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The Korea Herald
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THE INVESTOR
March 29, 2024

Automobiles

Mini sets 10,000 sales target for 2018

  • PUBLISHED :April 14, 2017 - 16:48
  • UPDATED :April 14, 2017 - 16:48
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[THE INVESTOR] BMW Korea, the Korean unit of luxury German automaker, on April 14 said it plans to sell more than 10,000 units of Mini vehicles here in 2018. 

“Mini entered Korea in 2005 and sold 761 units that year,” said Cho In-chul, Mini Korea managing director, at a media test-driving event for the Countryman crossover held at the BMW Driving Center in Incheon. “In 2016, we sold 8,632 units. Next year, we hope to push up the momentum to sell 10,000.”

The iconic British marque owned by BMW saw a 15 percent on-year sales growth in 2016, thanks to the car’s signature design combined with an affordable price tag. Among imported cars, the Mini ranked ninth in terms of sales. 


Mini Countryman



Mini will also play a crucial part in the BMW Group’s push to go electric, Cho told The Investor. “Mini is developing its own electric cars. We hope to see the electric version of Minis in Korea by 2020,” he said, adding they would make a great electric city cars. 

Mini comes in five core models, affectionately called the “superheroes.” They are the basic hatchback, the Countryman crossover, the Clubman wagon, the Convertible and the high-performance lineup John Cooper Works. 

The automaker unveiled the second-generation Mini Countryman -- its largest model -- at the Seoul Motor Show on March 30. The latest Countryman, which shares the same platform with its parent BMW’s compact X1 SUV, is bigger in size -- 20cm longer and 3cm wider -- than the one it replaces. 

It comes in four trims that are powered by 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine. The highest trim SD Countryman produces 190 horsepower and 40.8 kilogram-meters of torque. 

The local price of the car ranges from 43.4 million won (US$38,067) to 55.4 million won.

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)

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