Various reports have announced it many months ago but only now a Mini official has confirmed that the Coupe and Roadster will be discontinued.
Mini USA product boss Patrick McKenna announced the demise of the two related models which have failed to convince buyers since their launch three year ago. “The Coupe and the Roadster will actually go out of production next year. They’ve run their life cycle,” McKenna told AutoGuide at the LA Auto Show last week.
There is a very thin line between the Mini Hatch and the Coupe, as is between the Convertible and the Roadster. They are very similar cars, with the Coupe and Roadster’s only distinguishing feature being their design, but not necessarily in a good way – just look at the Coupe’s reverse-baseball cap roof.
Besides the design, the Coupe and Roadster are less practical than Mini’s established models and more expensive, which is not exactly a recipe for success. McKenna said the discontinuation of the two models is part of a larger “superhero strategy” that Mini USA is enacting.
The plan is to focus on higher volume models rather than releasing niche offerings, with the new Mini Hardtop 4-door (called the 5-door in Europe) being an example of models to come.
As for the ideas embodied by the Coupe and Roadster, they may be utilized in a new model previewed by the Superleggera Roadster concept, which is reportedly considered for production.
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