Two more new Mini bodystyles are on the near horizon, following the unveiling of the new Clubman earlier this month.
Later this year the all-new Cabriolet, codenamed F57, will be revealed. It remains a four-seater, keeps the familiar two-stage folding fabric roof and is expected in showrooms by early spring next year.
After that, the next all-new Mini will be the replacement for the Mini Countryman. Sources at parent company BMW say the new Countryman will be an “authentic SUV”. It is expected to go on sale in the final quarter of next year.
Read our extensive test of the second generation Mini Clubman hatch-cum-estate
The second-generation Countryman is expected to be more rugged than the current model, taking some cues from the Mini X-Raid, which has won the Dakar Rally four times since 2012.
The Countryman will be based on the same UKL architecture as the Clubman, so the new model, codenamed F60, will be significantly more spacious than its predecessor.
It’s expected to be just over 4.25m long (a stretch of 150mm) and at least 10mm wider than the current Countryman. The boot willalso be noticeably bigger than the current 450 litres.
The new Countryman will be offered with the same four-wheel drive system as BMW’s 2 Series Active Tourer.
Although the original Countryman, launched in 2010, was widely regarded as a step too far for the revived marque, it quickly accounted for more than a third of Mini sales.
Mini boss Peter Schwarzenbauer has already said he wants Mini to have five ‘superhero’ models. However, BMW has yet to fully reveal the final Mini family line-up as the company’s small-car plans remain in flux.
Schwarzenbauer recently revealed an example of how BMW’s plans for its front-drive vehicles are still changing. He said the next-generation1 Series might not be built on the UKL architecture and could remain rear-wheel drive after all. A decision will be made towards the end of this year.
As for the Mini brand, four of the superhero models will be on sale by late next year.
The hatchback twins are one family, followed by the Clubman, Cabriolet and Countryman as stand-alone models. While it now looks like a production version of the Superleggera concept will be a spin-off from the Cabriolet, that leaves one more model line to be announced.
Two different models are rumoured. Firstly, it’s thought Toyota and BMW engineers have been working on a joint city car platform that would potentially allow the tiny Mini Rocketman concept to be brought to life.
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Autocar wrote: Schwarzenbauer
Interesting information! No doubt this should be an article in it's own right. I suspect that work will have already started on the replacement 1-series. Personally, I don't care if the 1-series is FWD, makes no difference to anyone. However, the 2-series coupe, that should remain RWD. I suspect the next 2-series might also spawn a saloon version to complete in the states with the A3 and CLA
They've made a big deal about