Mini has expanded far beyond its initial small car offerings, branching out with a variety of larger hatchbacks and SUVs. As the Mini brand continues to see profits from larger, more practical vehicles, it won't be long before the name Mini no longer reflects the cars the company makes. In a sign of what may be in store for the brand, Motorfile that sources within the BMW Group speculate Mini will discontinue its three-door hatchback model in the near future.

BMW has yet to officially confirmed the model's death, but there may now be a precedent for killing off three-door hatchback models. As we reported, there are only five three-door hatchback models left on sale in the US, the Mini being one of them. Even in Europe, three-door hatchback popularity has been dwindling, so automakers have been forced to cut them from their lineups.

Sales of the three-door hardtop have been steadily declining in the US, though it still outsold the five-door hardtop by a considerable margin. So where does this leave rumored models such as the hardcore Cooper GP Works and all-electric model (both of which have been spied in the three-door body style)? Well, the sources speculate that the three-door won't be killed off until the end of the product cycle in 2022, so we would still be able to buy it for a few more years. We hope this rumor turns out to be false because it would mean losing yet another fun hatchback model in the US.