MINI Saloon on the cards rather than a production MINI Superleggera Sports Car?

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It looks like MINI are planning to grow the range with a new MINI Saloon, rather than a production take on the MINI Superleggera Sports Car.

As the MINI range matures in to a car with new underpinnings and new engines with the arrival of the new MINI Hatch, MINI Clubman and MINI Convertible – and with a new MINI Countryman on the way – we’re left wondering what the fifth MINI iteration will be.

MINI made it clear a while ago that there will be five distinct models in the new range, and with four of them clear we expected the fifth model would be a production version of the MINI Superleggera Vision Sport car. But it seems not.

Autocar are reporting that MINI are less than keen on delivering a MINI sports car and think there’s much more mileage in a MINI saloon, especially in markets like the US and China, than there is in delivering a modestly selling Sport Car.

MINI hasn’t gone the saloon route for a long time, but there is history.

Back in the 1960s, the Mini came in as many iterations as it does now, and a lot of that meant badge-engineering to deliver new cars using names that have now been confined to the history books.

But if MINI are intent on delivering a saloon car – as a global model but with a focus on the US and China – will that mean the revival of badges like Riley Elf and Wolseley Hornet (basically a Mini with added luxury and a small boot on the back) or will MINI think too much time has passed for current car buyers to understand the significance?

No doubt we’ll find out before too long.