Mini is preparing to roll out a series of significant facelifts that will signal a new design direction for the brand, according to design chief Holger Hampf. The German executive joined Mini from BMW’s Designworks studio in October 2024 but has yet to leave his mark on production models, given how new the current lineup is. He told journalists that “you will see my work in an upcoming LCI” — the BMW Group’s term for a major model update, called a life cycle impulse. The executive described that update as an “important milestone” for the brand, one shaped by “customer feedback from this generation.”
The current Cooper hatchback and Countryman SUV arrived in 2023, and the Aceman crossover came a year later. A restyled hatchback and SUV likely arrive late next year, with a refreshed crossover following in 2028.
An off-road Mini could be on the way
Hampf also hinted at an off-road-focused variant of an existing model.
“We’ve witnessed the trend of the outdoor lifestyle and driving out of the city to spend some days in nature,” he said.
“Our car can do this, so expect something in that direction.”
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The most likely candidate is the Countryman, the only Mini currently offered with all-wheel drive.
Its raised ride height would suit a “lifestyle” vehicle aimed at weekend adventurers. Beyond the facelifts, he confirmed that work has begun on the next entirely new generation of Minis, expected in the early 2030s.
Proportions matter most, and the three-door stays
He highlighted proportion as the most important of the brand’s many design signatures. “You can ask a Brit or a German or an Italian — you can ask a five-year-old — and they will recognise a Mini based on the proportions of the car, especially when it comes to the Cooper.”
Hampf committed to the future of the three-door hatch despite rivals abandoning the format.
“The three-door hatch will always be our anchor,” Hampf said.
He noted that the Cooper and Countryman have grown in size largely because of regulations, pedestrian safety, sensor technology and customer demand for advanced driver-assistance features — not just design choices.
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“Mini has the largest portfolio in its history,” Hampf said, listing the three-door and five-door Coopers, the Convertible, the Countryman and the Aceman. “That’s good for now. However, you see we’ve always explored how to branch out from the Cooper and offer more.”
Concept cars revisited, but size questions remain
He has gone through the brand’s back catalogue of concept cars to explore new opportunities. He said he “loves things like the Urbanaut [MPV] and Rocketman [city car],” and called the Superleggera roadster “super-nice.”
But any new model “has to be a business proposition.”
As for the Rocketman — a 2011 concept closer in size to the 1959 original — he said the size discussion happens daily inside Mini. “As long as people prefer to buy bigger cars than smaller cars, it can be dangerous for a business to say we’ve watched the micro-mobility market,” he said. “Quite frankly, I’m 1.9m tall. A Mini was always good for going to the market in the morning, driving your kids to school and going to the opera in the evening. Try to do that with some of these concepts.”
He added: “I can’t do things that aren’t cool. I’m not saying that going smaller is not a possibility, but it has to fit into today’s lifestyle as well.” It’s the sort of thing where practical constraints meet design ambition, which isn’t exactly resolved.
JCW sales surge, and more distinctive looks likely
John Cooper Works, the high-performance sub-brand, sold a record 25,630 cars last year, up 59.5% from 2024.
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Mini pointed to the UK, Japan and Australia as key markets.
CEO Jean-Philippe Parain has said there are “still some possibilities” to expand the JCW offering and that the brand would push hot hatches “very strongly.” He expects more distinctive styling for JCW models, drawing a parallel with BMW’s M Competition and M performance cars. He suggested a more extreme take on the Cooper-based JCW hot hatch is in the works, but not another track-focused GP model. “We’ve done something right in not only thinking of the GP, which we’ve done in the past,” he said.
He pointed to the brand’s recent collaboration with fashion brand Deus Ex Machina as “one experiment” for its evolution, producing concepts named The Skeg and The Machina with bigger tires and spoilers.
Given “such positive response,” toned-down versions could be primed for production.
He said there is “air to the top” of the sub-brand’s range — though what that air contains exactly wasn’t specified. For now, Mini appears focused on facelifts, an off-road variant and preserving its three-door hatch identity while expanding possibilities for the performance line.