Mini to reduce lineup to 5 'Superhero' cars

Mini plans to offer an electric vehicle "soon" and the car could be modeled on the Superleggera concept, pictured, showcased at the Paris Motor Show.




Elisabeth Behrmann
Bloomberg
November 26, 2014 - 9:04 am ET -- UPDATED: 11/26/14 12:17 pm ET - adds details
MUNICH -- BMW AG has decided that Mini has gotten too big and will shrink the compact brand's lineup to five models from eight.
The move reverses course after Mini rolled out a series of quirky derivatives like the coupe and roadster two-seaters in recent years. While that strategy sustained sales growth, it added cost and complexity.
Over the long term, Mini will now focus on "superhero" vehicles including the three- and five-door versions of the basic hatchback, the Countryman crossover and the Clubman wagon, which will be revamped next year, Peter Schwarzenbauer, the brand's chief said today.
"Like a superhero, each of these cars has its own personality and unique capabilities," said Schwarzenbauer in a speech prepared for an event near BMW's Munich headquarters. "It is important to find the right balance between growth, on the one hand, and profitability, on the other."
BMW re-introduced Mini as an upscale compact car in 2001 to target the increasing ranks of urban consumers. Since then, there's been a steady stream of trendy city cars like the Audi A1, Fiat 500 and Nissan Juke, putting pressure on Mini to differentiate itself.
"Mini now faces competition in areas where it previously stood alone," said Schwarzenbauer, who took charge of Mini last year after previously heading sales at Audi.
Three to four current models will retain their place in the brand’s lineup, which now includes the two-door Paceman crossover and a convertible. Schwarzenbauer didn’t say which Mini models will be cut and didn’t give a timeframe.
Electric Mini
It's also not all backpedaling. Mini will offer an electric vehicle "soon," the BMW management-board member said.
The car could be modeled on the Superleggera concept showcased at the Paris Motor Show in October.
Mini introduced the third-generation of its basic hatchback -- known now as the Hardtop in the U.S. -- in 2013.
Demand for the car will help the BMW unit match last year's sales record of about 305,000 vehicles. With the addition of the Clubman, Schwarzenbauer anticipates a "significant" increase in sales next year.
In addition to revamping its lineup, Mini is looking at more customization options and alternatives to sales through traditional dealers.
"The brand will continue to evolve over the coming years to ensure that we remain leading edge," he said. "We will take new and unexpected directions."

 

Makes sense to me.
I guess I'm just confused why they decided to cut the more affordable Mini line up down to fewer models while the BMW models continue to spawn off more and more niche vehicles like the Gran Coupes and GT models.

 

Good by me as well.

 

The Nissan Juke is a trendy city car?

 

Eight models were too much without that much differences between cars. I don't understand the market for the biggest Minis. I'm very happy with my F56 as a second car in the family, primary car being Mazda CX-5.

Yeah, Juke is really puke ugly. Fiat looks like a toy, but so does Mini. lol.

 

I liked the Juke, it feels like it could handle the snow. It's not small. No Audi A1 here, no real competition, yet. I liked the Honda CR-Z, but no one else in the world does, I guess.

As long as one of the cars is the Rocketman, I don't care what they do. It was a close decision for me between the F56 and the Roadster, and I would like to have a Roadster someday.

 

I'm guessing the Coupe and Roadster are gone, and the Paceman (whatever that is, I couldn't figure it out). Evidently the Clubman becomes a little station wagon, increasing Mini's lineup of slightly bigger cars for families. The 3 door HB and its cousin 5 door HB are already being made (it's not a 4 door). Countryman stays, it's the #2 seller now (but will compete with the 5 door HB, confusing), and the Cabrio will complete the lineup. I never thought they sold enough Coupes an Roadsters to make it worthwhile. They could become colletor's items because of their looks and the fact they were only made for 4 years.

 

I absolutely LOVED the CR-Z when I owned one. If this MINI shows some signs of being unreliable -- knock on wood, no signs yet -- I might be going back to the CR-Z. By the time that happens, though, I hope Honda will improve the powerplant.

Unfortunately, Honda's tech is super old compared to the iDrive.

 

I REALLY REALLY liked the way the Paceman looked. If the F56's improvements over the previous model were introduced into the Paceman range, I'd have bought that one. Too bad... The Paceman would have been my perfect MINI, but the tech and build quality of the F56 was too much to ignore for me.

 

The Paceman was/is a 2 door HB crossover with 4WD I guess. I say you either want the Coutryman 4WD crossover or the regular 2 door HB car.

 

According to my Mini USA rep, the Countryman is going to be based off the new BMW X3 platform (so larger), and the new Clubman will replace the Countryman in terms of size. BMW is going to fully take advantage of cross-platform sharing all on future Minis.

 

My MA said Mini and Winnebago are coming out with a Mini RV with go cart handling and a sport button.

 

A Mini RV would be awesome actually. Hell, where's my Mini minivan?

 

 

I hate that Ford Flex's front design. I always imagine that there would be a sliding table that comes out from the front grill. All with a push button for those who opted to spent more. The previous design looked nice though.

 

We have our Cooper and a Cooper Clubman. Quite happy with those although I would be severely tempted by a Rocketman.

 

Was hoping that Mini would come out with a truck....I would definately buy one.