Fourth-gen MINI lineup will be limited to four or five models

2015 MINI Clubman spy photo / S. Baldauf/SB-Medien

To adopt different designs

BMW board member Peter Schwarzenbauer said the fourth generation of the MINI will be restricted to four or five models.

Due towards the end of the decade, the fourth-gen MINI lineup will have just "four or five hero cars" as opposed to the current family which will likely encompass up to seven models. In addition, MINI is planning a new design approach which will further differentiate the models and the company will also focus on improving the build quality.

Some of the new designs could come from a newly established design studio in London which Schwarzenbauer wants. The models are expected to grow in size and a large SUV could be in the pipeline for a 2017 release, while a Golf-rivaling hatchback with an estimated 17,000 GBP price tag is also a possibility. MINI will be taken further upmarket while some strategists over at BMW are concerned that some of the current models have strained too far from the company's roots.