The BMW Group (BMW and MINI combined) in the U.S. is blaming the winter weather for the MINI brand’s sluggish sales the first two months of the year.
In a statement issued by the company on Monday, BMW North America’s president and CEO, Ludwig Willisch, said the inclement weather in much of the country has kept potential buyers from the showrooms.
MINI USA reported a decrease of 42.8 percent in its February 2014 sales as 1,843 fewer automobiles were sold than in the same month one year ago. According to the report, U.S. sales for the brand were also down in both January and February, selling nearly 3,000 fewer vehicles than in the same two months last year.
Although MINI sales are down, the BMW brand is up 6.5 percent as nearly 2,500 more vehicles were sold in January and February this year than in the first two months of 2013. Pre-owned vehicles with the BMW brand are also showing an increase in sales the first two months of 2014, as 2,200 more vehicles were sold than in January and February of 2013.
Overall, the BMW Group reported February sales of 24,476 vehicles, a decrease of 4.4 percent from the 25,613 vehicles sold in the same month a year ago. Year-to-date, the BMW Group is down 1.2 percent on sales of 45,272 the first two months of 2014 compared to 45,808 during the same period in 2013.
