BMW to refocus Mini brand 17 | 02 | 2014

BMW PLANS TO refocus the Mini brand when it introduces the MkIV generation around 2010. According to Peter Schwarzenbauer, BMW board member for Mini and Rolls-Royce, the fourth-generation MIni will be limited to just "four or five hero cars".

The current MkIII Mini, currently just being launched, is expected to include six or seven models in the ever-expanding range.

According to Schwarzenbauer, BMW had to be “sensitive about the number of variants and about size. It is better to go in a different direction to concentrate on doing less but better”.

Anyone who has stood next to the current crop of Minis will realise how big the car has grown: the reality flies in the face of the meaning of the word mini.

According to Schwarzenbauer, he wants to further improve the design and build quality of the MkIV Mini range over that of the MkIII. He also stated that he would like to see a small Mini design studio based in London. The current Mini design team is in based in Munich.

Related: Mini five-door spotted testing

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Jim McGill