Steve Thomas BMW in Camarillo will be sharing its seven acres with the new Mini of Camarillo dealership. Housed in a separate 18,000 square foot facility next to the other dealership, it will be the only Mini Cooper showroom between Camarillo and San Jose. Thomas said the reason was simply so the franchise will not flood the market with an excess amount of dealerships. They want every dealer to be profitable. The first choice for a Mini dealership was Santa Barbara, but space was difficult in that market and they saw a great opportunity in Ventura County along the 101 freeway. Thomas sees a bright future for the Mini Cooper. The Mini Cooper dealership was approved by the city in 2009, according to John Fraser, senior management analyst for the City of Camarillo. “The dealership was in discussion with our planning folks and they were a bit at odds over the building design and color scheme, which is quite different from other buildings in the area,” he said. Eventually the city council recognized a Mini Cooper Dealership would be an asset for Camarillo and happy with the decision to locate there. “Steve Thomas BMW has long been known as a dealership that BMW customers will travel to for good deals. Mini will be located next to BMW and with visibility to 175,000 vehicles daily along that stretch of US 101,” Fraser said. Both dealerships are located across the freeway from the Camarillo Premium Outlets (and Promenade), annually the most visited destination in Ventura County.
