BMW and Toyota may join forces on smaller Mini model

ENTRY-LEVEL HATCH EXPECTED TO REVIVE MINI MINOR NAME

   BMW and Toyota may be teaming up to create a common subcompact car that the German company would sell as the Mini Minor, according to a report from AutoBild. Munich is seeking to fill out a spot at the bottom of the Mini range, below the Mini One, which is a base trim level for the Cooper hatchback not available in North America.

   If the plan goes ahead, the Mini Minor would be aimed at a price point roughly $4,500 below the starting price of the two-door hatch, though it is unclear at this point whether this model, which Toyota will likely sell as the Starlet (with a unique exterior design, of course), would be offered in North America. A model below the two-door hatch was previewed in the form of the Mini Rocketman concept in 2011, seen above, that did not lead to a production version at the time; the Rocketman didpreview design details, including headlights and front fascia design, that made it into a production two-door Mini Cooper that debuted 10 months ago.

   The Minor name dates back to the original 1959 Alec Issigonis design which was offered as a Morris Mini Minor, and this potential car would be the fifth core Mini model -- the company is likely to drop the Paceman, the Roadster and the Coupe in the very near future. That would leave the Mini Cooper in two-door and four-door guises, the Mini Countryman whose replacement will arrive in 2016, the Mini Clubman whose replacement is also due in 2016, and a model that will closely follow the design of the Superleggera roadster concept that we first saw in 2014. The Superleggera will try to offer the flavor, utility and appeal of the three departing models, none of which could be called a sales success separately.