Autoblog

Mini Beachcomber stalled due to pesky safety regulations?

Zach Bowman — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Crossover, Mini, Rumormill, Off-Road

Mini Beachcomber Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

If you were hoping to be able to take to the sand in the production version of the Mini Beachcomber sometime soon, we may have some bad news for you. According to the minds at Autocar, the open-air Mini may have encountered some fatal trouble when it came to getting by crash standards. The report says that in order for the Beachcomber to get past government regulators, the company would have been forced to incorporate additional side bracing to protect occupants in the event of a collision. According to the UK, the decision makers at Mini have determined that doing so would have compromised the vehicle's styling too much to be worth it.

As you may recall, the Beachcomber was intended to be a modern interpretation of the old Mini Moke, a funky looking machine that seemed more at home on a golf course than a highway. Based on the Countryman architecture, the Beachcomber would have been a less hardcore alternative to the famously doorless Jeep Wrangler. Whether or not Mini finds a way to skirt these crash regulations remains to be seen, but we wouldn't be surprised if this particular concept is banished to realm of never-produced.

Gallery: Mini Beachcomber concept

[Source: Autocar]

Mini Beachcomber stalled due to pesky safety regulations? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: More speculation bubbles up around Mini Moke/Beachcomber/Canyon Coupe models

Noah Joseph — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 18:01:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Crossover, Mini, Rumormill

Mini Beachcomber concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

Remember back in the day when BMW revived the Mini and there was just one version? That was the three-door hatchback, but was also a long time ago in product lifecycle terms. These days, the Mini franchise has expanded to include a convertible, the Clubman and the Countryman crossover. There are diesel, gasoline, supercharged and JCW versions of each, and there are more yet on their way: never mind the Mini E or the electric scooter concept unveiled in Paris (let alone the WRC rally version). In the cards are said to be coupe and seven-seat versions of the Countryman, along with production versions of the Speedster and Coupe models unveiled last year in Frankfurt.

Engine choices and one-offs aside, that's already eight body-styles off one little car. But that ain't even the end of it. Not according to reports from Mini's homeland of jolly old England.

Britain's Autocar magazine reports that BMW is working on two parallel programs to put a Jeep Wrangler or Honda Element-style crossover into the mix as well. One program apparently calls for a high-riding three-door model tentatively known as the Canyon Coupe, a model that revives the old Mini Moke beach car bodystyle. The other is closer to the above-pictured Beachcomber Concept unveiled nearly a year ago, and while doors would be added, so might removable roof panels, frameless doors and a wind-down rear window to give a real open-air experience.

Only one will be given the green light (if at all), but either would offer the All4 all-wheel drive system and a pillarless frame that would allow easier access, as well as a proper four-door version of the next-gen Clubman, addressing criticism that the single rear suicide door on the current model doesn't work well for right-hand drive markets (like Mini's own domestic market in the UK).

Gallery: Mini Beachcomber concept

[Source: Autocar]

Rumormill: More speculation bubbles up around Mini Moke/Beachcomber/Canyon Coupe models originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: Mini planning larger, seven-seat Countryman?

Steven J. Ewing — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:01:00 EST

Filed under: Crossover, Mini, Rumormill

When the 2011 Countryman goes on sale later this year, it will be the largest offering from Mini, boasting four doors, raised ground clearance and all-wheel drive. And while the Countryman proves that Mini isn't so, well, mini anymore, Auto Express is stirring the rumormill by reporting that the automaker is working on an even larger version of the Countryman, complete with a longer wheelbase that will accommodate a third row of seats out back.

Is there room for a seven-seat Mini crossover in the brand's portfolio? We doubt it - especially since we have yet to see how strong of a seller the standard Countryman is. Parent company BMW already has the pint-sized X1 on deck, and if we're honest, a seven-seat Countryman just doesn't make a whole lot of sense. (We don't even want to think about how cramped that third row of seats would be.)

