BMW will cut the number of MINI models from eight to five in the next few years, according to MINI boss Peter Schwarzenbauer.

BMW HAS DECIDED MINI needs to lose a few models and concentrate on just five models, down from eight, according to a report by Bloomberg.

The report quotes BMW management board member and head of MINI, Peter Schwarzenbauer who says MINI will now concentrate on ‘superhero’ models, including the three- and five-door MINI, the Countryman SUV and the Clubman wagon, which is due for a makeover in 2015.

Schwarzenbauer didn’t say exactly which models would be cut, or when, but a betting person would probably bank on the Coupe being one of those derivatives being cut from the future line-up. Updated: Apparently MINI USA product chief Patrick McKenna confirmed the Coupe and Roadster would be cut, which is out of step with his overlord in Germany who only 24 hours ago refused to confirm the models being chopped. “The Coupe and the Roadster will actually go out of production next year. They’ve run their life cycle,” McKenna said.

“Like a superhero each of these cars has its own personality and unique capabilities … it is important to find a balance between growth, on the one hand, and profitability, on the other,” Schwarzenbauer said yesterday.

“MINI now faces competition in areas where it previously stood alone.”

But it’s not all doom and gloom, Schwarzenbauer says MINI “will continue to evolve over the coming years to ensure that we remain leading edge. We will take new and unexpected directions”.