Mini Considers Extending Line Up After Owners Fail To Trade Up To BMW

Mini owners aren't trading up into BMW vehicles, so the small-car specialist could continue to extend its lineup with larger vehicles, BMW Group chief designer Adrian van Hooydonk told Automotive News.

"We thought that young customers would buy a Mini and move up to BMW when they grew older," van Hooydonk said. "That hasn't happened, and therefore we needed the Countryman and the Paceman to open up the brand."

freeagent - 8/12/2013 2:37:55 PM

+5 Boost

perhaps people who buy mini's like small cars. who'da thunk it?

TheSteve - 8/12/2013 4:53:48 PM

+3 Boost

I never saw the MINI as a "gateway car" to BMW. I saw it as a completely different market. Is anyone surprised that MINI drivers and BMW drivers aren't interchangeable? Even so, MINI is just fine for what it is, so "failure" to translate into BMW sales is only a problem for BMW execs, and not MINI owners.

freeagent - 8/12/2013 7:15:13 PM

+2 Boost

agreed, and now that BMW is getting into the small FWD market itself, the upsell rate from Mini to larger BMW's will likely drop