What seems like a lifetime ago, Mini showed off a concept it called Rocketman. It was based around the idea of people loving the original Mini for its ultra-compact size. Not that a normal Mini is big, but if you ever park a new Cooper next to a classic Mini, the new one looks like a Suburban. Essentially, Mini proposed a “mini-Mini” for Mini fans that don’t think the new Mini is a Mini because it’s not as mini as the original Mini. You following that?
Mini and its corporate overlord, BMW, liked the idea, but the problem was that BMW didn’t have an appropriately small platform. Flash forward to 2026, and a solution might be in place. Mini’s head of design, Holger Hampf, told Auto Express in the UK that the project isn’t dead. And we suspect that might have something to do with BMW’s Neue Klasse platform.
It’s a Volume Issue
BMW Rocketman conceptBMW
According to Auto Express, Hampf said his team is “studying volumes” and “trying to see what [Mini] can get into such a small, 3.6-meter car.” That is a challenge for the modern era, as the original Mini was engineered to be tiny in 1959 – long before the stringent safety features that make even small cars far safer than the big cars of yesteryear were even considered. It was also extremely to-the-point, with function taking priority over form and comfort.
In fact, legend has it that the genius behind the original British Motor Corporation, Sir Alec Issigonis, didn’t like music. So the Mini didn’t come with a radio, but he did like to smoke cigarettes, so it had an ashtray. Truly, it was a very different era for car design. The original Mini was an engineering wonder, designed to the specification of being able to fit in basically a large box. And the cabin should occupy six feet of the car’s length.
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Hampf understands all this, saying that “You have to be conscious about your surroundings. Everything else around the Mini has grown. Then there’s new regulations in terms of pedestrian safety and sensor technologies.” So what has changed at BMW to put a new tiny Mini back on the radar?
Reanimating The Corpse Of The Original Mini
BMW Rocketman conceptBMW
“So, certainly we’re studying these volumes, and we’re trying to see what [Mini] can get into such a small 3.6-meter car. It’s not easy,” Hampf said. “I’ll leave it at that.” Which leaves us with room to speculate, as Europe, and indeed other continents, still have tiny cars that are close to the original Mini’s tiny stature. And the electric platforms are allowing more – the Volkswagen I.D. Lupo, Renault Twingo, and the Smart #2 are all on the horizon. Although you’ll have to squint to see them as they are so small.
BMW Rocketman conceptBMW
What Mini has is BMW and its Neue Klasse platform for its newest electric vehicles. Mini could be eyeing the platform to use for a new Neue Klasse-based mini-Mini. The new iX3 is 188.3 inches long, which converts to 15.692 feet. That’s a third longer than the original Mini, but the platform isn’t the car. It’s possible Mini is looking at how to use the tech for its own adaptation of the platform and lop off at least three-feet to compete with the current crop of tiny city cars.
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We know the Neue Klasse platform is flexible. And with electric vehicles not needing space for engines, transmissions, fuel tanks, and all the components that go with combustion power, the opportunity certainly exists for a truly small car with generous interior space that fits the classic Mini ethos. We’ll be watching.
Source: AutoExpress
