BMW “0″ Series Based on the Next Generation MINI?

Sections: F56 Hatch | MINI Competitors Mar 11th, 2010 25 Comments

BMW has a hit on their hands with the MINI. But they also have a problem; how to sell more small premium cars. Research is showing that the small premium car category has huge growth potential and that only having one brand offering such a car may be a mistake. BMW’s solution? To based a small front wheel or all wheel drive BMW off of the next generation MINI platform.

Last week on BimmerFile we noted that during BMW Chairman Norbert Reithofe’s speech he made it clear that BMW and MINI were extending their brands into the small car segment. But what did that exactly mean? Was he talking about the shared platform between the MINI and a new small BMW or BMW’s new range of “megacity” cars sub-braned as iSetta? Autocar had a chance to ask the man that very question.

Being careful to separate the new price-leading front-wheel-drive model from BMW’s upcoming city car – a totally different project as part of its Mega City Vehicle electric car initiative – Reithofer added, “For these new vehicles [the new BMW and Mini] we are developing a common architecture for both front and four-wheel drive.” While exact details remain shrouded in secrecy, Autocar can confirm the new entry-level BMW has been conceived to run the same front-wheel-drive underpinnings as the next-generation Mini Cooper.

Autocar predicts this new BMW will be built along side the MINI in Oxford. However our sources tell us this is impossible given the current cost of expanding the plant even further. Instead it’s likely that the new small BMW will be built alongside a small slice of the next generation MINI production at a current BMW plant in Germany. It’s worth noting that our sources tell us that all MINIs produced in Germany will be destined for the European market as a way to insulate the British currency issues BMW currently faces.

Regardless of where the car is built, a front wheel drive MINI-based BMW will be a reality. According to Dr. Reithofe the premium small car segment is growing too fast to ignore. And with BMW already having a world-class small car platform to draw from, it’s obvious why the decision makes business sense. Look for the car to debut around the same time as the next generation MINI in 2013 and be sold predominantly in Europe. It will not be available in the US market.

Now the question that we’re dying to ask MotoringFile readers:

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Written By: Gabe

Minipuma

I’d rather drive a MINI… unless they styled it to look like the 2002, in which case I’d be all over it.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1070696962 Kevin Stephenson

I would hope it would be unique and not a close copy of the MINI. I love my MINI and its style but I really like BMW’s as well and would like to see what they would do with it and could consider it next time I purchase. But if its too similar I would not consider it and just stay with MINI.
glangford

Good point Kevin. Mini has always capitalized on the somewhat retro look the car had, a trend I hope they continue. I’d expect a BMW version built on the same platform to have a totally different look to it, more futuristic. I really couldn’t say at this time if I’d go for a BMW version without more info.

Not available in the US market. Bummer again BMW/Mini shafts its best market. No diesel, no small BMW, no 1 series hatchback, the list goes on…. Do I need to move to Europe to get the car I want?
rhawth99

Not a fan of BMWs and I definitely don’t like the BMW sales people that I encounter on the other side of the wall at my MINI dealer. I understand the economies of scale that BMW is trying to leverage but I think that they are trying to squeeze a lot of models into a narrow price band. I wish that MINI would consider manufacturing here in the U.S.
Rocketboy_X

Remember the good old days when a MINI Cooper was a MINI Cooper, and no other car?

They seemed like such halcyon days back then.

sigh
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1134606899 Dean Cory

Good riddance to the 0 series! We may have to put up with the BMW overlords…

But we don’t want their bluetooth headset wearing, iPad/iPOD using, keep your fwd car away from my RWD/AWD Slushbox iDrive using BMW SNOBB attitude.
dr

I think it’s important not to misunderstand the results of this poll. If BMW offered a MINI clone, I would buy the BMW instead of the MINI. If there was no BMW I would buy the MINI anyway. A BMW badged car does not make me buy a car I would not have bought with the MINI label. If MINI doubled production they would sell every car, I see no real advantage for bmw to put the roundel on small fwd cars!
mike c.

My only real issue with with BMW is the cost. Higher costs for the buy and higher costs for repairs. The MINI already was a little higher than what I’m used to.

And don’t get me started on the knuckleheads drivers that tend to buy or lease BMW’s.
Evan

I think it’s important to remember that there are a lot of MINI owners who also have BMWs, and stereotyping them.

