Photo: Original image by autoevolution
China is truly a wonderful place, with a rich culture that is simply stunning when you get to know it better. Some things that don’t seem all that important to the rest of the world, make all the difference over there.
According to a JD Power and Associates estimate, 80 percent of the MINI cars are bought by women in China. It might not seem like a big deal to us but it seems like over there, being categorized as a ‘girlie’ car is not a good thing.
The same study shows that in this regard, MINI holds the highest rate, easily overtaking any other manufacturer present in China. The love women show the British brand over there isn’t taken in kindly, it would seem.
Now, the company is trying its best to attract male customers and is doing its best to do so. The Shanghai showroom, for example, is now fitted with a a pool table and the company also organized an all-MINI road trip to Tibet, all in the spirit of changing the demographics.
"You don't want to tip into being a girlie car," Sean Green, head of Mini's China business, said in an interview in Beijing last week. "Not only do you alienate the men, you actually alienate a lot of women, because a lot of women won't want to buy a feminine brand."
All this effort actually makes a lot of sense. China is the biggest market for the BMW Group and fourth biggest for the MINI brand, after the US, UK and Germany. Furthermore, the competition is rather fierce with Fiat’s 500 model and Volkswagen’s New Beetle being extremely popular as well.
Furthermore, the sales recorded over the first 5 months of the year have been disappointing on a global scale and in the US particularly but China seems to be on a league of its own. Over here, the MINI sales grew by 18 percent by the end of May, compared to 2013, a more than encouraging trend. So far, the British company is leading in its segment with 11,440 units, outselling Daimler’s Smart and Fiat’s 500 models even though it’s the more expensive option.
Some explanation for this appeal the car has for women can be easily explained, as Munling Cheong, Market Research Director at Labbrand Enterprise Management Consulting Shanghai: “It's very cute. It appeals to women who are a bit playful, because the brand itself is playful.”
Furthermore, the customers are usually young, well-educated women with ages between 25 and 34. There are 17 million of them in China out of which at least 4.5 million are not married. That’s a huge market that keeps on growing and signs are, the sales will keep on growing in the future, girlie car or not.
The same study shows that in this regard, MINI holds the highest rate, easily overtaking any other manufacturer present in China. The love women show the British brand over there isn’t taken in kindly, it would seem.
Now, the company is trying its best to attract male customers and is doing its best to do so. The Shanghai showroom, for example, is now fitted with a a pool table and the company also organized an all-MINI road trip to Tibet, all in the spirit of changing the demographics.
"You don't want to tip into being a girlie car," Sean Green, head of Mini's China business, said in an interview in Beijing last week. "Not only do you alienate the men, you actually alienate a lot of women, because a lot of women won't want to buy a feminine brand."
All this effort actually makes a lot of sense. China is the biggest market for the BMW Group and fourth biggest for the MINI brand, after the US, UK and Germany. Furthermore, the competition is rather fierce with Fiat’s 500 model and Volkswagen’s New Beetle being extremely popular as well.
Furthermore, the sales recorded over the first 5 months of the year have been disappointing on a global scale and in the US particularly but China seems to be on a league of its own. Over here, the MINI sales grew by 18 percent by the end of May, compared to 2013, a more than encouraging trend. So far, the British company is leading in its segment with 11,440 units, outselling Daimler’s Smart and Fiat’s 500 models even though it’s the more expensive option.
Some explanation for this appeal the car has for women can be easily explained, as Munling Cheong, Market Research Director at Labbrand Enterprise Management Consulting Shanghai: “It's very cute. It appeals to women who are a bit playful, because the brand itself is playful.”
Furthermore, the customers are usually young, well-educated women with ages between 25 and 34. There are 17 million of them in China out of which at least 4.5 million are not married. That’s a huge market that keeps on growing and signs are, the sales will keep on growing in the future, girlie car or not.
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