2007 Mini Cooper S 6 Speed Manual 2-door Hatchback on 2040-cars

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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 John Cooper Works GP will have over 300 horsepower

The Mini John Cooper Works GP concept from the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show was one extreme-looking vehicle, and we now know it's because the real one will, in fact, be really extreme. The company announced that the production car will be the most powerful Mini with over 300 horsepower. In fact, it will be the most powerful Mini by a large margin, as the most potent models so far have only made 228 horsepower. And of course, it will be within striking distance of equally widened and winged cars such as the Civic Type R and Focus RS. Exact numbers haven't been revealed yet, but we wouldn't be surprised if it uses the same turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder from the BMW X2 M35i, which makes 306 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. In fact, the engine would be ideal, since the X2 is front-drive based and shares underpinnings and less-powerful engines with existing Mini products. The X2 M35i is also all-wheel-drive, which naturally brings up the idea of the GP also powering all four wheels, but Mini might choose to stay with front drive to reduce complexity and weight. Sticking with front drive would also mean that Mini could challenge the Civic Type R's record Nurburgring lap. It looks like the spirit of the concept's design will make it to production, too. The teaser images Mini released show a pretty wild looking split wing that's just a bit narrower and missing some of the concept's extraneous fins. We can also just make out fat fender flares, a big rear diffuser, and the GP's trademark four-spoke wheels. The Mini John Cooper Works GP will go into production in 2020, and Mini will only be building 3,000 examples. That's a low number, but it is more than the 2,000 units of the two previous GP generations. And considering the high output and low production, the GP will undoubtedly be a pricey hot hatch. Related Video:

Mini Clubman Concept isn't mini, isn't a Clubman

Hey, remember when Mini was... mini? I know, you've heard all this before. But seriously.
Take this new Mini Clubman Concept, for example. As you'll recall, the current Clubman slots in between the Hardtop and Countryman models in the Mini lineup. But because the new, third-generation Mini has grown, so has everything else. And in fact, the concept car seen here is actually 4.4 inches longer and just over 2 inches wider than the current, already-large Countryman. The future of Mini looks awfully maxi.
Furthermore, the Clubman as we know it uses a weird, five-door layout (two up front, a third, suicide door, and two barn doors out back), but this concept adds a sixth door for a decidedly more conventional layout. Of course, four real doors for passengers sort of takes the uniqueness out of the Clubman package, and essentially makes this thing a not-as-tall, front-wheel-drive Countryman. Totally necessary, right?