That aside, MINI is the FWD BMW and BMW is the rear wheel drive BMW. This won’t affect MINI poorly, but has a lot of potential to dilute the BMW brand.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1478389903 James Irmiger

Why not? I mean, the iSetta brand will be only targeted towards economy and not representative of the performance image BMW has built, and MINI is, frankly, too retro for a great may buyers. Besides, BMW pricing has only gone up over the years. A base model 1-Series with zero options is over 28k! With every other manufacturer bringing good, small cars to market, it only makes sense to get a piece of the action early on.
rb

If I step up to a Bimmer, I don’t want another fwd car. What I want is a lighter, cheaper 1-series.
beken

I probably would not have bought my MINI if the company were not owned by BMW. I most likely would not have been interested in owning a BMW until after the great experience I’ve had with owning my MINI. Strange dilemna, yes. Having said that, I enjoy owning my MINI much more than I do my BMW 5-series. The MINI people treat me much more like a real person at my MINI dealer. When my BMW dealer mistakenly addressed me as doctor and I informed them of the mistake, I could see the disappointment on their faces and the way I was treated afterwards.

Though both cars have been very good.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1742553353 Mark Smith

I honestly think most of you all are taking this a little too far. BMW would NEVER intermix or dilute any of their product. What they do is very intelligent if you think about it. Rather than just platform share as Audi, Toyota, or even Nissan are known for BMW will take parts that they can commonly use between multiple models and share them to reduce costs. Not just take the same platform and place different body panels on it. The Countryman and X1 is a great example of this. They share components but when it comes down to it they are two entirely different cars. They are related as much as they are unrelated. Any cost savings is a good one as long as quality is not sacrificed.
http://www.BimmerFile.com Michael

It will not be a 0 Series…

More like a 1 series and it will be based on a MINI but not the hatch. Also, worth noting is that the current 5 door 1 series will be sent to pasture later this year and the current 1er coupe convertible will be around until 2013, so unless BMW has worked magic that so far we have not detected the next generation 1 will not be based on a MINI, the following gen will be or will this summer yield a FWD 1 based on a recently introduced MINI product that also has AWD as an option…. hmmmm. Thats all I am saying ;)
Greg

I for one welcome our BMW overlords.

I would have it play out this way:

The fate of the Clubman platform should be a 4 place BMW 2dr sedan, with RWD or XDrive (BMWs branding of AWD). It should be boxy and upright, very 2002 like, and extend the family down to an 0 series. With the transmission from the R60 they already have the hardware to do this. With pulling the Clubman from oxford they open up room for production of the coupester and roadster.

Its not a stretch for this small BMW to be RWD, There is already talk of a Z2 roadster, and that without doubt would have to be RWD. Again sharing the drive train makes production sense.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1610114987 Shawn Dillon

…I have stated this before,on this site;therefore,I will state it again: “The BMW 0 Series are for the individuals who want all the joys of having/owning a MINI without the MINI badge…”

Again…I was surprised on the number of people who have stated that to Me,when I owned,”Sade”.
that.guy

I would much rather have a 135i hatchback. RWD FTW!
dacrema

I would CONSIDER a fwd BMW… I would also consider the Volvo and other cars. I have strong ties to the MINI so if all other issues were more less equal I’d get a MINI.
Bilbo Baggins

If the BMW were to be a rear wheel drive or AWD then I might think about it. Otherwise I’d take the MINI.
Don Hopings

Mini’s and MINI’s have always looked quirky. That’s just part of the mystique and what sets them apart. If this is how the Series 0 will turn out, it is very sleek and nothing like the MINI. The fact that is could essentially be a MINI under the skin is mostly irrelevant. The thought process and criteria behind buying a Series 0 would still be different from buying a MINI.

So, to me, no conflict…
MatthewW

Put it this way, I just discovered another reason to covet my 2006.

EOS is a business necessity, but spreading a platform too thin is also a dangerous reality for any brand.
SFRedMCc

The MINI has a uniqueness due to it’s FWD heritage and “retro” design features. And this mini BMW just looks like another variation on all the other “aerodynamic” new designs being pushed these days.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000398251447 Bradley Sketchley

I’d rock this thing.
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