MINI to axe three core models

MINI has confirmed that its model line-up from 2015 onwards will consist of five models instead of eight.

Peter Schwarzenbauer, the BMW board member responsible for the iconic British brand, said yesterday in Munich that the next models based on the new MINI platform will be a new Clubman estate and Countryman crossover. He said they will form part of a core range of five cars.

We expect a new MINI Convertible to become the fifth later next year, alongside the current three-door and five-door models. Schwarzenbauer said “This is work in progress, but we are continually questioning Mini’s future. We will adjust the brand quite a lot over several years".

The news comes as production of the current MINI Coupe and Roadster is set to cease next year, and it looks highly unlikely they will be replaced. We expect the slow-selling Paceman to disappear at a similar time and not return in the near future. 

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We expect investment instead into plug-in hybrid versions of the core models in the next few years, as well as faster John Cooper Works variants of the less family-orientated cars, like the JCW MINI Cooper S.

Despite this news, Schwarzenbauer also predicted the last quarter of 2014 would be the "best ever" in terms of outright sales for the brand. 305,000 cars were sold globally last year, but since the launch of the third-generation MINI that number should rise this year.

Do you think streamlining the brand is a wise move for MINI? Let us know in the comments below...