Not much to report from the Mini press conference today at the New York auto show. Jim McDowell, vice president of Mini USA, got up and gave a nice little spiel on Mini's long history of racing and briefly went over the Mini Challenge racecar on display. He then moved on to the new John Cooper Works Clubman, a slick-looking variation of the standard Clubman that's just now trickling into dealers. The fact that Mini doesn't feel the need to use big flashy intros and overly ambitious language to describe its cars reflects its confidence in the product and its continued popularity...
Even after six years on the market, the Mini Cooper still hasn't lost its edge, and the new Cooper has bumped up sales well past last year's numbers. Factor in the rising interest in smaller cars and Mini could have one of its best years ever at a time when most automakers are bracing for the worst. -- Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor, Inside Line
ateixeira says:
10:11 AM, 03/20/08
Mini gets a lot of hype and a lot of good press, but let's keep it real - they are still a low volume make.
dougtheeng says:
12:56 PM, 03/20/08
Yah but the recent interest in small cars puts mini in an interesting place.
blueguydotcom says:
02:36 PM, 03/20/08
Love my 07 Cooper S. :)
estreka says:
05:13 PM, 03/20/08
Let's be honest. Mini never would have survived in the market 10 years ago when gas prices were still sub-$1.
blueguydotcom says:
08:13 AM, 03/21/08
Why would gas prices impact the sales of minis?
firstwagon says:
10:16 AM, 03/21/08
I agree, great mileage is a bonus but I've never met anyone who bought a Mini for the mileage.
The Mini was never met to compete with the Civic for volume. It may be the best selling low volume car in history though.
estreka says:
11:51 AM, 03/21/08
I agree that mileage is viewed as a bonus for most Mini owners and the primary reason is looks. But econo cars haven't been seen as cute until gas prices began their mountain climb. Before, SUVs were seen as cute. While gas mileage may not be a direct contributor to the Mini's success, prices have absolutely shifted the focus of what's trendy. And trendy is what sells Minis.
firstwagon says:
12:54 PM, 03/21/08
Actually the primary reason is performance and handling with looks coming much lower.
Looks might have got the Mini started but if that's all it had going for it, it would have faded away by now. Trendy doesn't last without substance.
The best thing about the Mini is it's slowly changing American's odd bias against small cars. Every other country I know of does not judge how cool a car is based on size, they judge it on how good a car it is.
82nis says:
03:32 AM, 03/24/08
i want one! my family had an original mini cooper and it was british green with a white top.