The modern Clubman first went on sale in the UK in 2007
Novel estate bows out as firm reconfigures Oxford plant to make electric Aceman and Cooper from 2026
The Mini Clubman has gone out of production after 17 years as Mini makes way for the introduction of the electric Aceman, its indirect replacement.
The Clubman first went on sale in 2007 as an estate-bodied version of the Mini hatchback, complete with a novel vertically split tailgate.
It was assembled at the brand’s Plant Oxford facility in Cowley since it first went on sale as part of Mini’s revival of its entire range.
It has now bowed out to make space for the Aceman crossover and petrol versions of the new Cooper (in three-door, five-door and convertible forms).
These will be produced until 2030, when the plant will switch to 100% EV production following a combined £600 million investment from parent firm BMW and the UK government.
Mini told Autocar the money will chiefly fund an extension of the body shop, the construction of a new area for battery installation and new logistics facilities in Oxford and Swindon.
The Mini estate was initially launched as the Traveller in 1969, before being updated as the Clubman and then renamed as the 1000HL. Axed just one year later, it wouldn’t return until 2007.
The reborn Clubman was updated in 2015 for a second generation. It adopted Mini’s signature circular daytime running lights, a feature still seen today, and ditched the unusual rear doors for a more conventional set-up, while a John Cooper Works version was introduced with 302bhp.
The Clubman has been offered with a variety of other powertrains over its near 20-year production run. When it was launched, it could be configured with engines ranging from a 1.4-litre petrol to a 2.0-litre diesel, with six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes on offer too. Seven-speed and eight-speed automatics were later added, with the former being a dual-clutcher.
This comes as a number of manufacturers reconfigure their line-ups to make way for the electric era, including Ford ending production of the Fiesta to make way for production of the Explorer electric crossover.
