Mini Superleggera could still make productionMini top brass are trying to make a convincing business case to produce a road-going version of the striking Superleggera first seen in 2014
Mini is working on a business case for its acclaimed Superleggera concept to make production.
The car was revealed last May at the Ville d’Este Concours d’Elegance and Peter Schwarzenbauer, BMW board member with the responsibility for Mini, told Autocar there was a will to take it through to production.
“The Superleggera is a car we have all fallen in love with,” he said. “We haven’t given up on it and we were fighting for it. A decision will need to be made at some point so let’s see how far we can go.
“It’s all about the business case; we’re not producing cars just to produce them. They have to be financially viable. We’re not there yet with the Superleggera, but there’s a desire to find a solution. We have put it out there, got reactions, have had the positive feedback and we’re still working on it.”
Schwarzenbauer said the Superleggera should not be seen as a future replacement for the current Coupe and Roadster models because it was an entirely different proposition: “They don’t compare; the Superleggera is a serious sports car. This is why we did the concept, to show how far you could stretch the Mini brand. It was something completely surprising.”
Even if it doesn’t make production, the concept will still have a significant impact on future Minis.
“There are several design topics you’ll see in the future from the Superleggera. The interior is really reduced to the max and this is something that fits in well at Mini. Look at the dash on a 1959 car; there’s nothing on it,” he said.
The next Mini production model will be the Clubman, which is due to be unveiled in Berlin later this month ahead of a debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Schwarzenbauer said the model would stay true to last year’s Clubman concept car, a radical departure from the current model. It features four conventional side doors, unlike the current 2+1 arrangement, although the split tailgate will remain.
“The Clubman is the next big step in Mini’s history. I think it’s by far the best-looking Mini ever made, and it’s also very practical. It will be the coolest kid on the block. The only thing it has in common with the current car is the split rear doors,” he said.
Another next-generation Mini model with a radical departure planned will be the next Countryman, which will become a more authentic SUV in its second generation.: “The Countryman is and will be very different to the Clubman. The Clubman is the cool kid and good looking. The Countryman is rougher and more of an SUV. If we stay true to what we're doing and making our replacement cars radically different in style and character, you can guess where we're going [with the Countryman]."
Schwarzenbauer described the Clubman and Countryman as two of the five “superheroes” of the Mini range. Five is his ideal range size, and one of the other superheroes is the three and five door hatch, which is considered the same model in a different bodystyle.
He wouldn’t confirm the other two models in the future smaller range, but the Cabriolet would be likely given test mules have been spied for it and Schwarzenbauer said this was not considered a bodystyle of the three/five door hatch and was a model in its own right.
If a business case can be made for the Superleggera, it would be the fifth, surely spelling the end for future replacements for the Paceman, Coupe and Roadster. On the new five-door hatch, Schwarzenbauer said the sales split was 60/40 in favour of the three-door model still.
He also confirmed that Mini will continue to leverage its British heritage when evolving the brand in the future, although a oft-proposed British design studio is not part of the plan.
“We use freelance designers in London but the Mini headquarters will not be there. We already have an international design team in Munich with all kinds of nationalities, so much so that the main language is English and you don’t think you’re in Germany when you go in there,” he said.
Schwarzenbauer added there were logistical reasons for keeping the design and engineering teams together: “The design team also has to be close to the tech people; separate them and you’ll have the nicest looking car but no one will be able to use it. There needs to be a constant exchange between designers and engineers. There will always be a fine line in developing the brand as it is one people are so passionate about.”
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