The British car manufacturer MINI , under the wing of the Munich-based BMW , has grown considerably into several segments. Unfortunately, not all models are as successful as the high mages imagined. And precisely because of this, BMW has decided to remove certain models from the market at the end of their life cycle.
But don't worry, the traditional MINI hatchback is not affected by this decision. MINI USA Vice President, Jim McDowell , stated: "We rank the classic hatchback and Countryman among the core and successful models of our brand, representing about 75% of sales ." In 2012, our brand sold about 66,200 units on the American market, of which around 50,000 units were hatchbacks and Countrymans .
We know the future of two models, but what awaits the others? In the words of Jim McDowell : “When we start replacing models, you'll see that we're not really going to replace every model. At first we had only two models in our portfolio, but now we have seven . At the same time, I am announcing that some models will disappear, but on the contrary, we will develop new ones. We will present the new hatchback generation exactly one year from now. It is already clear that MINI will have a wide range of models".
It is now often speculated whether the Rocketman concept will also go into series production. Unfortunately, the management of the MINI brand has assured that nothing like this is planned, as it would require some components that the car manufacturer does not have available. In addition, the model, measuring 3429 mm, would have an extreme weight with the brand's current engine. But McDowell assured that the new models will share some elements from the Rocketman study.
In the current portfolio of the British car manufacturer, we can find Hardtop, Coupé, Cabrio, Clubman , Roadster, Paceman and Countryman . What do you think? Which models will be withdrawn from the model line apart from the representatives named in the introduction?
Source: MINI
