Would You Buy a Mini Sedan?

Riley Elf (Credit: © Sicnag via Wikimedia)

Mini has been going through tons of changes in recent months as the brand shifts to a more mature attitude toward its vehicles. Part of this maturation process involves releasing models that have distinct characteristics to separate them from other Mini models. In 2014, Mini announced that this maturation plan would include five models. To date, we have seen models one through four in the new Cooper hardtop, the Cooper convertible, the Clubman, and the upcoming Countryman. Now, a new report from Autocar claims that the fifth model will be a three-box sedan.

This report stems from a conversation the automotive site had with Mini board member, Peter Schwarzenbauer. In this conversation, Schwarzenbauer said “…in Asia and the US, the sedan segment is very big. This is very interesting to us, of course.” He went on to talk about how the sedan is a part of Mini’s heritage and how the brand is committed to its roots. All of these are signs that the Mini sedan is the next project.

All this speaking about heritage indicates that if (when) this three-box mini rolls out, it will somehow be tied back to Mini’s history. The likely situation would be the resurrection of the Riley name, which is conveniently under BMW (Mini’s parent company) ownership. Between 1961 and 1969, Riley built a tiny sedan known as the Elf, which was simply ann Austin Mini with a trunk in place of its hatch.

There is no indication as to when this potential Mini Riley could debut, but the consensus says that it could be very soon given we are now two years into the initial maturation plan. Stay tuned for updates.