BMW trademarks "Countryman" for Mini crossover name?
by Jeremy Korzeniewski on Jul 16th 2009 at 10:30AM 
MINI Crossover Concept - Click above for a high-res image gallery
Thanks to a few eagle-eyed BMW fans with a handy penchant for tracking trademark filings, we may know the name of the upcoming and oft-spied Mini crossover: the Countryman. If this is indeed the case, the badge would go hand-in-hand with BMW's current naming convention for its Mini line, which includes the extended-length Clubman in addition to the standard Cooper and convertible. We're expecting the new CUV to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in production form as a 2011 model.
Interestingly, BMW also trademarked the name ActiveE, which some are speculating will be the moniker applied to the automaker's upcoming electric vehicles as it matches up quite nicely with BMW's present ActiveHybrid series. Last year, the German automaker reserved the name eDrive, and it seems the two labels could somehow be paired together as part of the company's Project I initiative.
Gallery: MINI Crossover Concept
[Source: German Car Zone via BMW Blog]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Fazzster 10:42AM (7/16/2009)
Why not.....makes sense....better than Cayman, Cayenne, Toureg, Tiguan....
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Art 11:53AM (7/16/2009)
um, i hope to GOD this car isn't on the same scale as those. i was thinking more SX4, less H2
Mike P. 1:02PM (7/16/2009)
From the looks of the spy shots, it looks to be the size of a Golf that's been hittin' the gym. Not bad, but not MINI.
...that said, yeah, I can see why they did it--they'll sell a bundle, even with a $29K USD base price. And it'll surely be more fun to drive than most other small CUVs out there.
I wouldn't buy one, but if this model means MINI can develop more specialized models (MINI Speedster, anyone?) then I'm all for it.
why not the LS2LS7? 10:42AM (7/16/2009)
I wish I felt this garbage wouldn't sell. But sadly, P.T. Barnum was right.
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Jared 10:43AM (7/16/2009)
Just say no.
If you want a MINI, buy a real MINI, not this crap.
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akboss302 10:46AM (7/16/2009)
Yet another CUV for city streets, super! The carrying capacity of a Clubman with the driving dynamics of a Greyhound, and it will be an overwhelming sales success.
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Clarence Young 10:53AM (7/16/2009)
I will be boycotting anything British until the British allow Michael Savage into now less than Great Britain. No more Weetabix. No more Minis. No more English tea.
This vehicle would make a very good vehicle for going up to the off-the-grid cabin in the high mountains of WNC.
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Epyx 10:56AM (7/16/2009)
Good thing the Mini is German.
Also- what are you talking about?
Rich 3:07PM (7/16/2009)
He's talking about Michael Weiner. (You can pronounce that how you like, they're both true.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Savage_(commentator)#Banned_from_entering_the_United_Kingdom
He was banned from the UK because he is "considered to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour by seeking to provoke others to serious criminal acts and fostering hatred which might lead to inter-community violence".
Just another vinegar-pissing dope who doesn't believe in evolution -- from neanderthals.
I agree wholeheartedly with Smith's "If you can't live by the rules that we live by, the standards and the values that we live by, we should exclude you from this country and, what's more, now we will make public those people that we have excluded."
Just like the US, where I live.
FSM 3:21PM (7/16/2009)
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA
You're kidding right? Michael Savage? The man's a racist lunatic, who thinks everyone's out to get him. I've listened to enough of his shows to know that he has always considered Europe to be a bunch of liberal America hating snobs. Now that one of those countries won't allow him to visit (because of his hate inducing speech) he gets upset? I think you should find a more worthwhile reason to boycott this car. Perhaps because its just a stupid idea?
Clarence Young 3:35PM (7/17/2009)
Michael Savage is a curmudgeon, yes, but I really like the idea of free speech. Speech is a matter of interpretation. GB has every right to ban the man, but it would seem that, perhaps, they should be able to produce one person who has committed some heinous act as a result of a man whose show is not even broadcast there. It is not Michael Savage's free speech that concerns me as much as his rights or lack thereof ultimately becoming mine.
Are not Minis manufactured in GB? Where will the Countryman be made?
anthonypbhs 11:06AM (7/16/2009)
Nice brand dilution BMW...
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spyker 11:08AM (7/16/2009)
It doesn't look really bad (better than a Cayenne), but it doesn't look good. I'd rather just get a cooper s.
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akboss302 12:03PM (7/16/2009)
For sure - I'm guessing a Cooper S will be cheaper too, and in Clubman form, likely carry the same amount of stuff. Like the Tiguan, skip the lifestyle statement and give me the cheaper, better GTI.
mrkhan 11:10AM (7/16/2009)
ah, another answer to a question nobody asked...
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Rich 3:11PM (7/16/2009)
Actually, I did a couple of renderings about 5 years ago of what a MINI would look like with a 2" lift. It looked better than the normal MINI. Seemed to fit nicer on the road. This was on my blog only, which didn't have a large readership. The thing is, all I did was give the ordinary car a lift and the same tailgate-style boot as the original Mini (and preserved through the original MINI cabriolet).
It doesn't need all that extra crap.
thecarnerds.com 6:45PM (7/16/2009)
I think it will be interesting to be in an AWD Mini, provided that they don't go over board on its official pricing.
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christofdavid 11:39AM (7/16/2009)
This car should be name BMW countryman, then it make sense. At least looks better than X1 & X3.
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Art 11:53AM (7/16/2009)
if it doesn't ride like a CUV, the S strim version-which, take note, mini, may need a power boost over the cooper/clubman, as it weighst more- may just be a nice little A3 competitior
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JRM 11:53AM (7/16/2009)
exactly what is the purpose of this car? Well, now that I think of it, you could say that about all CUVs...
Where I live (Japan), most mini owners/drivers are women anyway. And this car isn't as "cute" as the original. And most men--I hope--are smarter than buying a CUV to impress their buddies.
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