Hot Stuff: MINI makes it big

What is it and what makes it so hot?

MANILA, Philippines - Actually, this little (literally) baby needs very little introduction, as MINI is such an iconic brand in the automotive world. The MINI Cooper, in particular, has starred in many a Hollywood film (The twin takes on The Italian Job immediately come to mind) and is as much an aspirational car as many of its BMW siblings. The MINI Cooper S, with its 175 horses and very eager demeanor, has proven to be the best selling variant of the brand since its January debut on Philippine shores. Though currently (and quite prohibitively) priced at P2.325 million for the manual transmission variant and P2.449 million for the automatic transmission variant, the MINI Cooper S is still a very, very hot commodity.

How hot is it?

Since opening its doors to the Philippine market in January, official MINI distributor British United Automobiles (BUA) has been able to deliver 49 MINI Cooper units to eager owners. There are 55 soon-to-be owners who have made downpayments and are merely awaiting delivery. The MINI Cooper S accounts for 79 percent of these more than 100 units that are essentially considered owned. At the rate MINI units are flying off the showroom and given the order schedule that BUA has, the wait list currently stands at three months. In fact, given the pace, BUA VP Mike Cua has confirmed that they will likely have a grand total of zero display units soon. Yes, Cua also confirms that they are now adjusting their ordering numbers from the parent company.