MINI keeps pace with the new MINI Paceman concept car

MINI KEEPS UP THE PACE WITH THE NEW PACEMAN CONCEPT 

• Paceman Concept reinforces the MINI brand’s unconventional creativity
• Sporting, masculine appearance blends with versatile character
• Paceman could be another building block in the development of the MINI brand
Woodcliff Lake, NJ – December 18, 2010… A new MINI design concept, the MINI Paceman Concept vehicle, will make its debut at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) which will be held January 10 - 23, 2011. Although no decision has been made about a future production version, Paceman could form yet another building block in the development of the MINI brand.

A MINI Crossover Coupé – urban and masculine.
The MINI Paceman Concept retains the familiar MINI family frontal appearance but adds its own distinctive flavor. Large headlights with chrome surrounds extend deep into the front wings, and together with the distinctively contoured bonnet, emphasize the imposing nose of the Paceman. The radiator grill is essentially the same as that of the Cooper S Countryman, with additional air intakes in the bumper to deliver improved brake ventilation and the incorporation of new deep set fog lights.

From the side, the MINI Paceman Concept features a fresh interpretation of the front wing and side indicator that attracts the eye from the A-pillars down to the unique design 19-inch front wheels. This rugged and sturdy design element is complemented by dark wheel arch surrounds with matching side skirts that emphasize the masculine, sporting nature of Paceman.

The familiar MINI shoulder line that rises towards the rear of the Paceman Concept also hints at its sporting intent. Less familiar is the glass and roof treatment. As the waistline rises, the flat roofline flows into a wide C-pillar that appears to be transparent. The windows appear to wrap around the car like a band of glass with the roof ‘suspended’ on top and painted in a striking, contrasting color. This is known as the ‘helmet’ roof. The coupé-style windows taper towards the rear and the whole effect is one of a dynamic wedge shape.
“In contrast to the more vertical design of the MINI Countryman, we’ve given the MINI Paceman Concept a horizontal emphasis and accentuated the width of the car more to underline the powerful appearance of the study,” explained Marcus Syring, Head of MINI Exterior Design.

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MINI’s Detroit Auto Show Teaser

One of the exciting vehicles debuting at the Detroit Auto Show next week is MINI’s preview of their upcoming crossover. Dubbed Beachcomber, the new MINI Concept introduces us to some of their future models.
The four-seater concept car was unveiled back in December and many believe it is a preview of the production MINI Crossover that will be unveiled next year at the Geneva Motor Show.
Built on an all new platform, MINI Beachcomber Concept has its roots back in the 1960’s Mini Moke, but with the new concept, MINI is finally moving away from the current round headlamp design.



The less conventional upright, tall and flat nose has a Moke influence and it has been designed to meet the new strict pedestrian safety regulations.
The new concept measures 4007mm and the 2.6m wheelbase also offers great rear legroom compared with similar-sized cars.
As we mentioned, Beachcomber debuts next Monday at the Detroit Auto Show.

Source: BMWBlog

Officially Official: Happy 50th - it's the MINI Coupé Concept!

Rumors have been swirling for months about what BMW would do on August 26, 2009 for its Mini brand. After all, that is the fiftieth anniversary of the public debut of Alec Issigonis' original Mini. With most of the speculation revolving around either a coupe or some kind of cropped windshield speedster, it turns out the reality was somewhere in between. Unlike the original coupe of the Sixties that simply had a fastback replacement for the standard square-back roof, the new MINI Coupé Concept completely replaces everything from the beltline up. The upright windshield that has been part of the Mini look from day one is finally swept back and a truncated roof covers the remaining two seats.

All pretenses of being a four seater has finally been dispensed with for the new coupe. The shape of the roof indicates that should Mini move ahead with production, and it could easily be replaced by a folding fabric unit to create the anticipated speedster model. What's more, dumping the rear seats means Mini could theoretically add a hefty brace back there restoring some of the structural integrity lost in the standard convertible, or perhaps restore some cargo room as compared to the Cabrio. At this point, it's unknown if those B-pillars are are tinted glass or just big solid blind spots (after this post was published, MINI released additional photos of the interior that showed slim pillars and tinted glass, photos have been added to the gallery), but visually, the lower half of the car remains pretty standard R56 John Cooper Works.

Although we don't have images of the interior yet, it sounds like it's largely standard Mini, although there are two clocks hanging off the sides of the steering column mounted tachometer much like the so-called Openometer in the convertible. One tells time while the other is a stopwatch for recording laps. The MINI Coupé Concept will be shown publicly at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month alongside the production version of the new Crossover.
Source: Autoblog