Mini Superleggera roadster gets green light for production - report

An artist's impression of what the Mini Superleggera roadster will look like.

The Mini Superleggera roadster has reportedly been given the green light for production to join the British city car family before the end of the decade.

UK publication Car claims the low-slung roadster has "won approval" from parent company BMW's board following the successful debut of the Mini Superleggera Vision concept at last year's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in Italy.

Allegedly pencilled in for production in early 2018, the Superleggera is set to join the traditional three-door hatch and related Cabrio, the 5 Door hatch, the Clubman and the Countryman in Mini's streamlined line-up that will farewell the Coupe and Roadster models this year and almost certainly the slow-selling Paceman before too long.

The report claims the production version of the Mini Superleggera will retain the character of the 2014 concept, despite requiring some design rule modifications to be approved for sale.

An artist's impression of what the Mini Superleggera roadster will look like.

All new Mini models, including the next-generation Cabrio, Clubman, Countryman and Superleggera, will be based on the modular front-wheel-drive architecture that underpins the current three- and five-door Mini models, and will share the brand's new family of three- and four-cylinder turbocharged petrol and diesel engines.

The Mini Superleggera Vision concept was a collaborative project designed and built by Mini and Italian coachbuilder Touring Superleggera.

BMW Group design senior vice president Adrian van Hooydonk described the concept as "an elegant automobile which interprets a British roadster under the influence of Italian style and hand craftsmanship".

"The Mini Superleggera Vision elegantly perpetuates what the classic Mini started 55 years ago: reduction to the essentials. Its energetic, minimalistic design embodies the dynamic essence of an automobile.

"At the same time it creates unique emotional beauty in combining the past and future of the automotive industry... traditional coachwork craftsmanship and modern design styling."