The Mini Cooper Clubman, a unique wagon-style car, is rumored to be reaching the end of its production run. According to the Mini fan website, MotoringFile, the last Clubman will be manufactured in the first quarter of 2024, and the final production month is expected to be February of the same year.
Mini has no plans to continue producing the Clubman as crossovers and SUVs have gained popularity, and wagons have not been as successful. BMW combined Clubman sales with the rest of the Cooper models, which include the Hardtop 2 Door, Hardtop 4 Door, and Convertible. The Clubman reached its peak sales of 12,203 units in 2016, the year it was introduced. Since then, its average sales have decreased each year, with only 1,970 units sold in 2021.
During the same period, Mini sold 12,198 units of the Countryman, a slow year for the SUV, indicating a preference for larger vehicles. Moreover, Mini's upcoming Mini Aceman EV, a four-door electric vehicle, has been spotted. It is smaller than the Clubman, but it provides more interior space since it rides on an electric skateboard. The company has also stated that the Aceman's platform will result in a car with a smaller footprint without sacrificing interior versatility.
While rumors of the Clubman's demise remain unsubstantiated, Mini's recent actions suggest that they are true. The company reintroduced the manual gearbox for the Cooper and Cooper Convertible, but the Clubman was excluded, despite sharing the same platform and engines as those models.
The Mini Cooper Clubman is expected to reach the end of its production run in 2024, after two generations, as crossovers and SUVs have gained popularity, and sales of wagons have decreased. The introduction of the upcoming Mini Aceman EV and the exclusion of the Clubman from the reintroduction of the manual gearbox suggest that Mini is moving towards a future without the Clubman model.