New Mini accidentally declassified a year before debut
There are almost no secrets left. In November, the Mini division unveiled plans for the development of the lineup until 2030 and showed a disguised prototype of a new three-door hatchback. And this car without camouflage fell into the lens of the “partisan” camera during tests in China.
Thus, the serial “new Mini” of the fourth generation, which will appear in 2023, will retain the usual body proportions and round headlights, but the rear optics will change dramatically. The British flag piece used to be a lightweight motif encased in a block with rounded edges, but now the union jack “scarf” defines the shape of the lanterns.
The interior will retain its recognizable style, but the steering wheel will return to the two-spoke design of the early 2000s, the head-up display will completely replace the traditional dashboard in front of the driver, and the round center display will become thin, flat and completely button-free. In photographs, it looks like a black mirror. Although the toggle switches will still remain on the center console.
Most importantly, the three-door will be slightly smaller than the current F56 series sedan and will debut in an all-electric version right away. In addition, the Mini's presence at the test in China is a consequence of the fact that electric versions for the local market will be produced by a joint venture between BMW and Great Wall in Jiangsu province.
The “negative growth” of the size of the sedan is a sign of the coming cardinal change in the entire model hierarchy of the brand. The base Mini you see in the photos has shrunk and returned to the supermini market segment, while the new generation Countryman crossover, on the other hand, is growing into the size of a regular C-class family crossover.
A new model will appear in the niche between them – a five-door B-segment SUV. I wanted a Peugeot 2008, Renault Captur or Opel Mokka, only premium and electric.
With thrusters, everything is complicated. After 2030, the Mini will only have electric cars (this also applies to JCW versions), and the last new model with internal combustion engines will come out in 2025, but until then, buyers will have a choice.
For example, for the new three-door, there are versions with both a traditional engine and a fully electric filling. This was made possible thanks to the new FAAR platform, which was the development of the current UKL truck. The new BMW Active Tourer Series 2 compact MPV, available in both conventional and hybrid versions, is already the first production vehicle to be built on this basis.
The base Mini, both electric and combustion engine powered, will remain front-wheel drive. But the new larger SUV will only be electric and most likely all-wheel drive. Both types of engines are planned for the new Countryman, but it will no longer be produced in Holland like the current one, but will be built at BMW's German plant in Leipzig. All three models will debut in 2023.
And after 2024, Mini will continue to expand its lineup and produce a compact MPV based on the Urbanaut concept car, which, apparently, will become the successor to the Clubman station wagon. But that's not all: there's a good chance that at the other end of the range there will be a “mini-Mini”, i.e. a small A-class city car. A similar model was envisaged by the Rocketman concept in 2011, but then the project was closed and now the idea has been revived, but the production version can get a platform from the Chinese Ora R1 electric car manufactured by Great Wall.
