mini-minor-illustration-front-three-quarter-motion

For over five years we’ve reported (and reported and reported) on MINI’s internal desires to produce a smaller car than the R53, R56 and especially F56. In 2011 MINI gave us a view of what this car could be with the Rocketman concept. While the BMW Group could not make a business case of the concept initially, we learned back in [October of last year](https://www.motoringfile.com/2014/10/15/rumor-the-rocketman-is-a-go/) that the city car had been in fact green-lighted by the Board. Yesterday, [Automobile double-downed](http://www.automobilemag.com/features/news/1501-deep-dive-the-mini-minor-one-of-five-core-cars/) on our previous reports and revealed that MINI designers and engineers are actively working on the Rocketman, or should we say the MINI Minor. Automobile’s Georg Kacher also indicates that the Superleggera will join the ranks of the FXX generation. Although we can’t confirm the veracity of these claims, I don’t think we could have ended the week on a better note.

Yes, you read that correctly, MINI has apparently decided to use Sir Alec Issigonis’s original denomination to name its future city car. In addition, the MINI Minor is indeed being developed with Toyota but based on a brand-new platform and with a target price ranging from $14,500 to $16,000. I’m not a fan of the name (it sounds weird in French) but I have to admit that putting a focus on driving dynamics, de-contenting and downsizing makes for an attractive package.

In addition, Automobile seems fairly certain that the Superleggera will see the light of day, and that it could boast a unique drivetrain with an electric motor running the front wheels while a combustion engine runs the rear wheels.

If Automobile is right, it seems that Peter Schwarzenbauer’s five superhero car strategy has now come full-circle. The Hardtop (with all its variants), the Clubman, the Countryman, the Superleggera, and the Minor each have [a very particular set of skills](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgmO32IdwuE) that could allow MINI to compete in various segment in a focused manner while staying true to its heritage.

There are obviously no guarantees that all of this will even come to fruition, but between rumors, reports, and leaked patent pictures there are just too many signals pointing into the right direction. This FXX generation is definitely not short on excitements.