Countryman. Paceman. Coupe. We all know Mini has too many unnecessary models, and it appears the carmaker is reaching the same conclusion. BMW board member for Mini, Peter Schwarzenbauer, spoke with Autocar on the sidelines of the Detroit Auto Show last month and admitted as much. BMW, in his opinion, should be "sensitive about the number of variants and about size. It is better to go in a different direction to concentrate on doing less but better."

More specifically, Schwarzenbauer would like to see the future Mini lineup be narrowed down to just three, maybe four, hero cars consisting of a three-door hatch, convertible sister, and an SUV. Of course, a change like this won't happen with the just launched third-generation Mini. That new hardtop will spawn six or seven models. Schwarzenbauer is referring to the fourth-generation lineup that won't debut until the end of the decade. Interestingly, Schwarzenbauer foresees an SUV slightly larger than the Countryman one day. Fine, whatever. But there was no mention of the one Mini model many want but has only existed as a concept: the Rocketman.