More Videos
- Maximum Bob Goes Full Throttle For GM
- GM's Second Chance
- Are Diesels Better Than Hybrids?
- Residual Values Hold Up Through Bankruptcy
- GM A Step Closer To Exiting Bankruptcy
- Are Gas Prices Still Scaring Car Buyers?
- Ford Passes Toyota For #2 In The U.S.
- Studs, Duds, And The Musical Chairs In Autoland
- Going Fast. Deals And Models Harder To Find
- GM Enters Stretch Run To Exit Bankruptcy
|
CNBC'S MOST SHARED
- Unemployed? Bored? Make Money Playing Beer Pong
- The Highest Grossing (Inflation Adjusted) Movies of All Time
- Merrill's McCann Seen as UBS Wealth Frontrunner
- Geek Squad V. Gizmodo
- Social Networking's 'Naked' Truth
- Warren Buffett's Top Three Investment Rules for the Average American
- Why You Should Watch Fund Flows
- Eric Schmidt on Government Scrutiny and Economic Recovery
- Dykstra Discusses Bankruptcy
- Eric Schmidt on Government Scrutiny and Economic Recovery
- Market 360: The Week's Best & Worst
- Geek Squad V. Gizmodo
- Brandt: Google Chrome OS in the Post-PC Age
- Other People Are Weirder Than We Are
- Bank Failures: Is The Nightmare Over? (Video)
- California Here I Go? No.
- Roginsky: No More Mr. Nice Guy
- Commercial Conundrum
- Cheney Told CIA to Withhold Information: Report
- Why the Credit Pendulum Is Stuck at 'Stupid'
- Stimulus Will Kick in Later this Year: President Obama
- Lender CIT Group Hires Premier Bankruptcy Adviser
- Government Selling Bank Stakes for Too Cheap: Panel
- Buffett's Top 3 Investment Rules for Average Americans
- Market Insider: Earnings Loom in the Week Ahead
- Bulls Get Summertime Blues, But It's Hot Fun for Bears
- As Banks Fail, Strong Institutions Become More Visible
RSS FEED
Text Size 
 |
Source: miniusa.com 2008 Mini Cooper hardtop |
With gas prices surging, buyers are not only taking a new look at compacts, they are snapping up the pint sized cars. Sure, the Smart Fortwo is getting plenty of press and more than 6,100 have been sold since the car hit showrooms in January.
Meanwhile Honda's [HMC
Loading...
()
] Fit (sales up 68.7%), Toyota's [TM
Loading...
()
] Yaris (sales up 58.3%)and Nissan's [NSANY
Loading...
()
] Versa (sales up 24.4%) are all leading the "B" car boom.
But it's MINI that may be best positioned right now. With sales up 29.9% this year, The MINI Cooper and Clubman are compact cars with the unique combination of style and fuel efficiency in a tight little package.
And despite what you think about the current rotation into small cars, buyers this time do not just want an econo-box. They want a ride that offers them the creature comforts they've come to expect in larger cars and SUVs.
That's the true lesson automakers are learning from this move towards smaller cars. Unlike the gas crisis of the mid 70's, buyers this time around want mileage AND style. Listen, back then, Toyota and Honda won over buyers with small, reliable, and fuel efficient cars that were, for the most part, lined with forgettable interiors and exteriors that rarely turned heads. That kind of basic approach won't fly this time around.
Which is why MINI is perfectly positioned to gain buyers. The MINI Cooper and Clubman do not make you feel as though you are being penalized for driving a small car. And aside from the latest incarnation of the VW Beetle ('08 sales down 0.8%), there are few other compact cars that have attracted as much attention.
As they say, sometimes it pays to be in the right place at the right time with the right product. That's the case with MINI right now.
Questions? Comments?
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes