Want to get people involved in the car hobby? Take a page out of MINI's playbook.

We're always bemoaning that people aren't interested in cars, motoring, and the automotive scene anymore.  Well, MINI seems to have it figured out.  I've been trying to get my wife to car events for decades.  I can get her to the Woodward Dream Cruise, or a Concourse event from time to time, but her as the instigator?  Never going to happen.  Or so I thought.  We just bought her a MINI Clubman S and this weekend she went with a friend and fellow MINI owner (Coutryman JCW) up to Mackinac for 'MINIs on the Mac' where they attempted too, and I think they did, break the world record for the longest parade of one make of cars in a parade or crossing a bridge.  They got something like 1,500 cars, beating the record set (also by Mini's) in the UK a few years ago.  More surprising, when she got home she was raving about it and suggested, unprompted mind you, 'I think next year we should do 'MINI's on the dragon'  Yup, the woman who has tolerated my hobby for the last 20 years is now talking about two couples taking their cars down to another MINI event and all driving the tail of the dragon.  MINI must have some secret sauce drug in their cars that turns normal suburban people into auto enthusiasts!!  I'm loving it.

P.S. The car is awesome as well.....when I can get my hands on the keys!

Bravo MINI! A smashing success!!

OMG.  How'd they do that?  My wife is just barely a tolerator of my hobby/passion.

I whine all the time that a little marketing by the mfgrs, or at least the SCCA, could actually grow the hobby a bit.

I almost feel vindicated for thinking so.

Fantastic.

My wife was interested in riding on the back of my motorcycle, and then she wanted her own bike, and then I showed her an E-type Jag, and then she drove an F type at the auto show, and now she tells me about the pretty cars she sees around (all of them are expensive haha)... I’m trying really hard to stoke this flame. She could be the ultimate enabler. 

My wife is my biggest enabler (or sanity check, depending on the insanity of the idea). 

Oddly enough, I'm pretty sure it was a Mini that converted her for good. Albeit an Austin-flavored Mini.

Good for MINI for promoting a fellowship.

Mini needs to do something. There brand is getting played out about as far as you can take it. They are being smart. Promote and sponsor  a life style with fun events that are geared to a larger demographic that happens to require a Mini to participate in. 

Who ever is responsible for this at Mini should get a raise. 

I absolutely believe that VW missed the boat on this with the new Beetle and according to what I have heard the production of the latest generation is slated to stop soon and I bet no one will notice.  A huge opportunity lost by VW. 

In reply to OldGray320i :

If not the manufacturers the large dealer groups could try this model over their various brands.

The car is very ‘cute’ and loveable looking inside and out while also being fun to drive. Women Appreciate that over getting stuck in a lame Honda or Toyota  

Some entrepreneurs started organizing non competitive, fun, social events and that caught on with both genders. 

Too bad the reliability sucks and maintenance is expensive 

I don't like to post anything braggy about her but my SWMBO just encouraged me to buy this. Which i did. 

Bonus points for IDing that sticker on the Caravan. 

MINI (and Mini) have had some pretty successful marketing over the years.

I didn't buy my first MINI until 2012, but had a friend's Mini in my yard/pasture back in the '80s. My wife bought her MINI new in 2004. Ironic since I had owned British sports cars since '73 (not that any of them were running by then).

I have been taking my MINI to MINIs On The Dragon in NC every year since 2013. We have driven all 3 of our MINIs on MINIs Take The States, conducted by MINIUSA. That rally has been run during even years, since 2006.

MINI has been very successful developing female MINI enthusiasts, without it being viewed as a "girly car". Many of the participants at MINI Cooper rallies/get-togethers are women.

My wife bought a '19 Cooper S 'vert (6MT) about 4 months ago to replace a '91 318is she's owned for 20 years.  She's not going to be doing any events any time soon but she absolutely loves her car.  They are not certainly not free but the dealership was really great.  No pressure.  No F&I guy nonsense.  We reached a fair deal in a few minutes.  Nice, neat, well-organized dealership.

I think they do the 'brand' thing pretty well.

It's a great little car too.  She does a lot of short 3-5 mile suburban drives and the damn thing is getting 29.5mpg according to the OBC, even with auto start/stop disabled (to hopefully ensure the car actually warms up from time to time).  It sounds nice.   They even let you hear the turbo a little.  :) . 

In reply to dean1484 :

Honestly, no joke, I thought they had stopped making the Beetle a couple years ago.

keithedwards said:

Many of the participants at MINI Cooper rallies/get-togethers are women.

 

Wish I knew this when I was 20  ;-)

ShawnG said:

In reply to dean1484 :

Honestly, no joke, I thought they had stopped making the Beetle a couple years ago.

https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/09/volkswagen-beetle-production-ends/

I wonder if they will resurrect the Beetle as an all electric vehicle at some point.  Kind of the natural progression considering the reincarnation of the VW microbus that is suppose to be coming. 

https://newsroom.vw.com/vehicles/future-cars/official-the-vw-bus-is-back-and-its-electric/

I would almost be silly not to. Look at the new electric Honda that recalls the styling of their early compact cars. 

I actually think the Beetle shape didn't adapt as well to the necessities of modern vehicles as well as other retro things like panel vans and muscle cars  jeeps and 911s etc. I guess its arched profile and original short length makes it so that if you make it too wide just sort of turns into a dome. If you grow it too much in the other directions it just stops being a small car at all. The one they are discontinuing now is pretty blah in my opinion.