According to British magazine Autocar, BMW is planning a MINI smart contender which will also complete BMW’s overly-discussed Megacity project lineup. Unclear yet if it would be a four- or two-seater, the mini-MINI is said to have a maximum length of 3,050 mm (120 inches), 700 mm (27 inches) shorter than our everyday MINI and 200 mm (7.8 inches) longer than our everyday smart fortwo. Said to be under development in studios in Munich and Los Angeles, the small MINI is supposedly referred to in BMW's inner circles as the Minor.
"Nothing is decided just yet,” Autocar cites an inside source as saying. “It is all at an early stage of conception. But there is a lot of momentum behind it right now. We may be ready to show a concept within the next 12 months or perhaps a little longer.”
The problem for BMW, the owner of MINI, will not be however creating a small car, but making it sell as it should. Daimler has been struggling for years with smart and eventually had to ink a partnership with the Renault-Nissan Alliance, in an attempt to cut cost and revive the brand.
For BMW, a manufacturer not-so-keen to build cars for this segment, salvation may come from the aforementioned Megacity project, the division which already thinks small. The carmaker is developing a three-cylinder engine which may suit the Minor just fine, while the electric and hybrid powertrains are under development for the rumored i-Setta revival.
Google News