Mini Cooper dealership and restaurant open at Irondale auto mall
Birmingham has its first dealership for the Mini Cooper, the hip little European-made car with a loyal following.
Charlotte-based Sonic Automotive held a soft opening of its newest dealership, Mini of Birmingham, nearly two weeks ago at the site of what used to be known as Tom Williams Cadillac just off Interstate 459 in the Grants Mill Auto Mall.
Alabama's first Mini dealer has already drawn shoppers from as far away as Huntsville and Mobile, said Pat Patterson, a salesman at the dealership. "It's been incredible the response we've gotten," Patterson said Thursday.
By the middle of next week, Mini of Birmingham will be home of the Grants Mill Auto Mall's first restaurant, Cooper's Corner. Owner Freddy York said the restaurant will sell deli sandwiches, burgers, French fries and salads, and be open to the public as well as workers at the mall's various dealerships.
The Mini Cooper made its debut in England in 1958 and is named after John Cooper, considered by many to be the European version of Henry Ford, the U.S. auto industry pioneer, said Sam Milton, regional training director for Sonic Automotive. The small, box-like car was first sold in the United States in 1999, and has a devoted following among both young professionals and older drivers, Patterson said. Fans of the Mini have formed clubs and hold meetings across the country, he said.
"I'd never sold a car before in my life before I came here, and I sold one on my first day," said the 59-year-old Patterson, who worked in sales and ran a marketing company before joining Mini of Birmingham.
Visitors to the lot have come over from other dealers in the auto mall to check out the Mini. In addition, several Birmingham area Mini owners who used to service their vehicles in Nashville or Atlanta have come in to get their cars checked out, Patterson said.
A week ago, Patterson said a couple from Anniston drove to the Mini dealership with their 14-year-old daughter, who told them she had been custom-designing a Mini that she wanted to buy on the www.miniusa.com site.
"You can customize your car right down to the body color and features, even selecting regular chrome rims or black rims," Patterson said. "I had one guy come in, slap down papers of the Mini he had been designing online and say, I want this one right here'."
Patterson said several of the Minis they have sold are in production facilities in Europe being made right now.
Mini of Birmingham receptionist Donna Harris has driven a Mini convertible since 2006, and says the car is an attention grabber. "No matter where I go, whether it's Wal-Mart or to the grocery store, whenever I come out I always have folks come by wanting to talk about how cool my car looks," Harris said.
Patterson said Mini owners tend to name their cars. A woman who recently brought her yellow Mini in for servicing called hers Sweet Banana.
"I've learned a lot about this car from our customers," he said. "This car has quite a lot of pickup and 172 horsepower in the bigger Clubman version. In Europe, the Mini was used in racing for years and was quite successful."
Jeff Wiggins, a Sonic Automotive regional vice president, said the brand, which has 80 U.S. dealerships, was acquired a few years ago by German automaker BMW and that only three to four new franchises are awarded per year. Mini base price ranges from $22,600 for a Mini S to $30,000 for a convertible or larger Clubman version with extra features. The Mini can get as much as 36 miles per gallon.
