Raise a glass to the Mini Clubman today, as the final version of the estate has rolled off the production line bringing an end to 55 years of the nameplate.
We presume not too many of you out there will be all that sad, after all, do you even remember the last time you saw a new Mini Clubman? But it’s worth mourning another estate lost, no matter how forgotten, to make way for yet another electric crossover.
The Clubman name is officially dead after 55 years
In fairness, Mini has shifted a fair few Clubmans in its time, with 1.1 million sold in total. The original version of the car was released in 1969 and remained in production in various guises until 1982, before returning in 2007.
Much like the original Clubman estate, the modern Clubman was an extended version of the hatchback with its signature split-opening tailgate. If you’re feeling especially niche, there was even a van version on sale for two years – aptly named the Clubvan.
Dr. Markus Grüneisl, CEO of BMW Group’s Oxford and Swindon plants, 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.”
The estate makes way for the Aceman EV
Those new members will include the Mini Aceman, the electric crossover we alluded to earlier. We’re yet to see the full production version, though Mini has confirmed a few details ahead of an anticipated launch later this year.
It won’t be so mini, measuring 4075mm long, 1,754mm wide, and 1495mm tall. That will put it square against the likes of the Volvo EX30 and Smart #1, though. It’ll also use a 54.2kWh battery, but no target range figure has been revealed just yet.
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