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Despite Mini's woes, Clubman sales surging

The Mini Clubman has a polarizing design, but those who like it are snapping it up. According to Automotive News, the Clubman is on pace to become Mini USA's best selling model. Almost 1,700 vehicles were sold during the first quarter of 2016, and the vast majority – 1,037 units – were sold last month alone. These facts are made all the more noteworthy because Mini's sales fell 15 percent during the first quarter. The surging sales of Mini's newest model are especially good news for the brand's coffers. The Clubman is the most expensive non- John Cooper Works model you can get, aside from the upcoming Convertible. It doesn't sound like there are too many Clubman models going for the $24,950 starting price, either. According to Mini Dealer Council Chairman Michael Vadasz, dealers are doing solid business on customized orders, which, he tells AN, "is what Mini is all about." About one in four Minis built today are custom orders submitted by consumers, who love taking advantage of the Porsche-like breadth of a la carte options, no matter what it does to the final price. The fact that Mini is seeing so many custom Clubmans, then, is a very good thing. As for why the Clubman is doing so well, Mini USA Vice President David Duncan says it's because the car just isn't so Mini, moving the brand beyond its traditional subcompact class to the compact segment, where it can challenge cars like the Audi A3. "We see that as a fast growing segment, so having an entry in there gives us that opportunity," Duncan told Automotive News. "And then when you look at the car itself, it's got a premiumness about it that really takes us to the next level and allows us to compete against brands that we weren't typically competing against." Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2022 Mini Hardtop spied with bigger grille

The current generation of Mini Hardtop and Convertible has been around since 2014, so it doesn't come as a big surprise that one of our spy photographers spotted a group of test cars sporting refreshed styling. These cars were all Mini Cooper S or Mini John Cooper Works models, and the mild styling tweaks make us believe these updates will be applied to the 2022 Mini Hardtop and Convertible lines, with small changes for different trims. One shot of a few Minis shows one of them wearing no camouflage at all. While the angle isn't ideal, there's still plenty we can make out. It appears to be a John Cooper Works based on the particularly large lower and outboard grilles. It seems to have a John Cooper Works badge in the side of the grille with black tape over it, too. The main grille is noticeably larger than that of the current model. It also adopts a mesh pattern over the whole surface. There's still a bar dividing the grille, but the division is less distinct than on the current car. We can also see this version gets a pronounced front splitter. The other cars in these shots have more thoroughly disguised front and rear ends. The larger main grille does seem to show through, as well as more lower grille area. At the back, the updated Mini has a wider diffuser area, and immediately above it is a set of vents that span the same width. This seems to be a John Cooper Works since it looks fairly aggressive with large center exhaust tips. The regular Hardtop and Convertible models will probably have more toned down versions of this bumper without the center exhaust. Since these are relatively minor styling updates, we expect them to show up on the 2022 Hardtop and Convertible variants. They could be accompanied by powertrain and feature changes, too. In fact, reports have said that there could be a smaller Hardtop model that's electric-only coming around 2022, with this refreshed version sticking around for a few years during the transition. Related Video:    

Spy shots show Mini Cooper facelift

Mini is planning some slight visual changes to the Mini Cooper lineup, and our spy photographer caught the convertible and Cooper S out in the wild wearing minimal camouflage. As the changes will be subtle, there's not a lot that needs covering up, as we can see from the light bits of swirly camo worn by these two testers. Up front, it looks like might make some light touchups to the lighting and the front edge of the hood, which are covered by decals. In back, the rear lighting, top of the bumper, and the horizontal piece that is home to the rear Mini badge are disguised, but any changes there will also be very slight. It's what we don't see in the photos that will get the most important updates. Mechanically, it's possible that a revised turbocharging system and cooling system could help with emissions and provide a small boost to output. From styling standpoint, we can expect a couple of new paint colors and wheel designs, as well as some new interior options and mood lighting. Related Video: Featured Gallery Mini Cooper Spy Shots View 18 Photos News Source: CarPix Design/Style Spy Photos MINI Convertible Hatchback facelift