BMW considers further expansion of second-generation MINI range
BMW Group is considering extending the second-generation Mini range due for launch in 2007 to include a pick-up truck, 4x4 or people carrier version in addition to the estate version of the current MINI shown at the Frankfurt IAA last week, reports the Financial Times today, though Jim O’Donnell, managing director of BMW UK, said while several versions were all being discussed, nothing had yet been decided.
The FT noted that BMW has yet to choose a name for the estate version of the current MINI, having discovered that it may not own the rights to the 'Clubman' or 'Traveller' names, both used in the past by Mini. An alternative could be ‘Countryman', a name used for the Austin-badged version of the 1960s Morris Mini Traveller.
Source: Auto Industry