I think the Gen1 cars were 2002-2006? I know the Gen2 cars were 2007-2013, 7 years. The currently being ordered 2019 Gen3 F series is the 6th year for that model. If the Gen4 will drop in 2020 as a 2021 model I might keep my current Mini and skip the Gen3 model altogether. Anyone have any clues about this?

 

There is a rumor the 4th gen might be delayed.

 

I don't want an electric Mini at all, nor a 4,000 lb hybrid. I could live with an F series JCW though, even a Clubman. The interior is awesome in that car, puts mine to shame. By the time the Gen4's are released I'll be driving a New Yorker (remember, we ALL end up in a New Yorker).

 

If we go back to the original days of the Mini, and what it stood for, it only makes sense that eventually Mini will become an EV only automobile. I'd be perfectly ok with that, and perhaps with the status of Mini as it is today, they could bring EVs to a bigger masses, much like the classic Minis did for Britain back in the 1960s.

As an R53 owner, I could only see the BMW Mini's with a supercharger, but I know that they're now using turbo's, and I also feel that eventually they'll go the electric route. There has to be an evolution of the brand, and I think going EV is the way.

 

"According to Automobile, MINI has concluded that using the new FAAR front drive platform destined for new BMWs would be too pricey and might not suit the brand."

That sounds like someone talking out their ***. Too expensive? Sure; BMW has been pinching pennies harder and harder in the past few years. But "might not suit the brand"? ********. The Mini invented the front-wheel drive with transverse engine set up.

I think it more likely that BMW is looking to mitigate risk of developing the next generation platform. Don't forget that MINI USA has been selling fewer and fewer cars every single year for the past five years. Global MINI sales are up but only thanks to China. So having the car co-designed by a Chinese company would help them stay competitive (and avoid massive import tariffs) in China, and makes the brand less vulnerable to the low gas prices that have attracted US buyers back to SUVs and trucks.

This opinion is free and worth what you paid for it.