Pop legend Elton John may be celebrating the birth of son Zachary, but now one of his most famous songs has been adopted to christen a new “baby” version of the Cowley-built Mini.

The Rocketman is a concept car that will make its official debut at the Geneva Motor Show and promises to be only slightly larger than the original Mini designed by Sir Alec Issigonis.

Now bosses are waiting to gauge reaction to the car, which they say is aimed at “young, urban individualists” before deciding whether to put it into production.

Mini spokesman Graham Biggs said: “The Rocketman is much closer in size to the original car and so far the reaction has been very positive, so we will see how that develops at Geneva.

“While there are no plans to put it into production yet, from a personal point of view it would be nice to see it built at Cowley.”

The car, made its first public appearance at Milan Fashion Week, is a four-seater, although one of the rear seats can be folded away, while the doors are double-hinged for ease of access.

Outside, the car features tail lights shaped like handles which project from the body, while the roof is a full-length glass panel.

A BMW statement added that the car “boasts an innovative concept of space, futuristic materials, lifestyle-oriented connectivity, thrilling agility and avant-garde styling.”

It is likely to be powered by highly fuel-efficient petrol/diesel engines, although bosses are not ruling out electric or hybrid power plants which combine conventional and electric technology.

But Mr Biggs added: “It is a small city car and with a super-efficient diesel engine you can achieve superb economy without using hybrid technology which adds weight.”

Should Mini parent company decide to go ahead with production, it will take several years before the first cars are built.

But previous concept models such as the Coupe and Roadster have both been given the green light with the Coupe set to hit the roads by autumn of this year.