• Last MINI Clubman rolls off the production line at MINI Plant Oxford
• 1.1 million vehicles produced during model’s 55-year-history
• Over 550,000 modern MINI Clubman built at MINI Plant Oxford
• Midnight Black crowned the nation’s favourite exterior colour

Monday 5 February – Today, the last MINI Clubman rolled off the production line at MINI Plant Oxford; 55 years after the model’s debut in 1969.

With its unique styling and signature rear split doors, the MINI Clubman remains instantly recognisable around the world. The end of the MINI Clubman signifies a closing chapter in MINI’s history, while the brand continues to introduce its new, all-electric MINI family.

Commenting on the end of production, Dr. Markus Grüneisl, CEO of Plants Oxford and Swindon, said “We are incredibly proud to have built the MINI Clubman at Plants Oxford and Swindon over the last 18 years for customers all over the world. With its departure, we look ahead to welcoming members of the new MINI family to our Oxford and Swindon lines, including a new convertible model which we will start to produce at the end of this year.”

Since its introduction more than 1.1 million MINI Clubman models have been built, with half of these made at MINI Plant Oxford*. Exported to more than 50 countries, the Clubman is driven across the globe, with the UK choosing Midnight Black as its favourite exterior colour.

With its production coming to an end, we look back at the Clubman’s iconic history, including the cars that influenced its design, pivotal moments for the model and the three Clubman generations.

A step back in time: the classic Mini Clubman.

The Clubman silhouette dates back to the early 1960s, when Mini’s owner, British Motor Corporation (BMC), introduced two estate versions of the original Mini: the Austin Seven Countryman and Morris Mini Traveller. Featuring a longer chassis and distinctive barn-style rear doors, both models offered additional space and practicality. Alongside the Riley Elf and Wolseley Hornet - which were longer, more luxurious saloon versions of the Mini - these cars paved the way for the first Mini Clubman.

In 1967, British Motor Holdings (previously BMC) set out to streamline the Mini portfolio, hiring renowned designer Roy Haynes to combine attributes from all four models into a single car: the Mini Clubman. The final design was far more angular and featured a distinctive front nose, which was 10cm longer than the original Mini.

In the end, three production vehicles were based on the Clubman, with the first car debuting in 1969 as a saloon, followed by the Clubman Estate a year later. The third was the 1275 GT, which did not bear the Clubman name but did share its distinctive nose and was famed for its motorsport career.

The seventies brought new features including a more powerful, 45 bhp engine and side stripes. Proceeding to dominate the automotive market for over a decade, almost 600,000 Mini Clubman were produced – including 197,000 Estates – before it finished production in 1982 under the 1000HL Estate moniker.

Rebirth: the first modern MINI Clubman.

Following a 25-year-hiatus, the MINI Clubman was reborn in 2007. While delivering a modern aesthetic, it retained characteristic styling cues from its predecessors - most notably the signature, split rear doors. However, reinstating them into a modern-day vehicle proved quite the challenge for engineers at MINI Plant Oxford. “We needed to ensure that both doors would always open fully without obscuring the rear lights, which was a legal requirement. Achieving this required fine tuning and developing the gas strut system to ensure the doors functioned correctly in all climatic conditions” explained Lead Quality Engineer, Guy Elliott, who was part of the development team for Door Systems at the time.

As the first MINI to offer five seats, the Clubman introduced a unique Clubdoor – enabling easy access for rear passengers – which was hinged at the rear, and asymmetrically positioned on the one side of the car.

Reflecting on the intergrations of the Clubdoor4, Guy commented.  "The Clubdoor was

pillarless, meaning two moving parts were coming together. We had to ensure the

front door and Clubdoor were flush to minimise wind noise when driving. The two glass systems had to be carefully controlled and most importantly, it needed to be watertight, which required precise control measures.”

From Clubman to Clubvan.

Inspired by the Morris Mini Van, MINI introduced the world’s first premium compact delivery van in 2013, dubbed the MINI Clubvan. Retaining five doors but with only two seats, the model offered businesses a larger, easily accessible loading area with a completely flat floor.

With a bulkhead to protect the driver and passenger, the Clubvan cargo area could be loaded roof high, with a maximum payload capacity of 500 kg. Recessed into the floor were six heavy duty attachment loops, which prevented objects from moving around in transit, while multiple 12-volt sockets could be used to power electrical equipment.

Further refinement and four full-sized doors.

