Car Manufacturer News
No More Mini Roadster or Coupe After 2015
When Mini launched the Coupe and Roaster variants in the U.S. market in 2012, they were novel concepts, but never sold well. Within the umpteen variations of the Cooper, the Coupe and Roadster shared way too much with existing models. Sure, the Coupe’s body looked different than the three-door Cooper and the Roadster was a little sportier than the Cooper Convertible, but they were ultimately too close to their larger siblings.
According to a report from AutoGuide, Mini has realized its misstep and has decided to give the Coupe and Roadster models the much-deserved axe next year. The word was given to AutoGuide by Mini USA boss, Patrick McKenna, who said “they’ve run their life cycle.” I think McKenna is being rather kind with his words there; what he should have said is “yup, we made a mistake and pushed the Cooper into way too many niche markets, so we’re doing the right thing and killing it now.”
Honestly, there was really nothing to love about either car, as they shared nearly every bolt, plastic panel, slab of leather, engine, transmission and chassis bit with the standard Cooper. The only differences were that the Coupe and Roadster models had even more cramped interiors, room for only two people and little room for cargo. Yeah, they just weren’t good cars.
Now don’t get me wrong, terrible cars can actually be great. Check out the Fiat 500 Abarth for example. It’s likely one of the worst cars ever built and makes absolutely no sense at all, but it is unique and one of the most fun cars in the world to bomb around in, something that the Mini Coupe and Roadster simply were not.
There’s no word on exactly when production of these two models will cease, but it’ll likely be sooner rather than later.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login