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Written by Stephen Dobie
Mini has told TG that its line-up will stay at four cars until the next-generation car lands. Effectively, then, the axe has fallen on production versions of the sexy Superleggera sports car and the promising little Rocketman city car. Sad!That leaves us with the hatch in three- and five-door forms plus the Convertible, Clubman and Countryman, with John Cooper Works versions of those to provide the range"s sportiness.If you need a reminder, the Mini Superleggera is a two-seat electric roadster, a plug-in rival for the likes of the Mazda MX-5 and BMW Z4. Better resolved than any Mini soft-top that"s gone before it, it still looks tantalisingly production ready. It even comes with a in-built dash cam, the concept landing a couple of years before tacked-on items became all the rage.Lose the rear fin, tack on some normal door handles, offer the Cooper"s dinky little three-cylinder petrol engine 134bhp surely enough, if the Superleggera lives up to its super light" name and job"s a good un, surely?Apparently not. The margins in the sports car market appear too small for a company of Mini"s size, and making good profit on a niche little sports car is too difficult, an insider suggests. BMW has teamed up with Toyota for its next Z-car, don"t forget.
Date written: 11 May 2017
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 7738
Mini has told TG that its line-up will stay at four cars until the next-generation car lands. Effectively, then, the axe has fallen on production versions of the sexy Superleggera sports car and the promising little Rocketman city car. Sad!That leaves us with the hatch in three- and five-door forms plus the Convertible, Clubman and Countryman, with John Cooper Works versions of those to provide the range"s sportiness.If you need a reminder, the Mini Superleggera is a two-seat electric roadster, a plug-in rival for the likes of the Mazda MX-5 and BMW Z4. Better resolved than any Mini soft-top that"s gone before it, it still looks tantalisingly production ready. It even comes with a in-built dash cam, the concept landing a couple of years before tacked-on items became all the rage.Lose the rear fin, tack on some normal door handles, offer the Cooper"s dinky little three-cylinder petrol engine 134bhp surely enough, if the Superleggera lives up to its super light" name and job"s a good un, surely?Apparently not. The margins in the sports car market appear too small for a company of Mini"s size, and making good profit on a niche little sports car is too difficult, an insider suggests. BMW has teamed up with Toyota for its next Z-car, don"t forget.
Date written: 11 May 2017
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 7738
