MINI Rocketman Coming in 2014

Was the Countryman for a brand that is called MINI? We’ll never know for sure, but one thing is clear: the British brand still knows how to turn a concept car into a road-warty machine. So it comes as no surprise that the company is returning to its roots and has given the Rocketman concept the green light for production.

According to Auto Express, the model is set to be launched in 2014, but the entry-level car will lose most of its futuristic features and styling details but will most likely retain the 3+1 seating arrangement , center-mounted exhaust and two-piece tailgate with a lower section that opens like a kitchen drawer.

The engines are still a bit of a mystery, but Auto Express says that BMW Group’s new three-cylinders are to be offered. Rumors also suggest that an electric version is also on the way.

The Concept was one of the most anticipated debuts at this year’s Geneva Auto Show, as it reverted the MINI to the size of the original from 1959. The vehicle offers comfortable accommodation for the driver, front passenger and another passenger, but can also add a fourth individual seat in the rear if necessary.

“The innovative character of the study is defined by the systematic application of lightweight design principles and a pure-bred interior geared to maximum driving fun and unbeatable variability. A carbon spaceframe construction, whose striking surface structure is visible at the front end of the car, around its doors and in the interior, forms the basis for a weight-minimising construction. Indeed, the MINI Rocketman Concept offers the ideal platform for achieving outstanding efficiency,” the carmaker says.