With the third generation in 2015 the Clubman grew, offering a boot capacity of up to 1,250 litres, enhanced usability thanks to four full-sized doors and an 8-speed Steptronic transmission – a first for the MINI brand. Numerous other features made their brand debut on the Clubman, including an electric parking brake, full electric seat adjustment and the optional MINI Yours Interior Styles with backlit door bezels. Its launch was closely followed by the introduction of the Clubman ALL-4, the brand’s first all-wheel drive model, in 2016.

Commenting on the launch of the third generation MINI Clubman, then Project Lead Dr. Ernst Fricke said, “As the final of three consecutive launches in less than three years (3-Door, 5-Door, Clubman), the Clubman presented special challenges to the Manufacturing Launch team. In the Pressings and Body in White factories, new subassembly facilities unique to Clubman were installed, enabling frames from all three MINI models to feed the final lines in any sequence or batch size. In Assembly, a new door build process for the split doors was implemented, requiring critical innovations in a new area.

After the launch, we referred to the third generation Clubman as ‘our masterpiece’ – the ultimate Oxford built MINI with new standards of high quality and refinement.”

The Final Edition.

In 2023, the Clubman was celebrated with the launch of The Final Edition. Offered with a fixed specification, this model featured an edition-specific Shimmer Copper radiator grille and side scuttles, 18” Final Edition Spoke 2-tone alloy wheels and exclusive ‘Final Edition’ letting on the rear. Limited to just 1,969 units, the Final Edition paid homage to the launch year of the original.

As the Clubman’s half-century journey draws to a close, an electrifying new chapter begins with the continued launch of the new MINI family. Following the debut of the all-electric MINI Cooper and new MINI Countryman, 2024 promises to be another exciting year for MINI.

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MINI Press Office Contacts:

Tom Evans

MINI Press Officer Tel: 07815 371705

Email: Tom.Evans@mini.co.uk

Helen Wilson

MINI Media Relations Manager Tel: 07815 372480

Email: Helen.Wilson@mini.co.uk

Christina Burnham-Hepe

General Manager, Communications Tel: 07815 371 206

Emails: Christina.Burnham-Hepe@bmw.co.uk

Woodcliff Lake, N.J., July 1, 2019. The year 2020 is poised to be a big one for MINI USA as it launches two vehicles that represent both ends of the spectrum of the brand – electric mobility and high- performance. With its first purely electrically powered vehicle, the MINI Cooper SE, coming early in 2020, and the MINI John Cooper Works GP launching later in the year, MINI USA is excited to add to its current lineup of vehicles, some of which are also receiving updates for model year 2020.

Most significantly, the 2020 John Cooper Works Clubman ALL4 and 2020 John Cooper Works Countryman ALL4 both gain a new generation engine that cross the 300 hp threshold, allowing each model to reach 60 mph in 4.9 and 5.1 seconds, respectively. In addition, the MINI Clubman gets a model refresh that includes new interior and exterior enhancements.

New MINI John Cooper Works Countryman and Clubman

The 2020 John Cooper Works Clubman ALL4 and 2020 John Cooper Works Countryman ALL4 gain a new generation engine that puts out 301 hp. The new MINI John Cooper Works Clubman turns in an acceleration of 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 4.9 seconds, with the new MINI John Cooper Works Countryman achieving the same in 5.1 seconds – 1.4 and 1.5 seconds faster than in the respective previous models.

Both of these high-performance variants will also feature lower sports suspensions by 10mm, larger exhaust pipes by 10mm, four-piston brake calipers with 14.2-inch front brake rotors, and 13-inch rear brake rotors, and can reach top speeds of 155 mph.

2020 MINI Clubman – Refresh

For the 2020 model year the MINI Clubman gets a model refresh that includes the following enhancements.

• Introduction of two new colors: Coral Red Metallic and MINI Yours Enigmatic Black Metallic
• Redesigned front end featuring redesigned grill, piano black exterior trim, new headlight design, and redesigned LED fog lights
• New exterior mirror cap design for improved aerodynamics
• New MINI Yours interior style – Frozen Blue
• LED fog lights and rear lights in Union Jack design

Two new exterior paint colors.
The extensive range of exterior paint colors available for the new MINI Clubman now adds two variants: Coral Red Metallic and MINI Yours Enigmatic Black Metallic.

