MINI is Killing the “Cooper” Name In Most of its Cars

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The name MINI Cooper is about to get a lot more rare. MINI is dramatically simplifying its product line-up and naming conventions. With the launch of the 4th generation MINIs, the brand is moving to a simplified model line-up and naming structure to help avoid confusion and make the model names simpler. Part of that is pulled the name Cooper from most of its cars.

For years the general public in many markets have mistakenly referred to MINIs as Coopers creating confusion around the distinct models like the Countryman. This confusion has led to everything from a SEO issue for the brand to lack of understanding the broader product line-up. With the 4th generation of cars, MINI is doing something about it.

The small MINI (in both electric and ICE form) will be known simply as the MINI Cooper with three different levels of performance and options; the Cooper C, Cooper S and the JCW. The Countryman and Aceman are following suit with their base models simply being called (you guessed it) the Countryman and Aceman.

Get ready for the Countryman S on tailgates

That means the Countryman or Aceman will not feature the name Cooper in its base model. Instead both models will have base models designated by the letter “C”. And instead of calling the mid-level a “Countryman Cooper S”, it will now be referred to as a “Countryman S”. The same applies to the forthcoming Paceman.

The move is one we’ve pontificated about for years as an idea to avoid confusion and lean into the fact that the hatch is widely known as the “Cooper” (whether MINI likes it or not). It also further separates the iconic hatch from the Countryman and Aceman by making the Cooper name exclusive.

This move also means the brand is killing the MINI One and other entry-level models it’s sold in various markets for over 20 years. 

What do you think? Is this shortening of the names going to solve confusion or add to it?

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