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Mini interns turn Paceman into Adventure pickup

With coupes and convertibles, hatchbacks and crossovers, Mini has done just about every bodystyle we could think of, and then a few more as concepts. But it hasn't done a pickup. At least it hadn't until now.
What we have here is a Mini Paceman (that, of course, being the coupe version of the Countryman) which has been transformed into a pickup by a group of BMW interns. It's called the Mini Paceman Adventure, and it's currently on display at the Mini dealership in Munich. According to BimmerToday.de, the project involved not only chopping the roof and installing a makeshift pickup bed, but also reinforcing the body, reforming the underbody and B-pillar, fitting off-road tires (including a spare fitted to a roof rack) and a handful of other minor modifications.
The photos are a little sketchy (although the dealership tells us a better set will be available soon), but from what we can see, it looks like a pretty solid project - one that makes us wonder if the apprentices' bosses might be paying attention. Because next to the Mini Coupe with its oddball backwards-hat roof treatment, this one-off looks as sensible as you'd expect from a group of German interns.

2015 Mini Countryman getting mild facelift for NY

Mini has introduced three generations of retro hatchback since its revival in 2001, with numerous bodystyles spun off that core model. But the Countryman has always stood apart from the rest (save the Paceman which was in turn spun off of it). The Mini crossover is bigger than the rest of the lineup, has more doors, more driven wheels and a familiar yet different look.
There's an all-new model in the works, set to share its architecture with BMW's own front-drive family. But that's still a couple of years away, so to keep the Countryman looking fresh, Mini is reportedly preparing to roll out a mildly facelifted version at the upcoming New York Auto Show.
As we're still awaiting confirmation from the automaker, few details on the updated Countryman are available at this point, but word has it that it will only include some minor cosmetic enhancements to the interior and exterior of the vehicle. Just how comprehensive those updates will be, and how many of them will be derived from the latest Mini Cooper hardtop remain to be seen, but with the NY show just a week away, it won't be long before we find out.

BMW Vision Neue Klasse, next-gen Mini due out at Munich auto show

Munich replaced Frankfurt on the global auto show circuit in 2021, and the shift works in the BMW Group's favor — one of Europe's biggest automotive events now takes place in its backyard. The company has detailed the new BMW and Mini models it will bring to the 2023 show. One of the most important unveilings for BMW — and likely one of the most noteworthy cars we'll see displayed at the Munich show — is the Vision Neue Klasse. More than merely a concept car, the design study will serve as an accurate preview of how BMW's entire range will evolve in the coming years. We haven't seen it yet, but we're told it's packed with electrification- and digitalization-related innovations. While the brand notes that the Vision Neue Klasse will be on the road "before long," it's reasonable to assume that the plug-in hybrid variants of the eighth-generation 5 Series that will also debut in Munich are closer to reaching production. Two models called 530e xDrive and 550e xDrive are due out in spring 2024, though it's too early to tell whether we'll see them on our shores. The former uses a hybrid system built around a four-cylinder engine, while the latter benefits from a straight-six. In both systems, the electric motor is integrated into an eight-speed automatic transmission. The 530e and the 550e put 299 and 489 horsepower, respectively, under the driver's right foot. BMW notes that integrating the 19.4-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack into the 5's underbody lowers the center of gravity while keeping trunk space intact. The 530e can drive for up to 63 miles on electric power, a figure that drops to 56 miles for buyers who select the 550e, though both numbers were achieved on the optimistic WLTP testing cycle used in Europe. Both cars come with a 7.4-kilowatt charger. Mini will unveil two new models at the Munich show: the next-generation Cooper (which replaces the Hardtop, or the Hatch if you're reading this from the United Kingdom) and the next-generation Countryman. Both models will be available with gasoline or electric power. We've seen the Hardtop's new-look interior in official images, it notably loses the outgoing model's instrument cluster and gains a round OLED screen in the middle of the dashboard, and we've seen the little hatchback undisguised in spy shots. Spy shots have also revealed the next-generation Countryman, which wears a boxier-looking exterior design and seemingly grows in size, before the official unveiling in Munich.