According to a recent report on Auto Express, MINI is preparing to bring out a production version of the MINI Rocketman concept which showcased at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.

Entry-level MINI Rocketman coming in 2016

The Rocketman production version is expected to arrive no later than 2016 and is set to rival the likes of the Smart ForTwo and Toyota IQ. This announcement was made by MINI’s head of design Anders Warming, who confirmed that the brand was still keen on developing a small city car, but “won’t reveal anything more [to the world] until [a viable design] is ready.

“For sure, a MINI should always be a small car, so [a new city car] would be appropriate for the brand,” he said. “At the moment, we don’t have the right tech solutions, but we are working on it. We don’t yet have a final solution, you could say.”

The Rocketman concept shown two years ago received positive feedback, which is why a production Rocketman is still being considered and work is being made for an entry-level model.

The concept further inspired the looks of the current five-door MINI and was based on a lightweight carbon fibre construction, which according Warming won’t be viable for future MINI’s. “I don’t believe carbon fibre is the route to a superlight MINI,” he said. “Our concepts have had carbon parts, but aluminium is more likely. We want to reduce parts, to do more with less.”

In addition, the report mentions that developing a new city car platform is costly, so MINI will be looking for a technical partner – likely to be Toyota since both companies are working together on a sports car.