news

Mini sedan to become brand’s fifth core model – report

In mid-2015 Mini announced that beginning with third generation line up, the brand would rationalise its range down to five core models. A new report indicates that the fifth model will be a sedan.


The British marque didn't specify what those models would be, but CarAdvice and other respected publications assumed the five models would be: a three-door hatch, a five-door hatch, a hatch-based convertible, the Clubman wagon, and the Countryman SUV.

Unnamed sources within Mini have told Autocar, though, that the three- and five-door Mini hatchbacks should be thought of one model in its five-pillar strategy.

These informants say that the fifth model will be a sedan. Although primarily targeted at the Chinese and North American markets, which prefer booted cars over their hatchback cousins, the new sedan will be sold across the globe.


Above: Mini 5-door hatch.

At the recent New York auto show, Ralph Mahler, vice president of product management at Mini, told the magazine that "the sedan concept is in our history". Although he didn't confirm plans for the sedan, Mahler stated that the brand needed to study the idea "in a factual way".

In the early 1960s, during the British Motor Corporation era, the original Mini spawned a two-door booted derivative, which was sold as the Wolseley Hornet and the Riley Elf. Mahler did concede, though, that "most customers would hardly know that".

It's not clear what branding a potential Mini sedan would adopt. After divesting the car making operations of Rover and MG to the Phoenix Group in 2000, BMW retained the rights to the Riley marque.

As with the rest of the Mini's third-generation model line up, if a sedan does come about, it will be based on the front- and all-wheel UKL platform, which is shared with an ever-increasing selection of BMW models, including the 2 Series Active Tourer, X1 and the next-generation 1 Series hatchback.

MORE:MINI Showroom
MORE:MINI News
MORE:MINI Reviews
MORE:Search Used MINI Cars for Sale
MORE:MINI Showroom
MORE:MINI News
MORE:MINI Reviews
MORE:Search Used MINI Cars for Sale
Chat with us!







Chat with Agent