With MINI planning to launch the Aceman next year, many thought the small crossover would indirectly replace the Cooper five-door hatchback. Thankfully, that’s not going to be the case as the company’s boss told Autocar the regular hatch will live to see a new generation. In an interview at the ongoing 2023 IAA Mobility in Munich, Stefanie Wurst also announced there’s going to be another convertible as well.
The revamped lineup is unlikely to include a production version of the 2021 Urbanaut concept as the Head of MINI said development is currently “in the freezer.” She went on to mention the company’s lineup “cannot be complicated to understand,” adding that it’s probably the reason why the Paceman wasn’t commercially successful. Should there ever be another large model (by MINI standards), it’s not going to be necessarily bigger than the new Countryman but rather a different shape.
The 5-Door model will not ride on the same platform as the electric 3-Door since the latter uses an architecture developed in collaboration with Great Wall. Together with the BMW Group, the two companies have established the Spotlight Automotive joint venture in China where the newly released Cooper E and Cooper SE are going to be assembled. The aforementioned Aceman crossover will join them in 2024 at the same new factory located in Zhangjiagang, a city in the Jiangsu Province.
Between now and the end of the decade, there will be a mix of models with combustion engines and electric powertrains. High-performance models with John Cooper Works branding are planned with both ICE and EV power. The first official images of the gasoline-fueled Countryman JCW have already been released.
By 2030, MINI intends to discontinue all ICE cars and go fully electric in a move also planned by Rolls-Royce. Meanwhile, the manual gearbox is being retired. The core BMW brand won’t abandon conventionally powered vehicles anytime soon as it believes the charging infrastructure is not ready yet for an all-electric car industry.
Source: Autocar
