MINI streamlines to sales growth

With a near-60 per cent Australian sales increase to June this year, MINI is looking towards selling more than 3000 cars for the first time this year.

That target appears achievable, given BMW's small-car brand has notched up 1671 sales to June, and that more new models will joining the range in the second half of the year. 

These include the third-generation MINI JCW and the new MINI Clubman due in the fourth quarter.

But while the last-generation MINI range spanned seven bodystyles, the brand has decided to streamline to five ‘core’ variants for the future – a move supported by MINI Australia’s General Manager, Kai Bruesewitz.

“We wanted to focus on core models, each of them clearly differentiated,” he told motoring.com.au at the MINI JCW local launch this week.

"I’m happy with the direction for the brand. I’d rather focus on four to five strong models [and] the current growth rates give us every indication we are on the right track.”

With the three- and five-door MINI hatches already on-stream and the six-door Clubman confirmed, Bruesewitz wouldn’t confirm the remaining variants, but did provide a strong hint regarding one model when questioned on all-wheel drive MINIs remaining available.

“Countryman is our SUV so it’s in its nature that it will also have ALL4. It’s a safe bet that the successor of the Countryman, whenever it will be launched, will also have the ALL4 option,” he said.

As for the fifth, if reports of the gorgeous convertible MINI Superleggera concept being green-lighted for production prove correct, it would complete the five-model line-up as MINI's sports flagship.

Bruesewitz, however, stopped short of confirming it.

“No, no it’s not [confirmed],” he said. “We were very pleased with the reviews when it was unveiled earlier last year, but so far there has been no confirmation of that going into production.”

The tantalising Superleggera is also rumoured to be the first MINI to adopt a BMW Group hybrid system.

“Hybrid is always in discussion,” said Bruesewitz, “but I don’t know if this is going to be rolled out at some stage [of the product cycle]. Even though the diesels are very economical there might be, further down the track, also a hybrid, but nothing has been confirmed.”

As for producing the halo JCW beyond the three-door version, Bruesewitz was also tight-lipped. When asked if the five-door would cop the treatment, he responded: “Not that I am aware of. I couldn’t confirm that. There’s speculation that each of the five variants will have JCW; we will see further down the track.”

And a top-shelf Works GP model? “I would welcome another GP, but I don’t know if or when this will be.”

MINI Australia's General Manager Corporate Communications Lenore Fletcher concluded: “If you look at patterns of the past, it gives you a good indication of the future, but nothing has been confirmed. There are no plans for MINI to stand still.”

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