Growing up is usually a good thing, but if Mini goes through with its new plans to grow, its peppy years of youth will be missed. The Mini Cooper has been a huge sales success ever since it's 2001 facelift. Mini's parent company BMW has capitalized on the popularity of the small car ever since by releasing not-so-Mini versions of the car like the Countryman and the Clubman. Despite the size difference between the new models and the original, all Minis have been based on the brand's signature hatchback design, even the convertible versions of the car.

Mini wants to shake things up a bit, so this hatchback love story may soon come to an end according to a Mini Autocar's interview with vice-president of Mini product management Ralph Mahler. Apparently Mahler didn't confirm that a sedan model was a sure thing, but he did mention that Mini had invested time into researching how such a car would be received and found strong results. If Mini goes ahead with the plan, expect to see buyers in the US and China snapping up cars with the iconic Mini front face and an actual trunk in the rear. Back in the 2000s, Minis used to have a zippy and fun personality that was afforded by their small and lightweight design being combined with a BMW engineered chassis.

Look no further than to the movie "The Italian Job" for an example of this. As the years went by, Mini grew up by offering its bigger cars that were better suited to hauling passengers around than for pulling off heists with a fun and well-intentioned attitude. A move to building sedans would complete Mini's step into adulthood, although the mature Mini may be based off of the BMW X1's front-wheel drive chassis so it wont lose all its pep. Like almost every automaker ever, Mini will also give its Countryman the crossover treatment later this year, effectively nullifying the claim behind the brand's name. Expect the crossover Countryman to debut later this year, but wait for the Mini sedan until the rumors gain stable ground.