Photo: MINI
It seems like MINI isn’t using beautiful phrases that feel corny at times just for marketing purposes. In a recent interview, the brand’s CEO, Peter Schwartzenbauer said that they actually count on how their cars make you feel to sell more of them.
That’s an interesting approach and in certain cases it does work but as the world we live in becomes more and more focused on resources and saving them, the Brits might be surprised of how important the price factor is in the purchasing decision of each customer.
"If you look at this compact premium segment, most cars are very functional but boring," said Peter Schwarzenbauer, BMW AG board member in charge of Mini and Rolls-Royce for Automotive News Europe. "Now we are bringing a car that is very emotional, and we brought all of the Mini DNA."
Those are true words, Mr. Schwarzenbauer and we agree with your claim but looking at what the rivals have in store, cars like the Golf Sportsvan, the price difference might be just too big. That’s when a brand starts to rely on the image it shines onto the outside world and on its fans and normally, that kind of situations don’t work out all that great.
As for the fun part, the Clubman definitely isn’t your average car. First of all, it has six doors and that’s something you don’t see every day. The design is also more emotional than you see on similar proposals out there while the engines… Well, the engines have more power than you’d usually need in the upper echelons.
All of this might seem peculiar right now, but it’s all part of a bigger plan that we’ve told you about in the past. The current leadership believes that the best way to go forward for MINI is in the completely opposite direction to what BMW is doing.
While its parent company is adding niche after niche in the auto industry ranks, the Brits are aiming at building just five ‘superhero’ models, each having small variations on the table.
So far, we know four of them, the MINI Hardtop, the Convertible, Clubman and Countryman while the remaining one is still a mystery. While some are pushing for a Roadster, the case for it is hard to build as demand for such two-seaters is extremely small these days.
The best choice would be a genuine small city car, one that would get back in touch with the roots of the brand but a decision is still to be made.
"If you look at this compact premium segment, most cars are very functional but boring," said Peter Schwarzenbauer, BMW AG board member in charge of Mini and Rolls-Royce for Automotive News Europe. "Now we are bringing a car that is very emotional, and we brought all of the Mini DNA."
Those are true words, Mr. Schwarzenbauer and we agree with your claim but looking at what the rivals have in store, cars like the Golf Sportsvan, the price difference might be just too big. That’s when a brand starts to rely on the image it shines onto the outside world and on its fans and normally, that kind of situations don’t work out all that great.
As for the fun part, the Clubman definitely isn’t your average car. First of all, it has six doors and that’s something you don’t see every day. The design is also more emotional than you see on similar proposals out there while the engines… Well, the engines have more power than you’d usually need in the upper echelons.
All of this might seem peculiar right now, but it’s all part of a bigger plan that we’ve told you about in the past. The current leadership believes that the best way to go forward for MINI is in the completely opposite direction to what BMW is doing.
While its parent company is adding niche after niche in the auto industry ranks, the Brits are aiming at building just five ‘superhero’ models, each having small variations on the table.
So far, we know four of them, the MINI Hardtop, the Convertible, Clubman and Countryman while the remaining one is still a mystery. While some are pushing for a Roadster, the case for it is hard to build as demand for such two-seaters is extremely small these days.
The best choice would be a genuine small city car, one that would get back in touch with the roots of the brand but a decision is still to be made.
Google News