Will Mini Sales Fourish With Less But More Focused Models?

Mini's product developers got stupid.

The Paceman was just a dumb-as-bricks move. Three-door crossovers are not wanted in the market--4 doors yes--so of course Mini did one.

The Roadster could not have been more ungainly if they had tried.

What in hell were they thinking with the coupe?

The five-door Cooper should have happened LONG ago.

If I were Mini, I'd consider a Mini pickup i.e. a stretched wheelbase Cooper with a short bed (2 seater).

MINI is iconic, like the Volkswagen Beetle. Stray too far from the formula, and consumers lose the nostalgic appeal of the original.

BMW should have retailed Mini through BMW dealers rather than stand-alone dealers. Stand-alone dealers create an "obligation" by the manufacturer to make those dealers sustainable. Thus the parade of models.

MDarringer, +1. You have a point there. It would have cut MINI operating costs substantially, and therefore made the brand much more profitable. I don't know if your suggestion would have a negative effect with respect to marketing, though.

@TheSteve Mini would have had instant credibility given it being a BMW brand, rather than the mystery around the Mini/BMW connection that existed back in the day. Mini has earned its credibility, but co-branding would have sped up the process.

Co-branding would have brought people into a BMW dealer that would never have set foot in the place. With the 1 Series coming, co-branding would put it in people's minds that BMWs has a product that Mini buyers can afford.

I'd turn Genesis into a brand and co-brand it with Hyundai because the Hyundai brand is keeping Genesis down, but Genesis could actually lift Hyundai up.

VW gets an undeserved boost for usually being co-branded with Porsche and Audi.

Sounds like the Honda strategy, except a 2 door, 4 door, wagon, convertible, and performance version of what appears to be one model, isn't much range for a brand. The brand's name is the problem.