Most car manufacturers may be creating ever more niche products, but Mini has taken the decision to slim down its range of cars to just five models.
The British brand may be famed for making cute compact hatchbacks, but in the 13 years since the new Mini took to UK roads, the company has devised a number of new variants including the two-seater Roadster and Coupe and the off-road Countryman.
BMW officials have revealed that Mini’s future will involve a smaller range, consisting of five top performing variants, reports Autocar. Talking in Munich yesterday Peter Schwarzenbauer, who overseas the Mini brand, said that the new range of Mini models will feature just five ‘superhero’ models.
We will adjust the brand quite a lot over several years. The heritage will still be important, but we also have to be shaped by the zeitgeist.
The new five-door Mini Clubman is scheduled to arrive in 2015 and line up alongside the three- and five-door Mini hatchbacks that landed earlier this year. Fourth in the range is expected to be a new Countryman off-roader. The final model is less certain, but is likely to be a convertible and could feature design details from the striking Superleggera roadster concept aired earlier this year at Italy’s Lake Como.
There is also scope for plug-in hybrid versions of selected models, Schwarzenbauer stated. Mini has experienced drastic growth, he added, with the brand seeing double-digit growth in October and November as the new three-door hatchback went on sale. As a result, 2014 is likely to be Mini’s best ever year, ahead of 2013 when the company sold 305,000 cars across the globe.
The move towards a five-model range forms part of a move to alter the direction of Mini in future, added Schwarzenbauer: “This is work in progress, but we are continually questioning Mini’s future. We will adjust the brand quite a lot over several years. The heritage will still be important, but we also have to be shaped by the zeitgeist.”
Picture: Mini
