The Rocketman was believed to be on schedule for a 2016 market launch, but prohibitive costs related to the car's diminutive size have doomed the entire project. According to Car Magazine, BMW pulled the plug on the project after it became clear that it would be far too expensive to design the city car's shrunken MINI platform to meet stability, handling and crash regulations.
Although the Rocketman won't make production in its current form, it remains possible MINI could eventually offer a true city car. As the 106-inch Smart Fortwo shows, a microcar is possible, but requires a platform designed as such from the onset. BMW doesn't have any current plans to produce a new small car platform on its own or with partner, but it's a possibility that can't be completely ruled out.
