Report: MINI Countryman JCW “Definitely Under Consideration”

A high-performance version of the MINI Countryman crossover is “definitely under consideration” says MINI U.K.’s general manager Jochen Goller. Only recently did MINI officially confirm the Countryman model which is expected to make its word debut at the Geneva Auto Show in March. Currently the MINI Cooper S Countryman boasts the highest output with 184-hp. That would all change if a John Cooper Works model joined the lineup, putting out closer to 210-hp.

According to Goller, MINI is content (for now) to stick with six models, a number it will reach by the end of 2010 when the Coupe and Roadster models also join the lineup. And with no plans to introduce even more models, its likely MINI will follow its pattern of building sub-models, like the JCW lineup.

MINI hopes the Countryman will help keep customers who need and want something larger and a JCW model would help those who need larger, but also want a sporty vehicle. In reference to the Countryman, Goller commented that, “JCW has been a big success and we’ll look at doing it again here.”

[Source: AutoCar]