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Apart from the new Countryman crossover (which rides on a modified X1 platform), BMW’s Mini division shares little with its corporate parent. That soon will change. Executives confirmed that a small front-wheel-drive BMW, built upon the next-gen Mini platform, is under development.

Rumors suggesting a baby Bimmer, riding upon the same platform as the next-generation Mini, have been floating for some time now, but chairman Norbert Reithofer told Autocar the company actually is working on such a model.

“We will be extending the BMW and Mini brands into the small car segment with models and variants,” Reithofer said. “For these new vehicles, we are developing a common architecture for both front- and four-wheel drive.”

Although most details on the new front-drive BMW are still under wraps, we’ll likely see the car debut as early as 2013, almost a year ahead of the new Mini. The new offering will be an entirely separate offering from BMW’s forthcoming MegaCity electric car, aimed to compete against the new Audi A1 -- which, ironically, is targeted at the Mini demographic. The smaller offering would also help BMW to meet new fuel economy and emissions regulations being imposed by governments the world over.

The new platform could give birth to a rear-wheel-drive variant. Insiders have reportedly told Autocar that the all-wheel-drive architecture could be adapted into a rear-drive platform, which could even wind up in the next-generation 1 Series, due by 2018.

Source: Autocar

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