MINI won't add more models

Iconic British brand MINI has no plans to expand the family beyond the current seven models. That's the word from the company's senior vice-president, Jochen Goller, in response to speculation of MINI-branded people-mover and larger SUV models.

The iconic BMW-owned company whipped the covers off its new six-door Clubman concept at the 2014 Geneva motor show, which previews the almost seven-year-old current Clubman's replacement, after which Goller told motoring.com.au "the number of models, seven, is the right amount".

That means the MINI Hatch, Cabrio, Clubman, Countryman, Paceman, Coupe and Roadster will not be joined by further model derivatives.

Instead of adding more models to the mix, MINI will give each model in the range more personality, to further differentiate them within the range.

"When you look at the current models, we have seven, I personally think that amount of models is the right one. However, when we go forward, we will differentiate the models more. For example, this won't be an additional derivative," he said of the Clubman concept.

"It will actually be the next chapter of the Clubman. So the number of models, seven, is the right amount. We will work on a clear family, with each member having a distinctive task," stated Goller.

The six-door Clubman design will replace the current asymmetrically configured five-door Clubman. It's also a bigger car, 260mm longer and 187mm wider, to make room for the full-size conventional front-hinged rear doors, as opposed to the rear-hinged half-door seen in the first generation.

The barn-style rear doors will be a certainty, Goller calling them a "must-keep" feature, and the next Clubman will be the first MINI model to make use of a touch-screen infotainment system.

As for when we'll see a production version of the slow-selling Clubman, Goller wouldn't say. But he did concede that encouraging feedback would see it on the road sooner.

"It's important for us to see the feedback from the audience, from the press, from the public," he said. "Because when the feedback is extremely positive, it will help us to push it through."

The MINI chief said the new second-generation Clubman would “absolutely” be sold alongside the upcoming five-door hatch, seen in various spy photos, rather than being replaced by it.

He also confirmed the first five-door MINI is likely to be the next model to be launched, conceding it would "not be completely unrealistic" to expect the five-door hatch to make its global debut at the 2014 Paris motor show in September.

Having launched the MkIII MINI three-door (due here in April), the BMW-owned micro-car brand is also expected to reveal the new MINI Cabrio this year.

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