Recently, the news broke that Mini is strongly considering a production version of the Beachcomber concept from this year's Detroit Auto Show - a show car that received relatively high levels of positive feedback from enthusiasts. Mini is already expanding its lineup with the addition of the Coupe and Roadster in the near future, and we think that until the brand is comfortable with producing a wider range of vehicles beyond the standard Cooper and Clubman offerings, a seven-seat Countryman is the last thing that anyone should be ruminating over.

[Source: Auto Express]

Rumormill: Mini planning larger, seven-seat Countryman? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: Beachcomber-based Mini Moke may get the greenlight [w/video]

Sam Abuelsamid — Wed, 26 May 2010 14:27:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Videos, Crossover, Mini

Mini Beachcomber concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

Mini is reportedly seriously considering creating a production version of the Beachcomber concept that debuted at this year's Detroit Auto Show. The Beachcomber was produced as a Mini Moke-inspired preview of the Countryman crossover that debuted in Geneva, but the concept left the doors and roof behind to create what looked like the offspring of a Jeep Wrangler and the iconic British small car.

Mini SVP for brand management Dr. Wolfgang Armbrecht acknowledged that the response to the concept was so strong that BMW is now looking at the business case for this open-sided variant. If Mini does proceed with the Moke/Beachcomber that would bring the lineup to seven models, including the upcoming coupe and roadster variants. A production version would probably come with removable doors and a folding fabric roof. We wouldn't expect to see this one appear until at least 2012 or 2013 at the earliest, if then, but in the meantime, make the jump to see Dr. Armbrecht and designer Gert Hildebrand discuss the Beachcomber concept.

Gallery: Detroit 2010: Mini Beachcomber Concept

[Source: AutoExpress]

Continue reading Rumormill: Beachcomber-based Mini Moke may get the greenlight [w/video]

Rumormill: Beachcomber-based Mini Moke may get the greenlight [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 May 2010 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Mini to debut off-road Moke concept in Detroit

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:59:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Convertible, Crossover, Mini, Off-Road

According to the know-it-alls (in a good way, naturally) at MotoringFile, America's second-smallest brand plans to debut a new R60 Countryman-based soft-roader called the Mini Moke at the Detroit Auto Show next month. What's more, if public reaction is favorable enough, the Moke could be in production by 2012.

Like the original model from Morris, we're told to expect an open top with a stripped-out interior, sort of like a less-rugged Jeep Wrangler. All-wheel drive will be included, and we'd expect the chassis to be jacked up a bit to enable a modicum of off-road ability. We're not entirely sure how a vehicle based on the Countryman could recall the ethos of the original, but we look forward to finding out.

[Source: MotoringFile.com | Image: FaceMePls - C.C. License 2.0]

REPORT: Mini to debut off-road Moke concept in Detroit originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Mini's future models roadmapped

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Crossover, Hatchback, Mini, Rumormill, Diesel

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.

Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: Mini Coupe and Roadster Concepts

[Source: BimmerFile]

REPORT: Mini's future models roadmapped originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Mystery MINI mule a MINI Moke?

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 19:24:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, BMW, Mini

Could it be true? Could there be an as-yet-unheard-of MINI variant added to the pile? Spy pics of some yellow beastly thing wearing a MINI front and rear have a few folks wondering if MINI might make a Moke. The original MINI Moke from the sixties was an offroad vehicle that Alec Issigonis was trying to sell to the military. We doubt BMW would have any such aims for a Moke revival, but at the very least it could be a much more capable four-wheeler than the Crossman/Monte looks like it's going to be. A "possible retractable hard-top convertible, or a stripped down, open-air speedster variant," and even the possibility of a small truck bed have been thrown into the guessing game basket. Or, as ever, it could just be a test mule and mean nothing at all. But knowing MINI, we doubt it. Oh, and BMW might also want to change the car's name: moke means a dull or boring person, a donkey, or an old, broken-down horse.

[Source: Winding Road]

Spy Shots: Mystery MINI mule a MINI Moke? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Jan 2008 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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