NEWS
12 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 14 AUGUST 2019
M
ini plans to enter the
shrinking market for
small MPVs with a new
electric model. It will
be the brand’s most practical
car yet, and it’s thought it will
revive the Traveller name.
The new Mini MPV has been
conceived to appeal to family
car buyers seeking greater
levels of interior versatility
and space than the existing
Clubman and Countryman.
It will be based on parent
company BMW’s FAAR
platform, which supports front-
and four-wheel drive. There
will be versions powered by
internal combustion engines,
a plug-in hybrid and, later in
its seven-year life cycle, a
battery-electric driveline in a
Traveller SE model. It will rival
the Volkswagen ID 3, which will
be revealed next month.
In pure-electric form, the
new Mini model is set to be
twinned with the successor to
the BMW i3. That means it will
be offered with the very latest
in battery cell technology and
a range exceeding 250 miles.
Autocar understands
th e m ove i s p a r t of a
comprehensive realignment
of Mini’s global operations that
will divide its line-up into two
distinct areas. Future models
will based on either the FAAR
platform or a new entry-level
one being developed in a
joint venture with Chinese
car maker Great Wall Motors.
The realignment,
masterminded by recently
departed BMW chairman
Harald Krüger, aims to provide
Mini with a less cost-intensive
operational base and the scope
for a broader range of models.
In future, Mini’s production
activities will centre on
three plants: Born in the
Netherlands; Zhangjiagang,
China; and Oxford, UK. Satellite
operations will continue in
India, Malaysia and Thailand.
As well as planning
replacements for today’s
hatch, Clubman and
Countryman, Mini is developing
two crucial new models that
will arrive by the end of 2023.
The aim is to increase annual
sales volumes well beyond the
361,531 achieved in 2018.
One will be the long-awaited
production version of the
Rocketman, as previously
reported by Autocar.
The entry-level Smart
Forfour rival will be fully
electric and based on a
development of Great Wall
Motors’ ME platform. It will be
produced under a joint-venture
operation called Spotlight
Automotive, based in China.
The second approved new
model, expected to be called
the Traveller, will rival the likes
of the Mercedes-Benz B-Class.
Plans are in place for it to be
developed using technology
from the next BMW i3.
Described to Autocar as
being very much in the mould
of BMW’s 2 Series Active
Tourer, the new five-seater
is intended to complement
existing Mini models.
Production is likely to begin
in the Netherlands near the end
of 2022, according to senior
Mini sources.
GREG KABLE
Mini Traveller to return as MPV
ALPINA GIVES 8 GRAN COUPE 6 00 BHP
Alpina is readying its own version of BMW’s
8 S e r i e s G ra n C o u p é. L i ke l y to b e l a u n c h e d i n e a r l y
2020, it will get a modified 4.4-litre twin-turbo
V8 putting out 600bhp, unique design elements
inside and out, and a bespoke suspension tune.
ALPINE A 110 S: £ 5 7,5 90 , ON SALE 3 SEPT
A l p i n e’s A1 1 0 S fl a g s h i p w i l l b e p r i ce d fr o m £ 57, 59 0
when it goes on sale on 3 September. That’s
an increase of £6800 on the Légende model.
Power rises from 249bhp to 288bhp and retuned
suspension and an active exhaust feature.
Traveller will be Mini’s
version of a BMW 2
Series Active TourerRocketman will be fully electric
Mini will take on Mercedes’ B-Class with a five-seat MPV called the Traveller in 2023
Maserati plots new-model blitz
MASERATI HAS CONFIRMED
plans for a successor to the
Granturismo and Grancabrio
in its half-year presentation.
The replacements are part of a
wide-reaching brand overhaul
aimed at reviving falling sales.
A slide (right) reveals that
an all-new Granturismo is
being lined up for a 2021
launch, with the convertible
version following the year
after. There will also be a
drop-top version of the ‘Alfieri’
sports car (itself arriving
next year) alongside a new
sub-Levante SUV in 2021.
The slide also reaffirms the
Italian maker’s plan to offer
fully electric versions of every
model in its line-up, starting
with the new sports car.
Next year, the brand will
introduce mid-life refreshes
of the Levante, Ghibli and
Quattroporte. An all-new
Quattroporte is due in 2022
and the Levante will move to
a new generation in 2023.
The slide puts the Ghibli’s
future in doubt, though.
Despite launching at the
same time as its larger saloon
sibling, and well before the
Levante, no replacement for
the BMW 5 Series rival is cited.
IMAGE