Next Mini Clubman could become a crossover

Oliver Heilmer, Mini's head of design, hinted as much in an interview with Autocar.

The move to a range with two crossover models is being driven by the US market, where the current Countryman's slow sales are being blamed on its small size.

If this plan were to come into effect, it's not clear how Mini will realign its nameplates. It's possible the Countryman will grow and move into the next class up, while the new Clubman would be around the same length as today's car but with added height and suspension travel.

As it stands today, the Countryman and Clubman share the same wheelbase, with the Clubman being 38mm shorter from head to tail. The key difference, though, is height – the Clubman has a roof that's 117mm closer to the ground.

Top: Current Mini Clubman. Above: Current Mini Countryman.

Should this mooted change take place, it wouldn't be the first design evolution for the Clubman. With the original Mini, the Clubman was a two-door model with a squared-off design up front.

When the name was revived in 2007, it was used on a wagon with an extended wheelbase, one reverse-hinged rear door on the left-hand side of the car, and barn doors at the rear.

For the current iteration, the Clubman grew even longer. While it kept the barn doors, it adopted two traditionally-hinged and normal-sized rear doors.