Mini Just Confirmed Production of the MX-5's Next Great Rival

9 years, 5 months ago - 17 July 2015, Carbuzz

Yes, a thousand times yes to roadster wars. We won't waste any time burying the lede here as this news is just too good. Peter Schwarzenbauer, head of Mini, more or less told Autocar in an interview that we'll get what we've been asking for, a production Superleggera.

"The interest was tremendous when we showed this concept car. We are now working hard to get it on the street. It’s an economically challenging project and there is no firm decision, but we have a lot of people here that are fighting for it. I think it would be extremely good for the brand."

That’s not exactly a slam dunk confirmation, but it sounds good enough to us. Autocar goes on to report that the Superleggera will have a few engine configurations, the most interesting of which is a hybrid all-wheel drive setup. The hybrid setup will make 218 horsepower and 209 lb-ft of torque. A 1.5-liter four-banger will power the front wheels with the electric engine working to move the back.

The new Mini Countryman will actually get the hybrid setup in 2017, so we should have a rough idea of how the Superleggera will perform then. As for the Superleggera itself, it will begin fighting the Mazda MX-5 sometime in 2019.