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Filed under: Concept Cars , Paris Motor Show , Crossovers/CUVs , MINI Click above for a hi-res gallery of the MINI Crossover Concept Some concepts are purely design exercises, while others serve as previews of upcoming production models. It's rare for one show car to serve as both, but then MINI is unique in the business. The Crossover concept that the BMW subsidiary unveiled here at the Paris Motor Show has a bit of a Dark Knight villain thing going for it. On one side it's got an unusual door configuration, big show-car wheels and a decidedly conceptual turquoise-highlighted paint scheme. On the other it's more staid, with conventional doors, a more conventional color palette and an altogether more production-feasible appearance. Up top and inside everything's all fantasy, however, with the cloth roof and trick glass infotainment system we reported on earlier. Click the thumbnails below to see the MINI Crossover Concept live from the Paris show floor, and the gallery below...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Paris Motor Show , Crossovers/CUVs , MINI Click above for a high-res gallery of the MINI Crossover Concept Judging by your response to the MINI Crossover Concept in our original post , the new micro 'ute's styling leaves a bit to be desired. We're not entirely sold on the idea or its execution ourselves, but have decided to hold off final judgment until we see it in all its conceptual glory next month at the Paris Motor Show . In the meantime, we've assembled 48 high-res images of the MINI Crossover Concept into a gallery, giving you a clear view of the jacked-up 4x4's minivanesque sliding side door, folding cloth roof and odd glass sat-nav. Check all the pics below. Gallery: MINI Crossover Concept Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Paris Motor Show , Crossovers/CUVs , MINI Click above for a gallery of the MINI Crossover Concept It's finally arrived folks... and it's not the coming apocalypse. MINI has released the first official images of the Crossover Concept, proving that BMW not only has a sense of humor, but that it's serious about bringing an all-wheel-drive MINI to market in 2010. These initial images give us a clear indication of how future MINIs will be styled, and if BMW's reputation for making only a few revisions from concept to production hold true, this is very close to the finished product. Measuring about six inches wider and taller than the Clubman, the Crossover Concept features a five-door body style, but that's where the similarities end. The right rear door has a conventional hinge, but the left door slides out and back, minivan-style. The rear hatch ditches the Clubman's dual doors and is instead fitted with a single panel that opens to the right...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Paris Motor Show , Crossovers/CUVs , BMW , MINI With last week's news that BMW will begin producing the new X1 at its Leipzig facility , it was just a matter of time before the Bavarian boys gave us an indication as to when its compact CUV would be unveiled. As suspected, the wraps will be pulled off an X1 concept at the Paris Motor Show this September, but as is often the case with BMW, the "concept" is almost exactly what we'll see when it goes on sale in the fourth quarter of 2009. The new model will be built off the 1-series platform (a shortened 3-series) and according to an unnamed source quoted by Automotive News , "will use the two highest spec gasoline and the two highest spec diesel engines from the 1-series." The source also confirmed earlier reports that the MINI SUV/CUV will debut in Paris with power provided by the Cooper S' turbocharged 1.4-liter or the Cooper D's oilburner. Sales of the MINI 'ute will begin...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Concept Cars , Wagons/Estates , Geneva Motor Show , Euro , Hatchbacks , MINI , FIAT Click on the images to view in high resolution Carrozzeria Castagna loves tinkering with little retro hatches. The Milanese design house has brought us wave after wave of unique creations - including MINI pickups and custom 500s - and is looking to continue its grand tradition of peculiarity at the Geneva Motor Show this week. The MINI Woody Passion Kit (try saying that three times fast) is fairly straightforward because MINI already makes a wagon, so Castagna has put together a package of trim pieces for the Clubman in contrasting dark and light woodgrain effects. For the 500 WoodyWagon, however, Castagna had to take things a step further. About 50-60mm further, actually, as the coachbuilder has stretched the Cinquecento - only the rear overhang, it seems, with the wheelbase left intact) to create its interpretation of how a 500 wagon would look. The reports suggest that the 500...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Coupes , BMW , MINI How much MINI is too much MINI? Can there be such a thing as a MINI monster? Latest word from a "high level source" is the suggestion that the next possible MINI iteration could be a coupe. That's right, a coupe. Specifically, as phrased by the source, "What if MINI instead produced a low-slung and sleek small coupe, not unlike the ACV 30 concept car from 1997?" (The car pictured above.) BMW wants more MINIs, and clearly, the way they're being swiped off lots, buyers want more MINIs -- but a new 2-door MINI that's a sleeker (read: even smaller) version of the current 2-door MINI? The Clubman hasn't gone on sale yet, the SUV hasn't even been finalized, and the next brand new version is already "on the table." We don't doubt it would sell, but it seems to be, if not overkill, then cannibalizing overlap. And forgive us for saying so, but as much as we enjoy the MINI, they are becoming the...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Etc. , Euro , Crossovers/CUVs , BMW BMW appears to be angling to become a truckmaker. Okay, crossovers, not trucks. Whatever you want to call the tall, heavy wagons, that's your business. Within the next five years, BMW's planning on adding three new truck-type things to their lineup. The X6 will arrive next year, followed by the 4x4 version of the MINI in 2009, and the also-small X1 in 2010. The MINI 4x4 will run a Getrag-developed AWD system, and we'd expect the X1 to use the basic component set of the forthcoming 1-series. The Concept CS is also headed for production, and it will be positioned above the 7-series sedan carrying 8 and 12 cylinder powerplants. Imagine that, instead of the 7-series heading up the Ultimate Driving Machine lineup, there'd be a long-hooded GT-looker with a fastback roofline. Even the news that BMW is following the money into SUVs and committing bigtime with multiple new models, it could be worse. The X5 is handsome, and that general...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , SUVs , Euro , Crossovers/CUVs , BMW , MINI When the X3 dries up, there'll still be a BMW trucklet for the Austrian assembly and engineering firm to bolt together. BMW's MINI brand has been reportedly getting an SAV (BMW parlance for CUV) for a while now, and that prospect looks like it's inching toward reality. Affixing the MINI badge to the pumped-up Clubman might create a rolling misnomer, but that's supposedly the plan. Code named "Colorado", the ruggedized and raised MINI will be equipped with AWD calibrated for traction rather than performance. We'll wait to pass judgement on the styling while hoping that it doesn't look like the fanciful rendering above. Ugly or cute, if Magna Steyr hits its target, it'll be pumping out a targeted 80,000 of these things per year, starting in 2010. [Source: Motoring File] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Frankfurt Auto Show , Podcasts , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Crossovers/CUVs , Aston Martin , Bentley , BMW , Bugatti , Dodge , Ford , GM , Jaguar , Lamborghini , Mercedes Benz , MINI , PSA , Volkswagen , Volvo , Renault , Brabus...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Economy , Hatchbacks , Saab Saab is trying desperately to remake itself as a premium player in a market rife with competitors offering sharp styling and competent handling. The Swedish automaker has been in a marketing and...
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