Bedford Welcomes NH's First and Only MINI Dealership [VIDEO]

Two months ago, if a New Hampshire resident wanted to purchase a new MINI, they would have been forced to travel to Peabody, Mass. just to test drive the sporty little vehicle.

Now Granite Staters need travel no farther than Bedford, where Mini opened its lone New Hampshire dealership on Aug. 26.

Backed by the Lyon-Waugh Auto Group, which has already built a strong relationship with New England MINI owners at the Peabody dealership, Bedford's newest car dealership features a state-of-the-art showroom and service center in the heart of southern New Hampshire.

Located at 209 South River Road – across from Target and Lowes – the first dedicated New Hampshire MINI dealer offers a large selection of 2011 and 2012 MINI models, including the Cooper Hardtop, Cooper S, the Cooper Clubman and  the MINI Cooper S Countryman All4, as well as a selection of used MINIs and Certified Pre-Owned MINIs, known as MINI NEXT vehicles.

"We're excited to bring the tradition of excellence that we've established in Massachusetts to MINI owners in New Hampshire," said Warren Waugh, co-founder of the Lyon-Waugh Auto Group. "We've been working toward this day for more than four years, and we embarked on this journey because we had so many requests for a closer location from our New Hampshire customers."

Waugh explained that he first approached MINI in 2006 with the idea of a New Hampshire location after noticing how much business MINI of Peabody received from southern New Hampshire. The Lyon-Waugh Auto Group wound up in a competition with other dealerships for the rights to the franchise, winning with a proposal that favored moving away from the congestion of Manchester's auto mile to the simpler, quieter surroundings of Bedford, a location that Waugh said is more in touch with MINI's spirit and identity.

Marshal Cabot, general manager of the new dealership, said he was immediately encouraged by the strong response from New Hampshire MINI enthusiasts.  "Operating MINI of Peabody and being a part of a passionate community of driving enthusiasts has been tremendous fun for us, and we're looking forward to building the New Hampshire MINI community here in Bedford," said Cabot.

For the latest news on MINI of Bedford, interested customers can find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/miniofbedford.