The biggest MINI shrinks its local lineup.
Following the international debut of the new MINI Countryman, MINI Australia has confirmed a four-model lineup, and has said that they are looking into the business case for a Countryman hybrid.
According to a CarAdvice report, the 2017 MINI Countryman will arrive in just four grades (a drop from the existing 6), with the range starting with the 1.5l Cooper, the 2.0l Cooper D diesel, the 2.0l Cooper S petrol, and the 2.0l all-wheel drive Cooper SD All4. We’re not all too sure where the hybrid Countryman would fit in the lineup, though it’s certain that the business case for it requires decent studying. A John Cooper Works (JCW) model should find its way to our shores in the future too, sometime after international sales commence.
Siobhan Kircher, a communications executive with BMW Group Australia said that they are “aiming for the starting price to be around $40,000, which is a jump from the current model but we expect significantly more standard equipment as part of that.” Presently, the Countryman starts at $34,150 (before ORC) for the 2WD 1.6 model. Kircher went on to day that “all vehicles will feature automatic transmissions as standard, but manual is a no-cost option.” This reflects our market’s preference for automatic gearboxes.
The report went on to describe our market’s preferences mirroring that of the greater global market, and that Australian customers demand better value from their cars, and that there has to be a comfortable number of personalisation options without leaving the extras list seeming daunting. The new MINI Countryman will make its local introduction in March 2017.
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