We’ve not reported much lately, but our ears have been to the ground….

Due to reasons beyond our control news flow has been somewhat restricted lately, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t had our eyes peeled, ears to the ground, and radars scanning the airwaves for news on the next generation MINI models. There’s been a lot of rumours, photos and stories posted in the press and other websites in recent times, most, if not all, can be found by looking in the MINI2 Forums’ “Future Variants” forum, which you can visit by clicking this link: Link to forums. We’ll try not to repeat too much here, but not of all this will be new information for many of the hardcore MINI fans who regularly visit MINI2.

The main question that seems to be asked again and again is “when is it coming”, well, the latest information we have continues to indicate BMW are on target to start production of the next generation MINI, Cooper, S and Diesel models in September 2006. The MINI Clubman variant is penciled to start production 1 year later in September 2007, with the next generation Cabrio coming a further year into the product lifecycle. It is believed that MINI are planning for between 20 to 25% of the new models sold to be Cooper S versions, with planned output of MINIs planned to reach as much as 260,000 cars a year, with a new version possibly launched in 2013. The larger Clubman version is also expected to account for around 20% of MINIs being sold, with demand of this new model expected to outstrip even that of the already established Cabrio model.

In terms of how the new cars will look, perform and handle, we don’t have too much more to bring to the party at the moment, but we can confidently say we believe no publication has shown images of the new MINI as will be unveiled to the world next year. We know the car will be an evolution of the current design, and we’ve seen in spy photos a fairly good representation of new grille, which will have a one piece design with proportions changed to something more similar to the Mk2 onwards classic Mini grille, more “top heavy” than the current design. We believe the Cooper version will be “slatted” in a style similar to the Cooper S design at present, whereas the Cooper S may feature a honeycomb grille, like that currently seen on the MINI accessories Aero Kit grille. The Cooper S will also feature a much larger lower air intake compared to the Cooper and One models, to help cool the turbo charged engine, which will also have a honeycomb mesh.

It seems there’s still debate over the lights, well, as far as we know, the lights will NOT be part of the hood anymore, they will remain in place when the hood opens, with cut outs in the clamshell style bonnet where the lights will “mate up” when the bonnet is closed. This will no doubt require pretty tight manufacturing skills, as we’d hate to see any early cases of smashing headlights! The Xenon headlamp option will be full bi-xenon, which is to be expected for a “premium” small car. We’ve had conflicting views on the light configuration, but our sources agree the sidelights will be part of the main headlamp unit, as will the indicator lamps, while the fog lights will be in larger lower housings than on the current MINI. The indicators can be moved to the main unit for the new model as the lights no longer raise with the hood, avoiding regulatory problems. At the rear of the car, the only strong speculation we’ve had that hasn’t been widely reported already on the forums or elsewhere is that the Cooper S version is likely to have twin exhausts split in a style more akin to the current M3 exhaust design than the current Cooper S rear end.

In terms of handling and performance, we’ve already covered the new engine details (petrol and diesel) in other MINI2 news reports, but we’ve also learned that, no surprise, BMW are not keen to lose the fantastic reputation the MINI has developed for fantastic road manners and handling. The new range of MINIs are planned to be stronger, lighter (over 100kg lighter we believe), stiffer, and more powerful than the current range, with more refined, but no less grippy, handling characteristics than the MINI we all know and love (especially on the twisties!). While BMW, like any mass car producer, are keen to keep costs as low as possible within reason, everything we’ve seen suggest they are wanting to raise the bar in terms of quality, performance, and reliability. We don’t expect the next generation MINI to be branded as anything like “cheaper” when people finally get to grips with the new car.

That just about sums up some of the latest information we’ve received on the progress of the next generation MINI, we hope there’s been at least something here that’s piqued your interest in the upcoming models. As ever we aim to continue to keep our visitors informed of any “more reliable” information and rumours we hear over the coming year or more before the new model is finally available to view and test drive!