If you have been paying attention to MINI sales for the past few months, then you've noticed that sales have been slipping. This despite the new Cooper Hardtop coming to dealers. So what is going on?

Jalopnik thinks its due to supply. A quick search on Cars.com shows that the nationwide supply of Cooper Hardtops is just under 1,100. MINI explained the reason for the small supply is due to pending fuel economy certification.

"Sales have dropped because our supply has been so limited. MY 2015 MINI Hardtops have also not been able to go on sale pending the final results of federal fuel economy certification," the automaker said in a statement.

MINI goes onto say that the "good news is as of October 1st, three out of the four 2015 MINI Hardtop 2 door models, the Cooper with manual transmission, the Cooper with automatic transmission, and the Cooper S with manual transmission, have been released for retail sales and deliveries."

Source: Jalopnik

William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

View full article

Excuses, Excuses, they have already fufilled Mini faithfull demand. Now they are trying to figure out how to sell the same auto on a different message when most people that want small micro compacts have them. I do not see the release of 2015 models causing that big of a sales jump.