Car and Driver features a short question and answer session with MINI USA's Product Planning Manager from NAIAS 2014. Here's one of the more interesting exchanges:
C/D: If Mini was going to expand its lineup to include an eighth entry, what would that be?
PM: That’s an interesting question. The number one reason buyers reject our largest five-door, the Countryman, is that it’s not large enough. But at the same time, we’re well aware of the need to keep the Mini mini. So today, at least, the Countryman is a bookend for how large we can go and still be Mini. So far, the Countryman has been a sales success; it’s the second-bestselling Mini behind the three-door hardtop and is bringing a different buyer into showrooms. Some buyers who like the idea of the Mini brand wouldn’t even consider buying one unless it had four doors and all-wheel drive. We think of it as a situation similar to Porsche’s Cayenne and Panamera expanding the brand beyond its orthodox sports-car roots.
