042 units, 1 Series, up 40.7 percent to 1,019 units, and the 3 Series, up 36.6 percent to 8,928 units. The SAV segment continues to perform very well with the X5, up 24 percent to 3,436 units and the X6, up 30.8 percent to 561units.
BMW Pre-Owned Vehicles
Sales of BMW’s used vehicles (including certified pre-owned and pre-owned) increased 6.5 percent to 12,580 vehicles from the 11,815 units sold in November of last year. Year-to-date, used vehicle sales were up 5 percent to 153,048 units from the 145,763 units sold in the same period of 2009.
MINI Brand Sales
MINI USA reported sales of 2,786 automobiles, an increase of 8.7 percent from the 2,564 cars sold last year. Year-to-date, MINI USA is reporting sales of 41,324 automobiles, a decrease of 1 percent from the 41,736 cars sold in the same period of 2009.
|
|
Nov.
2010
|
Nov.
2009
|
%
|
YTD
2010
|
YTD 2009
|
%
|
|
BMW brand
|
20,097
|
15,438
|
30.2
|
196,833
|
176,104
|
11.8
|
|
BMW passenger cars
|
16,009
|
11,970
|
33.7
|
154,372
|
142,773
|
8.1
|
|
BMW light trucks
(SAVs)
|
4,088
|
3,468
|
17.9
|
42,461
|
33,331
|
27.4
|
|
MINI brand
|
2,786
|
2,564
|
8.7
|
41,324
|
41,736
|
-1.0
|
|
TOTAL Group
|
22,883
|
18,002
|
27.1
|
238,157
|
217,840
|
9.3
|
December 1, 2010 Leave a comment
Changeover at MINI Design. Gert Volker Hildebrand hands over the running of the MINI Design team to Anders Warming at the end of the year.Munich . After 10 successful years at MINI Design, Gert Volker Hildebrand is handing over the running of the MINI Design studio to Anders Warming at the end of 2010. Gert Hildebrand will be leaving the company on 31.12.2010.
Gert Volker Hildebrand (57) has been responsible for the complete design development of the MINI brand since January 2001 and, with his design team, has shaped the development of the MINI brand portfolio. Over the last 10 years, the head of the MINI Design studio has provided the impetus for countless MINI vehicle concepts and for the entire design development. Alongside the further development of the third generation of the classic MINI, the MINI Cabrio and MINI Clubman were also created under his leadership. This year, Gert Hildebrand and his team added a real 4-door version to the MINI brand: the MINI Countryman, launched in September.
The MINI Coupé and MINI Roadster concepts presented in 2009, which will be appearing on the market in 2011 and 2012, were also created in the MINI Design studio under his guidance. Apart from designing cars, Gert Volker Hildebrand has also devoted himself to encouraging young designers and to talking about design in institutions and to the public.
Anders Warming, head of Exterior Design, BMW Automobiles, started working for DesignworksUSA in California in 1997. Following this, the 38-year-old Dane was employed in various positions as an automobile designer before coming to Munich in 2005 as Team Leader, Advanced Design, BMW Group. In 2007, he took over as head of Exterior Design, BMW Automobiles. Under his leadership, the BMW Z4, BMW 5 Series and the BMW Concept 6 Series Coupé, presented at the Paris Auto Show, were created.
“I would like to wish Gert Hildebrand all the best for the future and thank him for working with us so well and so successfully”, says Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group Design. “Anders Warming has the expertise, the necessary experience and the intuition to take the MINI brand, with the support of the entire MINI Design team, into a ever more successful future.”
November 23, 2010 1 Comment
J.D. power and associates did a survey for customer satisfaction at dealers and the major reason for people choosing a dealer to do business with was how they are treated and not the price of the vehicle. The perfect score in this survey is 1000 and MINI came in at 805, which is not really a big surprise because going to a MINI dealer is not like going to a normal dealer, it’s an experience.
Among mass-market brands, Mini ranks highest (805) and performs better than all other non-premium brands in three of the four factors measured. Mini is followed by Mercury (795) and GMC (792) in the mass market segment rankings
J.D. Power and associates full article and the J.D. Powers and Associates press release
November 21, 2010 Leave a comment
Here’s a stop motion video from MINI of the MINI Scooter E in motion. It somewhat reminds me of the Peter Gabriel video for Sledgehammer which you can watch below if you’d like.
