Mini has “almost finished” work on a range of significant facelifts that will herald a new era for the brand under design chief Holger Hampf.
The German joined Mini from Designworks, BMW’s Californian design consultancy, in October 2024 but has yet to have an opportunity to make his mark, given how new the British marque’s range is (the Cooper hatchback and Countryman SUV arrived in 2023 and the Aceman crossover a year later).
In his first meeting with UK media, Hampf told Autocar that “you will see my work in an upcoming LCI” – ‘life cycle impulse’ being the BMW Group’s term for a major model update.
Hampf said this will be an “important milestone” for the Mini brand, steered by “customer feedback from this generation”.
Given the line-up is still relatively fresh, it’s likely that a restyled Cooper and Countryman will arrive late next year and a refreshed Aceman in 2028.
To this end, Hampf also hinted that Mini is working on an off-road-focused variant of one of its existing models, saying: “We’ve witnessed the trend of the outdoor lifestyle and driving out of the city to spend some days in nature. Can our car do this? Certainly, so expect something in that direction.”
This would most likely be based on the Countryman, given that it’s the only Mini currently available with four-wheel drive and its raised ride height would lend itself naturally to such a “lifestyle” vehicle.
While Hampf’s initial focus will be on facelifts, he did confirm that work has also begun on the next entirely new generation of Minis, which are expected to arrive in the early 2030s.
What defines Hampf’s Mini?
Of the Mini brand’s many design signatures, Hampf highlighted proportion as the most important, saying: “You can ask a Brit or a German or an Italian – you can ask a five-year-old – and they will recognise a Mini based on the proportions of the car, especially when it comes to the Cooper.”
To that end, Hampf committed to the future of the three-door variant, despite all rivals having abandoned this format, saying: “The three-door hatch will always be our anchor and it will always be the product that we will care for as much as possible.
“You’ve seen some experimentation with the Countryman’s size, and even the Cooper has grown in size, but that’s not necessarily a design decision: it’s based on regulations, pedestrian safety, sensor technology and the customer’s desire to have [ADAS] functionality in their cars.”