In 2008, the Mini was big.
The stylish compacts regularly rolled off L.A. dealers’ lots, while just about every other kind of car may as well have had square wheels.
And that translated into good news for two leading BMW-Mini Cooper dealers in Los Angeles.
More than 1,100 of the tiny cars sold at the Nick Alexander Imports Huntington Park dealership in 2008, an increase of 50 percent from the previous year. South Bay BMW Mini also kept the cars rolling with sales of more than 925 Mini Coopers, up from about 700 in 2007.
In all, Mini sales in the United States increased 31 percent in the calendar year through November, according to Autodata Corp. No other model came close. In fact, overall auto and light truck sales swooned 16 percent in that span.
To meet the big demand for the small cars, Alexander purchased the Smart & Final property next-door to provide more space for its stocks. It will become one of the largest Mini facilities in the country.
So what shifted the Mini to its success?
“They are just plain fun to drive,” said Elizabeth Alexander, president of Nick Alexander. “They are like little race cars.”
And last summer’s $4-a-gallon gasoline didn’t hurt, either. Mini mileage is as high as 37 per gallon.
“What I liked most about this car was a high MPG,” says Linda Cho, 23, a USC student who bought a red Cooper a year ago. “For college students like me, it’s one of the best choices to make. Compared to my old car, a Honda Accord, Mini is better in style and cheaper in maintenance.”
Dealers say the appeal spans generations.
“This is the result of a lot of different factors, such as nostalgia for the original Mini of the 1960s, the economic factor of the car and the performance aspect of the car,” said Will Silva, general sales manager of South Bay Mini.
But will Mini sales get small again?
When November hit, overall light vehicle sales plunged 37 percent from the previous November. Mini sales increased in November, but there’s no assurance that will continue if consumers continue putting the brakes on spending for big-ticket items. Alexander admitted that traffic had slowed.
“In general, people were paralyzed to make any choices that month,” Alexander said. “There were fewer shoppers.”
Some experts say a turnaround doesn’t appear to be around the corner for car dealers in general.
But Mini’s got some tricks up its dashboard. A new convertible is due in late winter, and a sport utility will arrive in about a year. Mini is also going electric, and a new plug-in version will be available early this year.
“They understand what buyers are interested in and like about the car,” Alexander said.
