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GENEVA -- Mini may not replace slow-selling niche models such as the two-seat Coupe/Roadster models and the Paceman three-door crossover. Instead the BMW Group subsidiary will focus on three "pillar" models.
Mini needs to be “more relevant for more people,” Oliver Friedmann, the brand'a head of product management, told Automotive News Europe at the auto show here. “Our first priority is to roll out a portfolio that has strong pillars and to be absolutely clear what each stands for.”
Friedmann identified the newly launched subcompact hatchback and the current Countryman compact SUV as two pillars of the brand. The potential third pillar is a compact-sized model based on the Clubman concept shown in Geneva. “If it comes, it will be a separate strong pillar,” he said.
Clubman concept is 260mm longer than the current model and has four conventional doors instead of the current Clubman’s existing quirky single half-door arrangement that provides rear seat access.
With this new practical focus, the hatchback-based Coupe and Roadster are unlikely to continue. “It’s not decided but most probably this is not a priority,” Friedmann said.
The three-door Paceman coupe version of the Countryman could also be dropped when the five-door SUV is eventually replaced. “Paceman is also not a first priority,” Friedmann added.
Sales of these niche models are small, according to figures from analyst IHS Automotive. Last year 3,858 Coupes, 2,678 Roadsters, 7,485 Clubmans and 8,229 Pacemans were sold in Europe. This contrasts sharply with sales of 47,177 Countrymans and 78,102 hatchbacks.
Replacing the Paceman is 'not a priority,' Mini says.
“The Coupe and Roadster are selling far below where Mini’s key models are and I think in some respects are quite poorly executed,” IHS senior analyst Ian Fletcher told Automotive News Europe.
The three-door hatchback uses a new front-wheel-drive platform from BMW as well as a new 1.5-liter gasoline turbocharged three-cylinder engine which provides greater economy and lower CO2 emissions.
Mini's Clubman concept, shown, is longer, wider and taller than the current Clubman.
A five-door version, captured in spy photographs, is likely to go on sale before the end of this year. IHS estimates the revised hatchback's extra appeal could push its sales to more than 100,000 this year. IHS predicts Mini will launch the new Clubman in 2015.
Quando i dirigenti BMW parlavano della nuova Mini si dichiaravano pronti a lanciare 10 nuove varianti sulla nuova piattaforma.
In realtà queste sembrano solo ipotesi, come si vede dai dati postati le versioni Paceman, Coupe', Clubman e roadster sono degli insuccessi per il marchio britannico.
Per adesso sono sicure la versione 3 porte, cabrio, 5 porte, la nuova clubman ( una regolare 5 porte ) e la prossima countryman a partire dal 2016.
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