Is the MINI Rocketman - the 'Mini' MINI - finally heading for production as an EV?

Is the MINI Rocketman (pictured) finally heading for production?

The MINI Rocketman arrived as a compact MINI Concept back in 2011, and reports are it’s now going to go in to production in China.

It’s not exactly hard to work out that the current generation of the MINI is absolutely huge compared to the Alec Issigonis original Mini. And don’t get us started on the size of the MINI Countryman.

But in ever more congested urban landscapes, wouldn’t it make sense to have a MINI that’s more like the compact little urban roller skate the original Mini was, instead of the size of a small house?

BMW clearly think so, and in 2011 they delivered the MINI Rocketman, a MINI concept which was much closer to the ethos of the original Mini. And it looked like a perfect project for a production car.

MINI brought the Rocketman Concept back for the 2012 London Olympics to highlight their sponsorship of the event, and in 2013 MINI said the Rocketman would be a go if they could find a suitable platform to underpin it.

That was six years ago but now, finally – according to Autocar – a solution has been found and the MINI Rocketman is heading for production in 2022.

The underpinnings come from a new JV with China’s Great Wall Motors – Spotlight Automotive – which it appears has an electric car platform which will suit the Rocketman just fine.

The plan is to build the Rocketman in a JV Plant in China, but for sales globally – including the UK.

Sounds promising.