Mini to Expand Lineup to Ten With Three New Versions by Decade's End

Next month the new Mini Roadster will hit showrooms, and next year, a two-door crossover (presaged by the Paceman concept from Detroit last year but carrying the Countryman Coupe in production form) should be available as well. But that's only the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

With the third-generation Mini Cooper hatchback set to arrive in 2014, the Anglo-German automaker will soon begin the whole process anew. And when all's said and done by the end of the decade, the Mini range will have – according to reports – grown by another three bodystyles for a total of 10.

The current lineup includes six bodystyles: the standard Cooper hatchback, the Mini Convertible, the Coupe, the Roadster, the Clubman wagon and the Countryman crossover. Throw the Countryman Coupe into the mix and you've got seven. What Mini will come up with next for three additional versions remains to be seen – we wouldn't be surprised to see a minivan, a slant-back crossover or maybe a convertible crossover (like the Beachcomber concept pictured above) – but if anyone can milk the bodystyle cow for all it's worth, we're confident its initials are B-M-W.