carscoop: MINI Scoops

Showing posts with label MINI Scoops. Show all posts

MINI Prepares us for the New Paceman Crossover with Revealing Photos

You know it is only a matter of time before the presentation of a new model when a carmaker drops pictures of a barely camouflaged prototype as MINI did on Tuesday with the Paceman.

The new images show the three-door crossover model with only parts of the rear end covered in the traditional swirly livery we have come to expect from Mini's engineers over the past few years.

Not that we're surprised, mind you, as back in April, Kay Segler, Senior Vice President MINI Brand Management, had confirmed the name of the new model and announced that the Paceman would be presented in a "few months’ time and launched onto the market in 2013".

Scoop: MINI Paceman Cooper S Put Through its…Paces on the Nürburgring

No matter who takes over the Nürburgring track after its major stakeholder, the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, filed for bankruptcy this week, automakers will continue to use the fabled circuit to hone their cars, just as MINI is doing with the Paceman Cooper S model.

In regards to the three-door crossover's name, MINI chief executive Kay Segler recently confirmed that the coupe version of the Countryman will be dubbed "Paceman" adding that it will go on sale next year.

Scoop: Mini Preparing New Traveller Minivan Based on the Countryman

The newly revealed Clubvan that we told you about this past Friday, is only one of many new models planned for the coming years by Mini and its parent company, the BMW Group.

This week, our spy photographers snapped a prototype model of what is believed to be a test mule for Mini's first venture in the competitive compact MPV segment, which some sources say may be named 'Traveller' when it enters production within the next two to three years.

Spy Shots: New Mini Countryman Coupe Goes to the 'Ring

There's only so many hatchbacks and convertibles Mini can sell, so in order for the brand to survive and keep its parent company's stockholders happy, the BMW Group is continually expanding its reach into new segments.

After the five-door Countryman crossover, Mini is now preparing a slightly sportier looking variant with three-doors and a more coupe-like roofline, which we first saw in concept guise under the Paceman moniker at last year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Spy Shots: Sporty 2014 MINI Cooper S Hits the Nürburgring for Testing

Under normal circumstances, it's not that hard to tell apart a regular Mini Cooper from its sportier Cooper S counterpart, but try doing the same with a body cloaked in a hippie like camo full of swirls, and it may get complicated.

So how do we do know that this particular prototype that our scoop photographers nabbed racing around the famed Nurburgring track in Germany is actually the Cooper S?

SCOOP: 2014 MINI Cooper Hatchback to Inaugurate Platform Sharing with BMW

The designers over at Mini have both the easiest and toughest job in the auto industry. Why? Because, while they do not have to reinvent the wheel with each passing generation of the Cooper hatchback, they also have to keep the styling fresh and with the times.

That said, we were not expecting a radical redesign of the next Mini Cooper codenamed F56 that our crafty spies captured testing in Europe. Perhaps the most visible change to the styling of the F56 are the new headlamps that sit less upright stretching more towards the back.

Other noteworthy differences we spotted on the prototype is the slightly longer front overhang and the more rakish front and rear windshields compared to the current, second generation of the hardtop model since BMW took over the British company's fates.

SPIED: Mini Paceman Concept Takes its Production Form

When the BMW Group revived the Mini brand in 2001, it only offered one model series, the hatchback, but the Bavarian firm had much more in store for us in the future.

Today, Mini's lineup consists of six separate models including the three door hatch, the soft-top Convertible, the Clubman estate, the Countryman crossover and the recently launched, two-seater Coupe and Roadster.

At last year’s North American International Auto Show, Mini previewed a seventh model with the Paceman Concept, which it confirmed for production. The Paceman is essentially a three-door version of the brand's biggest model, the Countryman crossover, with a roofline that slopes downwards at the rear and redesigned rear quarters for a more sportier, coupe-like profile.