Mini Model History

United Kingdom · founded 1959

The British small-car icon — Alec Issigonis's 1959 original, reborn in 2001 as a premium BMW-owned marque led by the Cooper hatch and Countryman.

Models

Mini (classic)

Alec Issigonis's revolutionary 1959 economy car — transverse-engine front-wheel drive that defined the modern small car for 41 years.

City car · 1959–2000
Hatch / Hardtop

The BMW-era Mini's core model — the Cooper three-door (and later five-door) hatch that relaunched the marque in 2001, sold as the 'Hardtop' in the US.

Subcompact car · 2001–present
Convertible

The soft-top version of the Mini hatch — a two-door cabriolet offered across every BMW-era generation.

Convertible · 2005–present
Clubman

The extended estate/wagon Mini with rear barn doors — reviving the classic Clubman name from 2008 until 2024.

Station wagon · 2008–2024
Countryman

Mini's first crossover SUV and now its biggest model — a tall, available-all-wheel-drive Mini launched for 2011.

Subcompact SUV · 2011–present
Coupe

A two-seat, 'helmet-roof' Mini coupe — a short-lived sporty offshoot of the R56 hatch.

Sports car · 2012–2015
Roadster

A two-seat soft-top Mini — the open-roof twin of the Coupe, sold only briefly.

Convertible · 2012–2015
Paceman

A three-door 'coupe-SUV' version of the first Countryman — a short-lived crossover coupe.

Subcompact SUV · 2013–2016
Aceman

Mini's first electric-only model — a small crossover slotting between the Cooper hatch and the Countryman.

Electric SUV · 2024–present

Other makes