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Mini reveals refreshed Paceman in Beijing

It was just a few days ago that Mini unveiled its refreshed Countryman at the New York Auto Show, and now it has followed up with the revised version of that model's coupe counterpart, the Paceman. Revealed today at the Beijing Motor Show, the new Paceman adopts all the changes applied to the new Countryman - which is to say, not a whole lot, but maybe enough to keep it current for the masses of customers in the market for a three-door version of a vehicle that's bigger than its stablemates but smaller than most other crossovers.
Pictured here in Piano Black (one of three new shades on offer alongside Midnight Grey and the Jungle Green in which the new Countryman was featured), the mildly refreshed Paceman has, like its five-door counterpart, been so subtly updated that we can scarcely tell the difference... even after sorting through the press release below. There are some minor revisions to the exterior, the cabin features slightly updated equipment, and the Cooper S gets an extra few horsepower. And that's about all she wrote, folks.
Mini will offer the updated Paceman worldwide with a wide array of four-cylinder engine options. With no budget-oriented One model, the Cooper is the base model with a 122-horsepower version of the brand's ubiquitous 1.4-liter four and the John Cooper Works sits at the top of the range with 218 hp. The two diesel specs are present as well, and buyers cam choose (on most models) between front- and All4 all-wheel drive.

Mini confirms the Clubman won't return for a third generation

Mini is in the process of overhauling its range, and it unveiled the new Cooper hatchback and the third-generation Countryman at the 2023 Munich auto show. While additional models are in the pipeline, the BMW-owned brand has confirmed that the Clubman wagon won't return. "I wouldn't say the space is filled, but we will not have a Clubman," company boss Stefanie Wurst told Top Gear. She added that the brand will instead focus on crossovers and SUVs. "The Aceman is a smaller concept, but I think the five-door space (if not the six-door) is filled well by the Countryman and the Aceman. If you look at the sales numbers worldwide, the Countryman doubles the Clubman," she added. Her argument holds water: broadly speaking, buyers in the United States and in China — two very important markets for Mini — prefer crossovers and SUVs over station wagons by a significant margin. Even in Europe, where the wagon held its ground for much longer than elsewhere, the fight is seemingly lost: new SUV sales grew by 23% during the first half of 2023, and the body style now accounts for over half of the market with a share of 51%. It's the first time this has happened. In contrast, that figure stood at 48% during the first half of 2022. If the name Aceman doesn't ring a bell, it's likely because the model hasn't made its debut yet. It's due out in the coming months as a small crossover positioned below the new Countryman and offered exclusively with an electric powertrain. It was previewed by a concept in July 2022, and spy shots taken later that year suggest that its exterior design won't significantly change as it transitions to a production model. Pour one out for the Clubman, then, and act fast if you want to put a new one in your garage. Mini unveiled a Final Edition model (pictured) that's limited to less than 100 units for the American market, highly equipped, and priced at nearly $50,000 in April 2023. While you're at it, pour one out for the manual transmission: Mini has previously confirmed that it's also ditching the stick-shift as part of its line-up overhaul. Featured Gallery 2023 Mini Clubman Final Edition View 35 Photos MINI Wagon

Mini nixes plans for 7-seater, Countryman to stay largest model

Contrary to popular belief, it seems that Mini's growth plans do have a limit both in size and number of models. During the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, it unveiled the six-door Clubman concept (pictured above) that was 4.4-inches longer and about two-inches wider than even the current Countryman crossover. Mini design chief Anders Warming says that this is the new size limit for its models, and the BMW subsidiary isn't building a larger, seven-passenger vehicle above the current Countryman.
"We won't build anything bigger than the Countryman, not at this moment. You should be able to park a Mini in a city, so a Countryman or this new Clubman is as big as it should be," said Warming to Auto Express in Geneva. Rumors going back to last November, pegged the Mini as developing an even larger vehicle to take on mainstream CUVs.
While Warming is ruling out a bigger Minis for now, a smaller one like the Rocketman concept still might be in the cards. He said that the project has been warmly received but still had to be investigated because "it's a numbers game." So if bigger Minis aren't coming, there still might be a slim chance for a smaller one.