Autobild Reports BMW and Toyota Considering Joint Mini Mini

BMW Group and Toyota Motor Corp. may expand their cooperation to include the joint development of a new addition to BMW's Mini range, according to reports from Autobild a German auto magazine.

According to the report, BMW is considering an entry-level car for Mini that would be called the Mini Minor and Toyota could launch its own version of the model, which may be badged as the Starlet.

If built, the Minor is expected to be smaller and less expensive than Mini's core model, the three-door hatchback and based on the Mini Rocketman concept unveiled at the 2011 Geneva auto show, the Minor will be 11-feet, 4-inches long, which is 14.5 inches shorter than the three-door hatch.

It's unclear if the model would be brought to the U.S. The Mini Minor's name would revive a model name given to the early versions of the car built by the UK brand Morris in the early 1960s. BMW is expected to add an electric version of the Mini Minor after the first conventionally powered models arrive in 2018 or 2019, the report said.