Major car brand discontinues another iconic model as sales struggle
A MAJOR car brand is discontinuing another iconic model as sales struggle.
The legendary manufacturer is pivoting towards an electric future and leaving behind some of its best-loved cars.
MINI boss Stefanie Wurst confirmed this week that the MINI Clubman would not be making a return in the future.
The Clubman, which first appeared in its current form in 2007, is MINI’s luxury version of its classic original model.
Its current generation was introduced in 2015 but will now not be renewed.
The company released a Final Edition version in March this year to bid the model farewell.
Wurst told Top Gear Magazine: “I wouldn’t say the space is filled but we will not have a Clubman.
“The Aceman is a smaller concept but I think the five-door space (if not the six-door) is filled well by the Countryman and the Aceman.
“I love the Clubman, I’m driving a Clubman at the moment. But as a big car concept we decided to go with the new Countryman.”
She cited the fact that the Countryman, a crossover SUV, is outselling the Clubman two-to-one globally.
Nonetheless, it is a sad end to the lineage of the Clubman name badge, which can trace its ancestry back to the British Leyland version in 1969.
And the news comes in the wake of MINI’s decision to scrap another of its most famous models.
Wurst previously confirmed that the beloved Cooper would not be available with a manual transmission going forward.
The Cooper, which was named for motorsport legend John Cooper who developed the original MINI, dates back to 1961 but will now only be available as an automatic or EV.
It comes after a major car brand was entirely discontinued – though a popular model will remain available.
Meanwhile, a large car dealership with hundreds of employees closed down a number of its biggest sites for good.