Executives at Mini are busy mulling what to introduce next, and it’s increasingly looking like that model will have a trunk.
Unlike a car modeled after a young man wearing a backward ballcap, a sedan is a logical addition to the brand’s future lineup, and comments made to Autocarby Ralph Mahler, vice-president of product development, make it clear there’s a serious business case for a three-box Mini.
Speaking about different markets and consumer demand, Mahler said, “For example, in Asia and the US, the sedan segment is very big. This is very interesting to us, of course.”
If produced, the sedan would join a group of five core models for Mini, which is tightening up its product strategy in an effort to boost sales, especially in the U.S.
The two- and four-door Cooper hatchbacks, convertible and lengthened Clubmanare three of Mini’s new sales warriors, while the revamped (and enlarged) Countryman SUV is due out later this year. That leaves a fairly obvious slot unoccupied, unless you’re one of the few that thinks the world is ready for a Mini pickup (but wouldn’t that be cute?).
A Mini sedan isn’t unprecedented. Older ex-pats might recall the Riley Elf and Wolseley Hornet — both were Mini-based two-door sedans produced by the British Motor Company (BMC) starting in 1961. The models were dropped in 1969 after the dismal British-Leyland days began.
Mini owner BMW still holds the rights to the Riley name following its purchase of British-Leyland’s cast-offs (Rover Group) in the 1990s. Theoretically, the name could return as a specific model, and not a brand, though few people in the U.S. would have an emotional connection to it.
There’s no word on when Mini will announce its fifth core model, but with the fourth due out this fall, you’d think the company would want to be able to describe (at that time) what model customers can expect next.
[Images: Top, Mini; Riley Elf, Charles01 ( GFDLor CC BY-SA 3.0)/ Wikimedia Commons]