After 17 years, Mini has drawn the curtains on the Clubman, with production of the car ending earlier this week. With the brand going electric with its future offerings, the Clubman’s life will not be extended, and instead, the company will introduce the all-electric Aceman as an indirect replacement. The Clubman was an estate based on the Mini hatchback with its split tailgate giving it some novelty over other offerings in the brand’s lineup.
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The Mini Clubman traces its origins back to the Mini estate introduced as the Traveller in 1960. It was later updated as the Clubman and christened 1000HL. The model remained on sale till 1970 and wasn’t revived until 2007 in a brand-new avatar. The new Mini Clubman was all modern, plush and luxurious while retaining the modern-retro design language seen on new-age Minis.
The Clubman was easily identifiable thanks to its split tailgate.
The first-generation Mini Clubman was on sale between 2007 and 2015, making way for the second generation that arrived with round headlights with signature LED DRLs, while the suicide doors were swapped for standard doors. There was also a John Cooper Works (JCW) version with 302 bhp on offer. The Clubman was assembled at Mini’s Oxford manufacturing facility in Cowley. The end of production for the model means the same assembly line will now be upgraded to produce the Aceman instead.
While the upcoming Mini Aceman will be electric, the automaker will continue to bring the Mini Cooper hatchback in both petrol and electric iterations, which will remain in production until 2030. Parent company BMW and the UK Government have invested approximately Rs 6,000 crore for plant upgradation to produce only EVs.
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The Clubman Final Edition was introduced in 2023.
Commenting on the end of production, Dr. Markus Grüneisl, CEO of Plants Oxford and Swindon, 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.”
Mini introduced the Clubman Final Edition in 2023 as a swansong for the car. The Mini Clubman Final Edition arrived with a Shimmer Copper radiator grille and side scuttles, 18-inch two-tone alloy wheels and an exclusive ‘Final Edition’ letting on the rear. The automaker only built 1,969 units of the special edition as a homage to the Clubman.
