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The Mini Rocketman could be reborn as an EV

Ask Mini fans what their favorite concept has been over the past 15 years, and you're likely to get one of two answers – the tiny Rocketman hatch, or the Superleggera roadster. The two cars are perhaps the best representations of the Mini brand's values, offering a tiny, efficient package in one vehicle and a stylish performer in the other. And they might finally see production. Okay, so that's an awfully big "might," and it's based on hints offered by Mini product boss Ralph Mahler to Autocar about expanding the company's range. The bad news? The Superleggera is facing long odds, Mahler said, because "roadster segment is small and demand is going down, with new markets opening up. The growth is not there, so it's always a challenge". "It fits perfectly into the brand, but we're a small [sales volume] car brand and have to be focused and know what we want to have," Mahler said, keeping hopes alive. "The Superleggera is playing a role but no decisions." Things are looking much rosier for the Rocketman, which could see a future as sort of a Mini-branded BMW i3. Originally introduced as a more elemental, affordable Mini, Mahler said it's "inspiring us as of today, especially as an EV in the future." Using the lessons learned by its parent company with the i3, Mini could adopt that car's creative packaging to make a roomy three-door with a remarkably small footprint. But even with that knowledge, building a Rocketman EV could be a tall order. "It was something that was ahead of its time but is still inspiring," Mahler told Autocar. "With a smaller car, it's a bigger challenge. With Rocketman, and talking EV in the future, as the EV engine gets more portable, it's give and take [for such a small EV]. Related Video:

Mini Cooper Countryman only small car to earn good grade in latest IIHS crash tests [w/video]

Competitors in the small-car segment didn't do nearly as well. Four vehicles earned "poor" grades.
Only one small car out of 12 tested earned a good grade in the latest round of crash-test results compiled by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The Mini Cooper Countryman received a "good" ranking on the organization's small-front overlap test.

2023 Mini Countryman caught in the wild in new spy photos

The redesigned Mini Countryman has been spotted testing in the wild. Expected to debut for the 2023 model year, this redesign is expected to produce a more future-proof SUV that may not be quite so "mini" anymore.  Yep, it looks big, and our spies said that impression carries over to real life. The next Countryman will again ride on a derivative of BMW's FAAR architecture dubbed UKL1, also shared with Land Rover. This is the same platform that underpins BMW's front-wheel-drive based X1 and X2 crossovers, and it will give the Countryman room for more people, more cargo and, most important, more tech -- powertrain tech, to be specific. This electrification-friendly platform should mean more-advanced hybridization and likely an all-electric model for the next-gen Countryman, building on the existing car's plug-in hybrid offering, which already gets a reasonably decent 18 miles on all-electric power, care of a 9.6-kWh battery. That's already 50% more than what the PHEV model launched with, so temper your expectations, but further improvement certainly isn't out of the question.  This is a far cry from the manual-transmission, all-wheel-drive Cooper super-hatch that debuted a decade ago. Yep, the Countryman nameplate is more than 10 years old now. Can you believe that? We should learn more about the new Mini Countryman sometime in the next year, ahead of what is expected to be a late 2022 or early 2023 launch. That could change, of course, given the current state of the world.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. MINI Electric Pacesetter inside and out