The MINI has been on a growth spurt since the introduction of the second-generation model. With the 3½-door Clubman wagon on its way to dealerships, the new convertible set to follow, and even a sports-coupe derivative rumored to be in the works, the BMW division is focusing on the development of a crossover based on the MINI.
No big news there, we've been watching the spy shots roll in for months now. The surprise, however, is that it won't be called the Colorado as previously thought. No, that was just a working title, an internal codename. It won't be called the Monte, either, as previous reports suggested. According to a recent interview in German publication Auto Motor und Sport, MINI's CEO Kay Segler said the retro soft-roader will likely be called "Crossman".
Magna-Steyr is expected to build 80,000 Crossmans (Crossmen?) at its factory in Austria each year, starting in 2010. The name, of course, combines Crossover with Clubman, the wagon variant on which it's based. Think it'll entice more buyers than "Colorado" or "Monte"? Leave your opinion in the comments section below.
[Sources: Auto Motor und Sport via Autoblog.nl and eGMCarTech]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jason Bird @ Dec 17th 2007 12:21PM
Mini Crossover dubbed "Uselessman" by me.
Alex @ Dec 17th 2007 12:37PM
i'll just call it by its original name, "ugly"
CJ @ Dec 17th 2007 12:54PM
L-A-M-E
I kind of liked the name "Monte", kinda of quirky and fits with the brand. Crossman sounds very bland. I might be interested if it doesn't have the barn doors.
Guenther @ Dec 17th 2007 12:57PM
Minis sell because potential customers form an emotional attachment with the car before they see the bloated sticker price. "Monty" is at least relatable, as in "my new Monty looks so adorable next to my girlfriends Cooper S" - or something like that. "Crossman" sounds like an Australian market appliance.
Rocketboy @ Dec 17th 2007 1:03PM
Actually, MINIs sell because they are good cars for people that are looking for that sort of experience. Very few cars, drive like a MINI. Very few small cars come with what the MINI comes with. If the MINI didn't have the ride that I was looking for, no matter how 'attached' I was to the concept of a MINI, I would not have bought it. It's just that many MINI owners become more attached to cars than your average small call owner. But yes, Crossman is a bad name.
GT @ Dec 17th 2007 1:22PM
do they get their names from the Megaman games?
Typesbad @ Dec 17th 2007 1:24PM
Dumb, and way too blandly obvious. Mini disappoints me on this one. But then I'm disappointed that they are planning to build a cross-over in the first place.
Jimbo @ Dec 17th 2007 2:03PM
Of course Colorado was a codename. It could never be called that in the U.S. when Chevy already owns that name.
500 @ Dec 17th 2007 10:05PM
I would think GM might take issue with the name Colorado or Monte. The name "Monte" was often used to affectionately refer to the Chevy Monte Carlo (at least back when they were cool), as in "Hey, nice Monte!"
CJ @ Dec 17th 2007 2:22PM
I think people are way too stuck on the narrow image MINI has so far. To me, MINI is small performance in a tight, well-design package. I would never take my cooper hooning over some back country roads, it's tuned to the road... now, an offroader MINI that handles dirt as well as the Cooper handles asphalt? With room for camping gear? Now that would get me to drop my SUV!
...but like I said... Crossman is LAME.
kgelner @ Dec 17th 2007 6:02PM
What makes you think it isn't a MINI that could handle offroad stuff as well as roads? I'm assuming 4WD for a start.
That's the kind of thing I'm looking for as well, and this looks like it might do - I'll have to hunt out more details.
CJ @ Dec 17th 2007 6:09PM
I meant the name Crossman is lame, not the concept!
BILL @ Dec 17th 2007 2:48PM
Mini may be treading on thin ice with these names - Clubman, Crossman. All this inferring that men are members of clubs and may also be really mad about something is going to eventually get the attention of the politically correct crowd. On the other hand by tying the word man to something diminutive may just help Mini avoid any backlash.
Guenther @ Dec 17th 2007 4:40PM
Clubman is an old Mini moniker, that was used in the past.
The 'cross' part in crossman, however, does NOT refer men being angry, but rather to men wearing womens clothing. The other name the vehicle was assumed to be receiving, reminds of the polar opposite to wearing womens, or any clothes at all, as in The Full Monty.
Doogs @ Dec 17th 2007 2:57PM
I'm open to the idea of a Mini crossover, but Crossman? Sounds like a watch.
makfu @ Dec 17th 2007 4:35PM
I think it's pretty neat. Much better than that X6 nonsense.
Then again, I have a love for all things Mini.
porschedevotee @ Dec 17th 2007 4:50PM
Looks like a rally hearse.
ebm14 @ Dec 17th 2007 8:34PM
I believe the name Crossman is already used by a gun
and tool manufacture if you google the name under images.
I think Monty sounds a lot more warmer and plays well with English history since Field Marshall Bernard "Monty" Montgomery was triumphant during WW2 and Monty Python was one of the funniest acts of all time. I guess the Germans don't have any humor and upset by the war
that they had to change the name...
ebm14 @ Dec 17th 2007 10:09PM
Maybe IRONCROSSMan is what they really meant.