Report: Five New Models Under Consideration for Mini

Our colleagues at AUTOMOBILE are reporting that Mini’s future hinges on five “superhero” models that will leverage the UKL platform developed by BMW for front- and all-wheel-drive applications. This comes as a result of the current slowdown in Mini’s sales and the fact that niche models like the Coupe, Roadster, and Paceman didn’t sell very well.

After the debut of the upcoming Countryman and its plug-in variant, there aren’t many cars coming to the Mini lineup since the next generation of the two-door hatch has been moved back to late 2021. This means Mini’s leaders are having a hard time defining what the brand will look like in the future and are tapping the “social framework” in which the brand operates for ideas. Some of the fruits of this exercise will include “Mini Living” and “Mini Fashion.” But the style-centric brand isn’t giving up on cars all together. According to Mini brand chief Sebastian Mackensen and his boss Peter Schwarzenbauer, five so-called “superhero” models will help revive the hype around the brand.

Currently, the five “superhero” models include a sedan called the CoolBox; a minivan known as the Rumba; a smaller city car called the MiniMini; the Superleggera roadster, which was shown as a concept before; and the Traveller, a compact crossover. Two additional proposals are also being examined including a four-door version of the Paceman and an all-electric vehicle.

AUTOMOBILE states that of the five “superhero” cars, the MiniMini, Roomba, and Superleggera are closest to moving toward production. However, there are issues with these three models such as the Roomba’s size, the lack of a suitable platform for the MiniMini, and the potentially budget-busting price tag of the Superleggera. While the UKL platform is flexible in length and wheelbase, its width isn’t, meaning it can’t underpin city cars that are smaller than the current-generation Mini Hardtop.

For more on Mini’s “superhero” models, check out the full story at AUTOMOBILE.

Source: AUTOMOBILE

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