10 MINI Models on the Horizon?

BMW Group CEO Frank Reithoffer envisions MINI to feature 10 different models in the next few years, augmenting the automaker's current lineup with new MINI variants like the Coupe and Roadster.

Reithoffer’s claims follow BMW’s recent investment of 500 million pounds in MINI’s manufacturing plant in Oxford, pressing plants in Windon and engine factory at Hams Hall near Birmingham. The boost in funding will help MINI meet their increasing global vehicle demands, keep the bulk of production within the UK, and - perhaps- facilitate the development of a new group of MINI models.

What type of cars might we expect from MINI? Which 10 vehicles will make it to production? Let’s take a look at what we know, what we’ve reported and what we can surmise thus far…

• Current production models include the MINI Cooper and its variants (S, JCW), the MINI Convertible, the MINI Clubman and the new MINI Countryman. That’s four.

• Popular enthusiast sites have been feverishly posting spy shots of the new MINI Coupe and Roadster models, expected to roll out over the next several months. We’re up to six.

 • A few months ago we reported on MINI’s elegant Paceman concept car (essentially a 2-door Countryman), which is scheduled for a 2013 production date. Seven…

• The MINI Rocketman concept has been dominating headlines since its debut at the Geneva Auto Show in February. The initial reports of the Rocketman being sent to production have been dashed, though it is rumored that a number of the Rocketman’s innovative features will appear in future MINI installments. New, Rocketman-inspired, city-MINI? Awfully vague, but we’ll count this as eight.

• The Electric MINI?? Nine.

• “After an overwhelming outpouring of support for the MINI WRC Rally team, (and following the lead of Subaru and Mitsubishi), MINI releases a rally-inspired AWD rocket! Built on the Countryman chassis, but wider than the production model, the MINI WRC Edition will feature a lighter body, stiffer suspension, with sport brakes and a JCW engine.” Sound too good to be true? It probably is. Since our February feature there have been no updates on a production MINI Rally Car. But hey, we can dream right? Ten...

While it remains unclear exactly how many of these models we may see at dealerships in the future, MINI’s investment in the future can only mean good things are in store for enthusiasts.