BMW is calling the new MINI Coupé Concept as “an expression of MINI design and the great ability of the brand’s designers to fill the elementary values of the brand with new life, using the options of modern drivetrain and suspension technology, and developing fascinating perspectives for the future of the brand on this basis.”
We see a horde of MINIs here in San Francisco. For major pickup on the hills; squeezing into tight parking spots and a fast, little darter with class and style, the MINI is a huge deal with drivers in the 20-35 age range. I’ve even seen quite a few post-60ish folks in MINIs. These cars represent a very solid merging brand in the Bay Area overall, evident by seeing a ton of them on the highways and roads of Norther California.
The new Concept Coupé is taking the MINI to the maximum, attempting to attract even more career-conscious drivers in their 20′s and 30′s. Corporate types and mid-income rangers alike enjoy the body style, the great mileage and performance. Fast AND green–they love it!
More photographs after the jump:
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Presenting the concept of an uncompromisingly sporting two-seater to be seen for the first time at the Frankfurt Motor Show (17–27 September 2009), MINI is unveiling a vision of how the model family may well develop in future. The source of inspiration is once again the fundamental motive so characteristic of every MINI: driving pleasure. The MINI Coupé Concept therefore represents the ideal of a car destined in every respect to offer a thrilling experience and make every journey a truly unique thrill.
The MINI Coupé Concept brings together a wide range of features for a truly sporting and ambitious style of motoring. Limited to two seats and following a philosophy of consistent lightweight construction, the car clearly meets all the requirements made of a particularly active and dynamic coupé. Compact dimensions, perfect axle load distribution and a low center of gravity offer ideal conditions for enhancing the agility typical of MINI to a level never seen before.
Through its design alone, the MINI Coupé Concept brings out all the thrill of individual mobility and the focus on pure driving pleasure. Powerful proportions and dynamic design language evoke a sense of desire and strong appeal, the MINI Coupé Concept offering a particularly undiluted expression of the brand through its sporting and unconventional stance on the road.
The MINI Coupé Concept: an invitation to enjoy spontaneous mobility.
With the growing model portfolio, the popularity of the MINI brand has also grown consistently in recent years. The MINI has moved beyond the restraints of urban mobility, opening up additional options and winning over new target groups. And MINI allows you to enjoy spontaneous mobility, sporting and agile handling and unmistakable style on virtually every occasion.
The current models in the range already meet the most varied demands. As individual characters in their own right, the MINI, MINI Clubman and MINI Convertible all offer a unique rendition of the driving experience so typical of the brand. And now the MINI Coupé Concept brings out driving pleasure in its most concentrated form, extreme lightweight technology making this two-seater particularly agile and unusually efficient.
At the same time the low roofline, the precisely defined spoiler edge at the rear and other aerodynamic features enhance the car’s performance to an even higher standard. So that in its design and in the use of high-performance drivetrain technology, the MINI Coupé Concept offers ideal conditions as a compact sports car in the premium segment.
This two-seater is designed to accommodate even the most powerful engine currently available in the MINI – and with the 1.6-liter twin-scroll turbocharged power unit carried over from the MINI John Cooper Works, the MINI Coupé Concept offers truly outstanding performance. Maximum output is 155 kW/211 hp, peak torque 260 Newton-meters/192 lb-ft increasing through the Overboost function for a short while to an even more substantial 280 Newton-meters/206 lb-ft. And now the MINI Coupé Concept offers everything it takes to exceed even the supreme performance of the MINI John Cooper Works with this unique power unit.
This design is not going to fly. Why? Because it is silly. It is one of those designs where you can convince yourself that it is good. But then, everybody else will think you’ve lost it.
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