"As the new five-door MINI hit the road this week, head of MINI design Anders Warming stressed the brand was still keen on the idea of a tiny city car, but “won’t reveal anything more [to the world] until [a viable design] is ready”.

The Rocketman concept (below) starred at 2011’s Geneva Motor Show, hinting at a new MINI rival to the Smart ForTwo and Toyota iQ. While its wide-eyed front end has inspired the new MINI hatch and five-door, the idea of a new entry-level model appeared dead in the water due to the high cost of developing it.

But Warming suggested to us that the Rocketman was still on the table. “For sure, a MINI should always be a small car, so [a new city car] would be appropriate for the brand,” he said. “At the moment, we don’t have the right tech solutions, but we are working on it. We don’t yet have a final solution, you could say.”
MINI Rocketman is back | Auto Express

MotoringFile » Archive » Rumor: The Rocketman is Back

 

MINI doesn't build small cars anymore. How can the Rocketman be back when it was never here? A concept that was never built & likely never will be, nothing more nothing less.

 

My checkbook is ready if MINI decides to build a really small (less than 130" oal) with decent performance. I like my R56 but I'd like it more if it took up less space in my garage. In 4 1/2 yrs no human has ever ridden in the back seat.

 

Back seat? I thought it was just a big parcel shelf.

Motor on!

 

What I always thought was stupid about the Rocketman concept is that it STILL has a backseat! The regular hardtop is already too small for back seat passengers, but they cling to the idea that if they put 4 seats in it, then it will seat 4. Just ditch the seats altogether.

 

I'm in if they build one. I've always hoped that they would do something to remain closer to the original intent of the Classic....

 

They'll have a lot to think about if they decide to go ahead on this. It's almost trickier to go very small. For example, the only way the iQ has a back seat at all is by using an offset dash to move the passenger seat forward. Otherwise it wouldn't work. Still, the new design for the ForTwo may indicate a way for MINI to retain it's essential box-on-box styling while still meeting all the safety standards (including those pesky pedestrian safety standards that MINI has so much trouble with). A more performance oriented micro-car would be quite welcome!

 

I'm fine with a shelf rather than a back seat. I just want it to have a hatch and be 12" shorter than my R56. I'm not found of some of the goofy Rocketman styling gimmicks but I'm sure they'd disappear in a production car.

 

This looks semi-serious.
http://www.motoringfile.com/2014/10/...etman-is-a-go/

 

I loved the idea and would have been a potential customer.

I actually liked that it may have been based on Toyota as opposed to electric.

I'd be especially keen if they did something truly insane,
similar what Aston Martin's Q division did:
making a bespoke V8 Cygnet!

The cognitive dissonance effect is strong:

 

Just thought I'd toss this here if anyone hasn't seen it.

2022 Rocketman

TL;DR: BMW is working with Great Wall to release a small EV city car based on the Rocketman Concept in 2022, only planning on release in the Chinese market at this point.