The 2016 MINI Clubman, a 5-door wagon unveiled by BMW AG in Berlin Wednesday, is a vehicle that's geared toward both road trips and every day city driving.
DETROIT, MI - The 2016 MINI Clubman, a 5-door wagon unveiled by BMW AG in Berlin Wednesday, is a vehicle that's geared toward both road trips and every day city driving.
It is the BMW brand's refreshed entry in the premium compact segment, an area that has seemed to have little potential as of late in the U.S. amid low gas prices and consumers' taste for trucks and SUVs.
But globally, BMW forecasts growth of 4 percent for this segment, and says it will comprise 27 percent of the world's auto sales by 2020.
BMW also said Wednesday that with the new MINI Clubman's arrival, it is realigning its strategy for the MINI brand.
"The new MINI Clubman is the symbol of our refined brand philosophy: We will concentrate in future on five core models with strong characters," said Peter Schwarzenbauer, member of the board of Management of BMW AG.
The realignment comes at a time that MINI has been seeing success both globally and in the U.S. The brand's worldwide sales are expected to be up 20 percent in the first half 2015.
In the U.S., sales of new MINI cars rose 28 percent to 24,086 units through the first five months of this year.
The 2016 MINI Clubman will arrive at U.S. dealerships in January. Pricing has not yet been announced.
It will be built with three trim levels and engine options (though it is not immediately clear if all three will be available stateside): A 4-cylinder diesel engine with 150 horsepower in the MINI Cooper D Clubman; a 3-cylinder with 136 hp in the MINI Cooper Clubman, and a 4-cylinder engine with 192 horsepower in the MINI Cooper S Clubman.
David Muller is the automotive and business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. Email him at dmuller@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter