Mini Tries to Convince Us the Big SUV Craze is Fake News

You know all those reports about shoppers heavily favoring big SUVs lately? Ford, Fiat Chrysler, and GM have all acted accordingly, cancelling or scaling back on many car lines as a result. Too bad they didn’t know that’s all fake news. Mini USA is here to enlighten us on why people in the U.S. really love small cars.

Of course, the fact that Mini really only sells small cars is immaterial, so don’t look at the man behind the curtain.

In a completely unbiased survey Mini USA just happened to pay for, it was found that 47 percent of shoppers like a smaller car. The catch is that smaller car “optimizes space,” which could be interpreted by different people in a myriad of ways.

Not surprising to anyone who knows American shoppers, well over half said they value the ability to customize their ride. Over three quarters of respondents declared that design is important in a future car.

To be honest, I like Minis, but this kind of marketing stunt is pretty hilarious. Nobody expects or even wants Mini to develop a three-row SUV. But the brand doesn’t need to commission a study to justify its position. Mini’s in a tough spot at the moment, considering it closed out February with a 12.6 percent drop in sales, but there are better ways to address the problem.