Very British: rear lights in Union Jack design.
The rear lights also feature a new design in conjunction with standard LED headlights. As a clear reference to the brand's British DNA, the upright light units at the rear of the new MINI Clubman now adopt the Union Jack design that appears on the MINI Hardtop 2 Door, the MINI Hardtop 4 Door and the MINI Convertible.

The striking flag motif is recreated in the structure of the light functions. The turn indicators are horizontally arranged, and the brake lights have a vertical and horizontal element with the taillight additionally representing the diagonal lines of the British flag. In order to ensure a particularly harmonious lighting effect, all light sources forming the Union Jack graphic use LED technology.

Trim & Package Updates:

• Cooper S – “Classic Trim”
  • The 2019 Classic Trim package (base MSRP: $28,900) included a choice of 17-inch wheels, a 6.5-inch media display, multifunction steering wheel, rear PDC + rear-view camera, teleservices and E-call.
  • The 2020 Classic Trim (base MSRP $30,900) retains all of these items while also including: comfort access, heated seats, automatic climate control, active driving assistant, LED headlights and fog lights, and a 7-Speed Sport Dual Clutch transmission. These additions, when added to a vehicle separately, are valued at $4,750.

• Cooper S ALL4 – “Signature Trim”
  • The 2019 Signature Trim package (base MSRP: $34,900) included a choice of 17-inch wheels, panoramic moonroof, sport automatic transmission, comfort access keyless entry, active driving assistant, automatic climate control, heated seats, rear PDC and rear-view camera, teleservices and E-call.
  • The 2020 Signature Trim (base MSRP $35,900) retains all of these items while also including: LED headlights and fog lights, choice of upholstery, and a Harman/Kardon sound system. These additions, when added to a vehicle separately, are valued at $2,500.

Upholstery

• No longer available:
  • Cloth/Leather combination Cord | Carbon Black for MINI Clubman.
• New in 2020:
  • A Leather Chesterfield | Malt Brown upholstery will be available for the MINI Clubman.

Wheels and Tires

• No longer available:
  • 18-inch MINI Yours Masterpiece with Run-Flat Tires for MINI Clubman.
  • 19-inch John Cooper Works Course Spoke Alloy Wheels for MINI Clubman.

• New in 2020:
  • New 18-inch MINI Yours British Spoke 2-Tone with Run-Flat Tires will be available for the MINI Clubman (excluding John Cooper Works variants).
  • New 18-inch Multiray Spoke 2-Tone with Run-Flat Tires will be available for MINI Clubman models (excluding John Cooper Works variants).
  • 19-inch John Cooper Works Circuit Spoke for MINI Clubman

MINI Hardtop 2 Door

Trim & Package Updates

• Cooper – “Signature Trim”
  • The 2019 Signature Trim package (base MSRP: $24,900) included a choice of 16-inch wheels, Steptronic automatic transmission, comfort access, panoramic moonroof, heated front seats, MINI Excitement package, automatic climate control and leatherette upholstery.
  • The 2020 Signature Trim (base MSRP $26,400) retains all of these items while also including: a 7-Speed Dual Clutch transmission, 5A1 LED fog lights, 5A4 LED headlights, and active driving assistant. These additions, when added to a vehicle separately, are valued at $2,000.

MINI Hardtop 2 Door, MINI Hardtop 4 Door, and MINI Convertible

Highlights:

• LED Fog Lights and LED Headlights are now included in the Signature Trim package for the MINI Hardtop 2 Door and MINI Hardtop 4 Door

Upholstery

• New in 2020:
  • A Cloth/Leatherette combination Black Pearl | Light Grey upholstery will be available for all 2020 MINI Hardtop 2 Door, MINI Hardtop 4 Door and MINI Convertible models.

Wheels and Tires

• New in 2020:
  • New 18-inch MINI Yours British Spoke 2-Tone with Run-Flat Tires will be available for the MINI Hardtop 2 Door, MINI Hardtop 4 Door and MINI Convertible models (excluding John Cooper Works variants).
• No longer available:
  • 18-inch MINI Yours Vanity Spoke Two-Tone with Run-Flat Tires for the MINI Hardtop 2 Door, MINI Hardtop 4 Door and MINI Convertible.

MINI Countryman

In addition to the MINI John Cooper Works Countryman with 301hp, the Countryman model range gets a number of updates.

Highlights:

• LED Fog Lights and LED Headlights are now standard for MINI Countryman Cooper S models and up.

