cars news 10: Is the Next Model From Mini a Compact Sedan?

Mini offers everything from hatchbacks and convertibles to small crossovers, but we’ve yet to see a compact sedan in the automaker’s lineup. That soon may change, though, as Mini looks to build new volume models in addition to the Cooper Hardtop, Clubman, and Countryman.

“It is a question you have to look at economically, and around the world you could say the sedan has the biggest potential, volume-wise,” Peter Schwarzenbauer, BMW board member in charge of Mini, told Automotive News. If Mini does offer a compact sedan, it would help add more compact models to the automaker’s lineup made almost exclusively of subcompact vehicles. The redesigned 2016 Mini Clubman, which came out in January and grew a whopping 12 inches in length, is the automaker’s first foray into the compact segment.

We heard previously that Mini wants its lineup to be leaner, consisting of four or five primary models. Mini has cut some fat over the last couple years, axing the Mini Coupe, Roadster, and Paceman. Mini is still considering a car based on the Superleggera electric roadster concept that debuted in 2014. A while back, we heard that Mini would bring the car to market in 2019. Schwarzenbauer does admit there are challenges in bringing the concept to production, namely when it comes to sales and price.

“As you know, halo cars are economically not always great. It is a trade-off: How much does it do for the brand, and how do you make it feasible?” he said.

We do know Mini plans to launch a plug-in hybrid over the next two years. At this time, Mini won’t say which model will receive the new system, though. In the longer term, Mini is also plotting an electric car, something “Mini definitely needs,” Schwarzenbauer said.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)