November 12, 2010 1 Comment
BMW Group U.S. Reports October 2010 Sales
Woodcliff Lake, NJ – November 2, 2010... The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported October sales of 23,222 vehicles, an increase of 12.6 percent from the 20,619 vehicles sold in October 2009. Year-to-date, the BMW Group also reported a sales volume of 215,274 vehicles, up 7.7 percent from the 199,838 units sold through October 2009.
“The new product effect clearly showed in October with our 5 Series sales momentum increasing, especially with the introduction of all-wheel-drive for regions where it is highly desired,” said Jim O’Donnell, President and CEO of BMW of North America, LLC. “Furthermore, we are seeing some positive response from the overall market but with little job growth and only slight increases in consumer spending, our dealers have to fight for every sale, something they did very well this month.”
BMW Brand Sales
Sales of BMW brand vehicles in October increased 17.2 percent for a total of 19,272 vehicles from the 16,443 units sold in October of last year. Year-to-date, BMW sales were up 10 percent to 176,736 vehicles from the 160,666 units sold in the same period of 2009.
In October, best performing vehicles included the 1 Series, up 127.3 percent to 1,139 units and the 5 Series, up 61.8 percent to 4,925 units. The X5 continues to perform very well with an increase of 48.9 to 3,183 units.
BMW Pre-Owned Vehicles
Sales of BMW’s used vehicles (including certified pre-owned and pre-owned) decreased 7.2 percent to 13,867 vehicles from the 14,938 units sold in October of last year. Year-to-date, used vehicle sales were up 4.9 percent to 140,468 vehicles from the 133,948 units sold in the same period of 2009.
MINI Brand Sales
MINI USA reported sales of 3,950 automobiles, a decrease of 5.4 percent from the 4,176 cars sold last year. Year-to-date, MINI USA also reported sales of 38,538 automobiles, a decrease of 1.6 percent from the 39,172 units sold in the same period of 2009.
Table: Sales BMW of North America, LLC – October 2010
|
Oct.
2010
|
Oct.
2009
|
%
|
YTD
2010
|
YTD 2009
|
%
|
|
|
BMW brand
|
19,272
|
16,443
|
17.2
|
176,736
|
160,666
|
10.0
|
|
BMW passenger cars
|
15,486
|
13,630
|
13.6
|
138,363
|
130,803
|
5.8
|
|
BMW light trucks
(SAVs)
|
3,786
|
2,813
|
34.6
|
38,373
|
29,863
|
28.5
|
|
MINI brand
|
3,950
|
4,176
|
-5.4
|
38,538
|
39,172
|
-1.6
|
|
TOTAL Group
|
23,222
|
20,619
|
12.6
|
215,274
|
199,838
|
7.7
|
November 5, 2010 Leave a comment
Product Presentation – The All-New MINI Countryman
Vinnie Kung, MINI Product Manager – MINI USA
In October, MINI’s Product Manager, Vinnie Kung, presented an overview of the technical specifications for the all-new MINI Countryman. The presentation includes details about the vehicle’s design and its focus on versatility, the optional ALL4 system, and the standard equipment and optional features available on MINI’s biggest small idea.
October 27, 2010 Leave a comment
Product Presentation – Updated MY 2011 MINI Lineup
Vinnie Kung, MINI Product Manager – MINI USA
In October, MINI’s Product Manager, Vinnie Kung, presented the range of updates incorporated into the MINI lineup as part of the MY 2011 Life Cycle Impulse (LCI). The presentation covers exterior and interior design changes, updates to the 1.6 liter engine, and new standard and optional equipment on the MY 2011 lineup.
October 27, 2010 Leave a comment
MINI Connected Presentation
Rob Passaro, MINI Connected Development
In October, Rob Passaro, a member of the MINI Connected Development Team, presented all of the details regarding MINI’s newest infotainment option. MINI Connected offers a new level of integration between the driver and their MINI.
Click on the link below to see the presentation.
October 10, 2010 Leave a comment
On this episode, we cover BMW Group sales numbers and they’re looking good. MINI revealed a few new items at the Paris Auto show last week and will the BMW 1 Series M Coupe be awesome?
