When BMW re-launched Mini, in 2001, it created not just a successful model but a whole segment – that of the premium, design-oriented small hatch that was soon populated by cars such as the Fiat 500, the Audi A1 and the Opel Adam.
Since then, the line-up of the Mini brand has grown significantly with the addition of oddball models like the two-seater coupe. This move may have increased sales, but it also did the same for complexity and has driven up costs.
Now, company officials have decided to reduce the range from eight to just five “superhero” variants of the three- and five-door hatchback, the Countryman crossover and the Clubman estate.
“Like a superhero, each of these cars has its own personality and unique capabilities”, Mini chief Peter Schwarzenbauer told Bloomberg. “It is important to find the right balance between growth on the one hand and profitability on the other”, he added.
Schwarzenbauer said that three to four current models will remain in the future line-up, though he declined to point them out or even give a timeframe. He did however reveal that he wants even more customization options to be available to customers through the brand’s dealers.
He also confirmed that Mini will “soon” offer an electric car as zero-emission vehicles will eventually become mandatory in city centers around the globe.
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