Transmissions

• The MINI Cooper Countryman is standard equipped with a 7-Speed Steptronic Transmission with Double Clutch (2TF)
• The MINI Cooper Countryman ALL4 is standard equipped with an 8-Speed Automatic (205)

Trim & Package Updates

• Cooper S ALL4 – “Classic Trim”

• • The 2019 Classic Trim package (base MSRP: $31,400) included a choice of 18-inch wheels, panoramic moonroof, a 6.5-inch media display, multifunction steering wheel, rear PDC + rear-view camera, teleservices and E-call.
  • The 2020 Classic Trim (base MSRP $33,900) retains all of these items while also including: an 8-Speed Sport Automatic transmission, comfort access, heated seats, automatic climate control, active driving assistant, LED headlights and fog lights. These additions, when added to a vehicle separately, are valued at $4,750.

Upholstery

• No longer available:
  • Cloth/Leather combination Cord | Carbon Black for MINI Countryman.

Wheels and Tires

• New in 2020:
  • New 19-inch MINI Yours British Spoke 2- Tone with Run-Flat Tires will be available for MINI Countryman models (excluding John Cooper Works variants).
  • 19-inch John Cooper Works Circuit Spoke for MINI Countryman
  • 18-inch John Cooper Works Grip Spoke Silver or Black for MINI Countryman.
• No longer available:
  • 19-inch MINI Yours Masterpiece with Run-Flat Tires for MINI Countryman.
  • 19-inch John Cooper Works Course Spoke Alloy Wheels for MINI Countryman.
  • 18-inch John Cooper Works Thrill Spoke Black for MINI Countryman.

MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 (PHEV)

The EV battery capacity of the 2020 MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 (PHEV) will rise from 7.6 kWh to 9.6 kWh. This will positively increase both the electric and overall range of the vehicle from 12 miles to approximately 16 all-electric miles (EPA). In addition, the potential tax credit is expected to rise from $4,001 to $4,835 (+$834).

John Cooper Works Variants

In addition to the new 301hp variants of the John Cooper Works Clubman and the John Cooper Works Countryman, both with ALL4, the following changes apply to all John Cooper Works variants.

Highlights

• All John Cooper Works Hardtops and Convertibles will now come standard with an 8-speed Steptronic Sport Automatic Transmission
• Dinamica/Leather | Carbon Black with Grey Accents is now available for all John Cooper Works variants.
• Dinamica/Leather | Carbon Black with Red Accents is no longer available for John Cooper Works variants.

VARIOUS CHANGES ACROSS ALL MODELS

Highlights:

• Active Driving Assistant is now standard across all MY 2020 models and trims.
• All 2020 models will now feature a Leather Chesterfield | Satellite Grey upholstery option.

• Leather Lounge | Satellite Grey upholstery no longer available for all models.
• New exterior mirror cap design for improved aerodynamics

Transmissions

• All Cooper models are standard equipped with a 7-Speed Steptronic Transmission with Double Clutch
• All Cooper S models are standard equipped with a 7-Speed Steptronic Sport Transmission with Double Clutch
• All Cooper S ALL4 models are standard equipped with an 8-Speed Sport Automatic Transmission
• All John Cooper Works models are standard equipped with an 8-Speed Sport Automatic Transmission
• All Hardtops and Convertibles except the John Cooper Works convertible come standard with a six-speed manual transmission. *

*NOTE: Availability of manual transmissions currently delayed due to technical evaluation at the time of publication.

About MINI in the US
MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States, MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC, located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey and includes the marketing and sales organizations for the MINI brand. The MINI USA sales organization is represented in the U.S. through a network of 122 MINI passenger car dealers in 39 states. MINI USA began selling vehicles in the U.S. in 2002 with the introduction of the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S Hardtops. Since then, the MINI Brand in the U.S. has grown to encompass a model range of five unique vehicles.

Journalist notes: Media information about MINI and its products is available to journalists on-line at www.miniusanews.com.

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List prices above do not include the $850 charge for Destination & Handling.

MINI in the US

MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States, MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC, located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey and includes the marketing and sales organizations for the MINI brand.  The MINI USA sales organization is represented in the U.S. through a network of 122 MINI passenger car dealers in 39 states. MINI USA began selling vehicles in the U.S. in 2002 with the introduction of the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S Hardtops.  Since then, the MINI Brand in the U.S. has grown to encompass a model range of seven unique vehicles.

Journalist note: Media information about MINI and its products is available to journalists on-line at www.miniusanews.com. 

Consumer information about MINI products is available via the internet at: www.MINIUSA.com