One of the oddest yet most interesting cars on sale today, the Clubman is apparently living on borrowed time. MINI enthusiast blog MotoringFile claims production of the six-door wagon at the Oxford Plant in the United Kingdom will come to an end in the first quarter of next year. Specifically, the yet-to-be-confirmed report states the final car is going to be assembled sometime in February, so about a year from now.
That shouldn’t come as a big surprise since the Clubman has never been a strong seller. Ever since the original R55 generation came out in 2007, it’s always been a niche model. The F54 introduced in 2015 didn’t move the needle, hence why MINI is unlikely to develop a direct successor. If production is indeed ending in Q1 2024, it probably means the final orders will be accepted before the end of this year.
The void left by the Clubman’s demise will be indirectly filled by a purely electric crossover set to be positioned below the next-gen Countryman. Previewed in 2022 by the Concept Aceman, the subsequent production model is going to be assembled in China by Spotlight Automotive. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, it’s a joint venture created by the BMW Group and Great Wall Motors, which will also build the next electric three-door hatchback.
We’re expecting the Aceman to be smaller than the outgoing Clubman as last year’s concept measured 4.05 meters (159.4 inches) long, 1.99 meters (78.3 inches) wide, and 1.59 meters (62.5 inches) tall. Codenamed “J05,” the new EV will utilize a dedicated electric car platform and offer roughly 180 horsepower if a report from Auto Express is to be believed.
The British magazine claims it’ll have a 40-kWh battery for 200 miles (322 kilometers) of range in the WLTP cycle. An upgraded model with 215 hp and 250 miles (402 kilometers) of range courtesy of a 50-kWh pack is apparently in the offing as well.
In the meantime, you might want to hurry up and buy the Clubman since its days appear to be numbered. In the United States, prices for the 2024MY Clubman vary from $34,050 for the Cooper S Classic Trim all the way up to $48,900 for the John Cooper Works Clubman All4 in Iconic Trim.
Source: MotoringFile
