THE Mini Clubman is expected to fill out the Mini range nicely and account for a quarter of all Minis sold worldwide.

The estate version of the new-generation Mini - launched last month at the Frankfurt Auto Show - complements the three-door hatch and Cabriolet. The wheelbase and overall length of the three-door hatch were extended to provide the Clubman's improved leg-room in the back seat and a bigger luggage area.

This trendy 'shooting brake' has five doors but not in the conventional sense. They include a rear-hinged 'suicide door', called the Clubdoor, on the right side of the car, as well as the tailgate's two side-opening rear doors.

Kay Segler, BMW Group's vice-president for Mini brand management, expects global sales of the Clubman to exceed those of the convertible.

The latter will make up about 20 per cent of total sales and the Clubman about 25 per cent, he says. 'About 55-60 per cent will be the version basic body.'

Last year, BMW Group, which owns Mini, sold about 180,000 of them.

The Clubman is significant because Mini now has a third model, says Dr Segler. 'It is important to grow. After 2001, when we launched the Mini as a global product in Europe and the US, it became the only small premium car in this segment.'

Then came the convertible in 2005. Up to April this year, one million Minis had been sold. And Mini responded to demand by expanding capacity to 220,000 units this year. Next year, that will be increased further to 240,000 units.

The Clubman will be successful because 'it has Mini's typical go-kart-like driving characteristics', says Dr Segler. 'Its unique design means it has hardly any competition.'

Another reason, according to him, is the feeling one gets when sitting in the back of the Clubman. 'It feels like you're entering a Rolls-Royce - it has the same interior design.'

BMW Group also makes the Rolls-Royce Phantom ultra-luxury limousine, which has a pair of rear-hinged coach doors.

However, in Singapore, Mini dealer Trans Eurokars does not expect the Clubman to beef up sales much.

'We don't expect a high volume for the Clubman because of its pricing,' says a senior executive.

Although the list price of the car is yet to be confirmed - the Clubman will only be launched here towards the end of the first quarter of 2008 - the executive expects it to be 'much higher' than the Mini Cooper S, which now costs $125,800.

But in general, the Mini range is doing healthy business. In the first 10 months of this year, 220 units were sold - an average of 22 a month.