November MINI sales figures and BMW Group

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.

Table: Sales BMW of North America, LLC – November 2010
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

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Changeover at MINI Design

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.

01.12.2010 | Press Release

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.”

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J.D. Power and Associates ranks MINI delaers at the top

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

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MINI Scooter E YouTube video

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.

 

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MINI earns top honors for high residual and resale values

November 17, 2010 1 Comment

MINI vehicles awarded by Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com and ALG
• Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com awarded the 2011 MINI Cooper lineup for having the Best Resale Value in the compact car segment
• ALG presented the 2011 MINI Countryman with the Residual Value Award for best sporty car

Los Angeles – November 17, 2010… Since its introduction eight years ago, MINI brand vehicles have been honored each year by third parties for maintaining their value, and during the 2011 LA Auto Show MINI USA is proud to accept resale and residual value awards from both Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com and ALG respectively.

“These two awards are evidence of the MINI brand’s commitment to build premium quality vehicles that owners can confidently call a solid investment,” said Jim McDowell, Vice President of MINI USA. “Ensuring that each MINI purchase remains a solid value over its lifecycle is a key goal, and we are proud to have earned the acknowledgements from kbb.com and ALG.”

Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com awarded the 2011 MINI Cooper (all models – Hardtop, Convertible and Clubman) for having the Best Resale Value in the compact car segment. These latest honors from Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com mark the ninth year in a row that a MINI Cooper vehicle has won top honors in the Kelley Blue Book Best Resale Value Awards.

“Consumers should take a good look at the projected resale value of a car when choosing their next new-vehicle purchase, and they would be wise to carefully consider the 2011 Best Resale Value Award winning vehicles and brands on this year’s list,” said James Bell, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com. “Vehicle depreciation is a new-car buyer’s biggest expense. Taking the time to research and choose vehicle makes, models and options wisely now can help new-car shoppers hold value down the road when they go to sell or trade-in the vehicle.”

Furthermore, the future looks bright for the MINI brand, as the all-new 2011 MINI Countryman has been named the winner of ALG’s 2011 Residual Value Award for BEST SPORTY CAR. This marks the sixth time since its launch in 2002 that MINI has been named for the ALG award.

ALG’s 12th annual Residual Value Awards, for the 2011 model year, honor the vehicles in each industry segment that ALG predicts will retain the highest percentage of their MSRP after a three-year period. Awards are made in 19 vehicle categories and also for the two brands with the highest overall predicted residual values among all mainstream and all luxury vehicles. This year’s awards are based on 2011 model year vehicles.

“The 4-door Countryman combines the brand’s trademark superior handling with more passenger and luggage space and optional all-wheel drive for a ride that offers more utility than any other MINI Cooper,” said Raj Sundaram, SVP, Solutions Group and ALG. “With a unique distribution strategy and strict supply management, MINI maintains some of the best residuals in the business.”

In addition to the testament of third parties, MINI USA offers a solid backing for its used vehicles with the MINI NEXT program. Through any certified MINI dealer, customers can purchase a used MINI NEXT vehicle that has undergone significant testing and offers the peace of mind of a comprehensive warranty (up to an additional two years or 50,000 miles) as well as roadside assistance, and assurance that only MINI authorized parts will be used to service the vehicle.

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MINI Cooper sales down-BMW Group up

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

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Unique Paul Weller designed MINI goes on sale in charity auction

November 11, 2010 1 Comment

Click on picture to see more of this pink MINI

10.11.2010 | Press Release

London/ Munich. Following his headline performance at MINI’s 50th Birthday extravaganza at Silverstone in 2009, mod rock legend Paul Weller has collaborated with MINI to create a one off car which will be sold in a live global online auction with all proceeds going to charity. The unique MINI Cooper is the ultimate British icon, it was designed by Paul Weller, built in Oxford and hand-painted by MINI craftsmen. The car will be auctioned for one month from 11 November to raise money for charities Nordoff Robins and War Child.

Weller’s inspiration for the design – which features bold pink and brown stripes across the car’s entire body and is finished with a single silver line running up the bonnet and over the roof – comes from the colours in a Ben Sherman shirt he designed for the clothing brand some years ago.

MINI UK’s Director, Jochen Goller says “Both MINI and Paul Weller are synonymous with the quintessential British mod scene. That’s why we were the ideal match to create this unique car.”

Paul Weller said “I’ve always loved and driven MINIs  so when I was given the opportunity to design a bespoke Mini Cooper I wanted to create something that reflected the mood and colours associated with the Mod era, which was also the classic Mini’s hey day. I’d already expressed these colours in a shirt I designed for Ben Sherman a few years ago, so it made sense to me to continue the theme using a MINI Cooper as a palate.

I’ve decided to donate the car to two charities: War Child is an amazing organization which works tirelessly to provide protection for kids who live in some of the world’s most dangerous places – Iraq, Afghanistan, Uganda and DRC. Nordoff Robbins is the charity that really uses music to transform the lives of kids and adults fundraising to help and support these vulnerable people.”

The bidding starts on 11th November at www.paulwellerminiauction.com and will run for one month. The car will be on display in MINI’s flagship showroom on Park Lane, London for the duration of the auction.

The car is a 2009 MINI Cooper, with 17’’ Crown Spoke Alloys, black leather upholstery, Bluetooth, front heated seats, and Chili Pack. All proceeds of the auction will be divided between the two charities.

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