REPORT: Mini's future models roadmapped
MINI Coupe Concept and Roadster Concept - Click above for a high-res image gallery
If you'll please forgive us our one tired cliché of the day... BMW has big plans in store for its smallest brand. In this case, quite literally as the next model that comes from Mini will reportedly be the long-expected Countryman crossover, which we can expect to hit the market in the first quarter of 2010. All-wheel drive will make an appearance on the soft-road 'ute, and we hear that a diesel engine is under consideration for the U.S. market.
On the concept car front, BimmerFile reports that Mini is working up a Moke revival that will be shown at an undetermined auto show sometime next year that's described as a small Jeep Wrangler and known internally as the SpaceBox. We're also told to expect a more mainstream concept built off the four-door R60 Countryman platform that would theoretically go up against such respected players as the Volkswagen GTI hatchback. The last concept that is rumored to be in development would share its inspiration with the BMW Vision Concept and feature technology from the automaker's eco-friendly Project i initiative.
Finally, the crystal ball tells us that the well-liked Coupe Concept and Roadster Concept seen earlier this year at the Frankfurt Motor Show have been green-lighted for a hopeful 2012 debut. One year later, the stalwart Cooper hatchback is scheduled for its second major redesign since the Mini brand was first launched back in 2001, very possibly getting a new range of powerplants that will include three-cylinders for the very first time.
[Source: BimmerFile]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Brett MacPherson 5:33PM (11/02/2009)
Test
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Rev 5:59PM (11/02/2009)
1, 2, 3.
adam1drift 5:58PM (11/02/2009)
I doesnt look half bad....
thats all i got.
I'm sure it will be pricey
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inline6 6:21PM (11/02/2009)
Yeah, and one of the new upcoming models should be an actual replacement for the original Mini.
You know...small, light, incredibly space-efficient, and advanced. A-segment.
The B-Segment Mini is fine, but if it isn't going to be inexpensive or space-efficient, it really should get a smaller brother to take care of those things.
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TheBigKlosowski 7:03PM (11/02/2009)
I dunno, I drive a 2009 MINI Cooper S and it's not exactly spacious. It takes up about 1/2 of a normal parking spot. It's about the perfect size for a small fun hot hatch. Probably the most fun car I've ever owned.
Joan of Arc 12:34PM (11/03/2009)
Well, I bought a 2008 MINI Cooper S, and although it is an incredibly fun car overall, it would still be nice to have a high powered and smaller vehicle with less options.
I'd like an ultralight, quick, and nimble car without having to pay big bucks for it. Damn niche vehicles.
Kaveh 11:22PM (11/02/2009)
They would be nice except of the price and they need a better dash on the new ones.
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spyker 12:58AM (11/03/2009)
Oh great, so they didn't trash the countryman? And those new models are coming in 2012? That's a long ways away, but I guess it's not that long.
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Aeromax 2:14PM (11/03/2009)
They should have left Mini be, and brought out convertibles and roadsters under Triumph. Just my $.02.
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