Mini plans city car concept

Mini is likely to show a super-small city car at the Geneva show next March, according to hints from the brand’s boss, Wolfgang Armbrecht.

The long-rumoured concept is expected to be the same size as the original Mini, competing directly with the Toyota IQ. It’s likely to be based on a version of today’s Mini platform, making it a candidate to be built in the UK.

Armbrecht was also quoted in a Financial Times Deutschland interview as saying that another, larger, Mini concept would be shown at the Detroit show in January.

Mini: "We won't overdo it"

However, industry reports say that BMW’s development chief Klaus Draeger has warned that the Mini brand should not build too many large cars, because of the potential risks to the brand.

Autocar sources have said that some in BMW’s senior management are cautious about the likely success of the Countryman project.

The five-door model would need to be judged a successful addition to the brand if it is to survive and become part of the next-generation Mini family based on the upcoming BMW group front-drive drive platform.

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