The next generation MINI isn’t expected to see much exterior design change. That according to one of the most reputable auto publications in the world, Automotive News. And if that sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because we’ve been beating the same drum here at MotoringFile for well over a year. However the folks at Automotive News have a bit more of an definitive source, Kay Segler, MINI Worldwide Vice President of Brand Management. Here’s an excerpt from the article:
>Pointing to the success of Porsche and Mini, Segler said, “Some brands and some products need to do things differently.”
>But Segler said the Mini’s interior might see major changes as the vehicle evolves over the coming years. “Maybe you could be more adventurous when it comes to the interior,” he said.
>The styling theme created for the Mini 45 years ago and adapted to the current car remains popular.
>Segler says the proof is the brand’s sales and continued demand for the car. Depending on the country, Mini customers wait two to six months for delivery. In the United States, the wait is nearly four months.
You can read the entire article at the Automotive News sister publication Autoweek:
[ BMW Won’t Change Mini’s Legendary Design ] Automotive News
For further information on the next generation MINI, be sure to check out our Next Generation MINI Revealed article from last March:
[ The Next Generation Revealed ] MotoringFile
Curiously, Sir Alec, a believer in minimalist design who ruthlessly practiced that philosophy, had better style sense than most pure engineering types. His original sketches for the Mini were transferred almost exactly into the finished product, with only light tinkering by anyone else at BMC. His “look” for the Mini hit the nail on the head, and why mess with an icon? I truly hope BMW sticks to this plan – the MINI and 911 shapes are proof that great styling can be generational without loosing relevance.
BCNU,
Rob in Dago
What else can I say but, I hope it looks good and true to its roots..
Right on Rob! Mini and MINI show that evolutionary iconic design can be a success if done correctly and with the right vision!
Vanwall: actually, Issigonis wasn’t much of an egineer at all. He had great ideas, but to make them work in the real world, he needed Jack Daniels (not the liquor, but the engineer), who translated his sketches into real, working engineering designs. Also, bear in mind that the Mini originally wasn’t recognized as a estetically sound product, it’s form was a direct result of function and many thought it was actually really ugly, when first released.
Not sure what this all means, because it’s the result that matters, just FWIW.
this is the first real good news I’ve heard in a long time!
The fork and spoon may be over-styled in some instances, but they remain as they are and have been becasue they work.
I worry that BMW will muck around with the proportions, not so much the details.
Besides the iconic exterior the New Mini and the old 911 also share one thing in common; the ugly interior. Hope MINI learns the lesson and designs a more functional and sports car like interior instead of the Playskool “little people” look.
I think the current Gen MINI (I have an ’05) has a great interior. Certain materials could be higher quality, but for the price they are more than fine. I think the design was pretty bold. I get compliments from people every time they get in my car.
funny. Porsche has taken many stylistic and engineering liberties with it’s line of cars. That one venerated model can be traced back to it’s roots is hardly an acheivement, especially considering that the MINI and Mini have remained faithful to one model in all its evolutions.
Excepting the moke, of course. Always except the moke.
And the clubman, and different bodystyles like van, estate and pick-up… Although the parallel is between the Porsche 911 as a single model and Mini as a brand (that currently really has only one model), I don’t think it is a bad one. That Porsche has also produced other models than the 911 really is beside the point.
I beg to differ regarding Issigonis’s engineering qualifications, certainly any head of design has a staff who translates that vision into metal, and he was fortunate enought to have many people who were very good at just that. The Lightweight Special was a practical exercise of Issigonis’s engineering skills, and speaks far more for his abilities than just his well recognized excellent engineering draughting skills, and much of the actual tooling for the Mini was designed by him, as well.
As for styling recognition, there were publications in the early sixties recognizing the Mini’s integrated design as a groundbreaking, and where would the mini-skirt be without the Mini’s popularity? There were those who thought it ugly, yes, but many of those were fin fans and longer, lower, wider, types. I daresay its “cute” factor was as much a mark of its success among the distaff drivers in the family who were asserting their views, as its handling was the sale point for many leadfoots.
The real marks of style and vision were the three in a row, Morris Minor, Mini, and the 1100, all of which defined motoring in England for the last half of the century. No person was more responsible for this amazing run than Issigonis himself, staff notwithstanding.
Nuff Said.
BCNU,
Rob in Dago
All I know is that my 100% stock 67 Cooper has 3 ash trays and no radio – and that design was specified by Issigonis. I wonder what he’d have thought about modern day owners’ propensity to complain about iPod interfaces!!
Dave
Hey,GSKChicago in regards to materials,
I remember that one of the things that MINI was saying in 02 was that they put the money into the design and skimped in the materials to keep it reasonably priced.
Just like the Hummer H1, which has had the same design forever.
Ironic?…The MINI’s headlights almost look Porschey…
<blockquote>Just like the Hummer H1, which has had the same design forever.</blockquote>
Um… or since the mid 80s.
An exaggeration
Well the first civilian Hummer was created in 1992. My uncle was one of the project leads at AM General in Mishiwaka at the time for the civilian project. I remember the day they presented it to Arnold.
Now let’s take a look at military Hummer products. The first year the AM General plant produced Hummer’s for the military was in 1985. So to say that it’s “just like the hummer design was has been around forever” is obviously incorrect.
20 years (+/-).
<blockquote>Ironic?…The MINI’s headlights almost look Porschey…</blockquote>
I think that has a lot more to do with the era from which the originals of both cars stem. In those days, practically all cars had perfectly round headlamps, presumably because it simply was next to impossible to make any different shape. And if you then want to design something that looks like the original, there’s not a lot of options 🙂