Up until now, the front and rear combination lights used on the 2014 Mini hatch test cars were borrowed from the BMW Group's parts bin. The styling theme for the lamps on both ends is rings, rings and...more rings.
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We had heard rumors of MINI contemplating the addition of one more five-door model to its lineup after the Countryman crossover, and now we have the first photographic proof of it as our scoop hunters captured a prototype model out in the wild.
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Michael Gerhardinger joined our list of our spy readers today with these shots he took of an undisguised and unmarked Mini Paceman that he caught on Munich's roads.
At first, we thought it was probably a regular version of the new Paceman that was revealed at last month's Paris Motor Show, but upon a closer look, we noticed the "Werkstestwagen" decal on the rear bumper, which is German for "Factory test car".
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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".
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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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.
However, Mini might not be telling the whole truth as our scoop photographers nabbed a thinly disguised Coupe John Cooper Works (JCW) prototype that sports if not all, most of the performance parts seen on the GP hatchback test cars.
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Prior to the New York International Auto Show, Kay Segler, senior vice president of the Mini brand, said that the John Cooper Works GP will be revealed at the MINI United Festival that takes place in Le Castellet, France, this May.
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Now, it seems that MINI is working on a GP version for the current hatchback as our spies spotted a prototype as it was heading out for testing at the Nürburgring.
The test car featured a more aggressive aero package than the regular JCW model with a new front splitter, side skirts, a large roof wing and a prominent diffuser at the rear that looks similar to the one found on the Challenge race car.
It also rides on a lowered suspension and new alloy wheels with a four-spoke design, just like the first GP model.
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The Mk3 will sit on a brand new modular platform architecture named "ULK1" that has been designed for both front- and all-wheel drive applications, and will be used on a great variety of Mini and BMW models including a replacement for the recently launched 1-Series hatchback.
The three-door hatchback prototype spied in these photos will be the first ULK1-based Mini to arrive in the market in late 2013, followed by a raft of new body styles such as a convertible and replacements for the Coupe and Roadster among other models.
And while we’ve yet to capture a prototype version of the Paceman on the road, today we discovered these official patent images that were filed a couple of days ago.
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First and foremost, the Countryman JCW will get a juiced up version of the Cooper S’ 1.6-liter twin-scroll turbo engine. Being that the Countryman is much heavier than the other Mini JCW variants, engineers may further hone the four-cylinder powerplant to deliver more than 211-ponies it normally produces, possibly approaching the 230HP mark.
Thanks to the prototype’s minimal camouflage, we see that, like the Coupe, the Roadster model remains rather faithful to the original concept that debuted at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.
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The new MINI Coupe was only just unveiled online a couple of days ago, so we assume the car pictured is most likely an early production version used for testing.
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Mini has already revealed plans to debut the Coupe version of the series at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show this September, with sales to follow towards the end of the year. The ragtop Roadster model will follow at a later date.
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MINI first showed the Coupe and Roadster models through a pair of concept cars at the Frankfurt motor show in 2009. As predicted, the production version of the Coupe has stayed remarkably faithful to that show car’s design. In fact, with the exception of some very minor details such as the grille and the tail lamp crystals, nothing else has changed, including the shape of the top that’s supposed to resemble a baseball hat worn backwards.