Mini News McLaren design boss Frank Stephenson rumored to rejoin Mini

Discussion in 'MINI News and Articles' started by Jediglx, May 18, 2017.

  1. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    #2 Dave.0, May 18, 2017
    Last edited: May 19, 2017
    Maybe he can make MINI's small and minimal again.
     
  2. B.A.D.

    B.A.D. Club Coordinator

    Dec 6, 2009
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    No doubt.....bring back the R56:Thumbsup:
     
  3. rkw

    rkw Well-Known Member

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    He doesn't like the R56. He thought MINI missed an opportunity to move the car in a new direction.
    http://www.motoringfile.com/2013/12/07/frank-stephenson-on-mini-design-theyve-lost-it/

    They’ve lost it. [When] they chose to change the design, [c. 2007] perhaps that would have been the best moment to break away and really innovate like the original Mini did. With all the new technology today, how would you reinterpret a small car with the technology that BMW’s capable of using for that type of car?

    You can imagine a very small car like a Mini with the innovative packaging again, putting maximum amount of space around the very limited four occupants, for example, how to carry luggage and all that. So I was hoping for a breakthrough, creative look to the new Mini to the new, new [second-generation] Mini.

    If he rejoins MINI, I would hope for a small city car like Rocketman, but I think he would be severely constrained with BMW's current approach that every car must be built on a shared platform.
     
  4. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    I (like many others) also think they missed a good bet when they started upmarket and upsized everything.

    But where I think they went wrong was in not keeping the small cars and adding the big ones under a different name, just like they did back when, leveraging the name further and keeping truer to the original.

    IOW, they could have had Minis, MINIs and say, Maxxi's

    I understand the fact that they needed bigger cars to compete in the US market - just look how well the original Countryman sold and the newer even bigger Clubman and Countryman are selling - but they took a wrong turn in their marketing, IMHO.
     
  5. checkers

    checkers Well-Known Member

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    It's time to call them MAXI not mini. Find a truck designer.
     

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