Geneva Motor Show: Mini to debut less-mini Clubman Concept
A slightly less mini Mini will be making its world debut at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, the automaker announced this week.
Mini will use its Tuesday news conference to debut the Clubman Concept. This thoroughly refreshed hatchback -- now sporting four full doors -- is very close to what the production model will look like when it debuts this year.
“The Mini Clubman Concept shows how the Mini Clubman could be taken a step further: more interior space, a greater sense of high-end quality and yet still clever, bold and distinctive,” Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group design, said in a statement announcing the concept.
Mini, which is owned by BMW, is using BMW’s new front-wheel-drive platform to underpin its latest generation of cars. The first such model was the 2014 Mini Cooper, which debuted in production form ahead of the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show last November.
The Clubman Concept shows what the next model in Mini’s lineup will look like. The biggest change is the car’s larger size: Mini is courting a wider set of buyers who may have been turned off by the older version’s unconventional setup.
Whereas the previous model’s rear seats were accessible only via a small, rear-hinged pocket door behind the passenger door, this concept features four full-sized doors. At the back of the concept, this Mini retains the rear hatch doors that split down the middle.
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The car is noticeably bigger, measuring a little more than 10 inches longer and 6.7 inches wider. The front retains the classic Mini face, highlighted by eager oval headlights (now with a ring of daytime LED lights) and a hexagonal grille.
The rear of the concept takes things in a new, more upscale direction for the model, a theme Mini is keen to show off throughout the car. The earlier version had small, awkward taillights, but the Clubman Concept has larger, more stylish taillights positioned horizontally on the rear doors.
Elsewhere on the exterior, additional bits of chrome, a pair of center-mounted exhaust tips and more defined wheel arches (filled with larger wheels) help the concept look like the premium offering that Mini hopes it will be.
Mini didn’t announce details on the Clubman Concept’s mechanical bits, but the car is likely to share those with the Cooper that’s going on sale soon.
That car comes in base and S versions. The base model has an inline, turbocharged, three-cylinder engine. It uses 1.5 liters to make 134 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque.
Meanwhile, the Cooper S currently has a 2.0-liter, turbocharged, inline four-cylinder engine that make 189 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission will likely be the gearbox of choice on the production Clubman.
Inside, the concept uses the recent growth to seat five people comfortable. The design also moves away from the previous Clubman’s quirky, retro-themed look. In its place is a more contemporary, upscale design -- another sign that Mini is looking to appeal to a wider, more affluent audience than before.
When the Mini Clubman Concept debuts Tuesday, it will have plenty of competition for attention in Geneva. McLaren, Ferrari, Bentley and Mercedes are just some of the European brands looking to use the show to display their latest high-dollar machines.
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