Alfardan Automobiles, the official MINI importer in Qatar, marked another year of growth, with sales growing by 7% compared to 2015. The MINI 3-door Hatch, and John Cooper Works models were the top performers and contributed to Alfardan Automobiles being named the winner of the MINI Middle East Regional Dealer Competition.
The MINI John Cooper Works segment achieved the highest growth in the region with a total of 14.7% increase, accounted for the largest sales share for the Qatari importer. The MINI 3-door Hatch saw the second highest sales growth in the region with a 7% increase over 2015.
Ihab Allam [ Above ], General Manager of Alfardan Automobiles, commented: “It has truly been an exciting year for MINI in Qatar; from winning the MINI Middle East Regional Dealer Competition for 2016 to attaining the highest MINI John Cooper Works market share in the region.
Such success would have not been possible without the ongoing support and admiration for MINI in Qatar. We are now revving up for an equally exciting run in 2017 for MINI and Alfardan Automobiles. This year we will see new models making their debut at the Qatar International Motor Show, as well as the launch of the all New MINI Countryman, which we are confident will continue the upward trend of the brand in Qatar.”
Commenting on the success for MINI this year, Ola Mohsen [ Above ], Brand Manager for MINI at Alfardan Automobiles says: “It has been a really positive year for MINI, filled with great accomplishments. We are truly honoured to have won the MINI Middle East Regional Dealer Competition, which highlights the immense admiration our MINI enthusiasts in Qatar have for the brand.”
The all New MINI Countryman has pursued its path to success both on and off-road. The first MINI with four doors, a large tailgate, five seats and optional all-wheel drive now gives an additional boost to the brand's advance into the premium compact segment.
With an extensive engine portfolio comprising 4-cylinder petrol and 4-cylinder diesel engines; increase in output by 5 kW to 140 kW/190 hp in the MINI Cooper S Countryman; optimised driving performance and fuel consumption figures due to extended MINIMALISM technology including improved aerodynamic properties; 6-speed manual transmission as standard, 6-speed automatic transmission as an option (exception: MINI One D Countryman); MINI specific all-wheel drive system ALL4 optional for the models MINI Cooper Countryman, MINI Cooper S Countryman, MINI Cooper D Countryman and MINI Cooper SD Countryman, as standard in the MINI John Cooper Works Countryman.
The MINI John Cooper works is the most powerful engine ever for a production MINI – a 2.0-litre TwinPower Turbo engine delivering 231 hp and 320 Nm of torque. Compared with the previous MINI John Cooper Works, the new model delivers 10 per cent more power and 23 per cent more torque. As a result, it reaches 0-100 km/h in 6.1 seconds, 0.2 seconds quicker than the older model and comes with upgraded suspension, steering, brakes and styling.
MINI’s success is not only attributed to its exciting and unique driving feel. With a limitless variety of equipment and accessories brought in by the Premium British brand through its MINI Yours programme, offering customers a huge scope of customising options to reflect their own personality and style. The wide range of exterior paint finishes and alloy wheels, upholstery variations and interior colour schemes, trims and colour lines, as well as the numerous MINI-specific options such as mirror caps, additional headlamps, roof decor and graphic elements create almost limitless options for making every MINI a unique made-to-measure creation.