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Mini says that it has stepped out of the ‘retro’ design philosophy and is embarking on a new era of design that will see the brand progress with a new distinct flavour that still maintains the core DNA of the brand’s iconic styling. Speaking to the Australian media at the Frankfurt motor show last week, the senior vice president of Mini, Sebastian Mackensen, said that with the appointment of a new head of design, the company is embarking on a new design challenge, one which remains critical to the brand as the styling of its vehicles are hugely important to its customer base. “The design is of utmost importance because Mini is a lifestyle brand,” Mackensen said. “I don’t like that word too much… but in the meaning of that word it is a lifestyle brand you don’t buy transportation, if you purchase a Mini if you want to drive from A to B, you can buy many different vehicles if you want to do that for smaller cost… so if you drive a Mini you buy emotion and driving fun and you also buy a certain statement and belonging to a brand, and part of that brand statement is not just the heritage and history of the brand but clearly as well the design.” According to Mackensen, changes coming to the brand will be noticeable however even a six-year-old child should be able to tell what is a new Mini from having been able to identify the current and older vehicles. “If he wouldn’t see a Mini driving around a corner and wouldn’t say a Mini, we would’ve made a mistake in the design but that doesn’t mean a Mini needs to look the same for 20 years in a row, that’s a fine line and I think we need to progress, every brand every design needs to progress but you need to have certain anchor points and staples that you shouldn’t play with.” As of this month, Mini has appointed Oliver Heilmer as its new head of design, having taken over from the previous boss Anders Warming who set off to design for the reborn Borgward marque. Meanwhile, any plans of Mini creating a larger model in the future appear to have been shelved, with the brand focusing on its core models and even further reducing its model range going forward. “We have no plans to stretch that further right now… We have reduced actually the complexity of the portfolio in recent years, because the Mini Paceman, the Roadster and the Coupe didn’t get successor models and we are happy with that decision because it’s the niche of the niche.” Mackensen admitted that whilst markets such as Australia may be able to absorb large Mini models, it’s still not on the brand’s agenda. “When we go into size, you might be able to absorb a bigger Mini but we have no plan to do a bigger mini beyond a Countryman.” Changes to the Mini design philosophy under Heilmer will become more apparent and visible with upcoming concept vehicles and future models.

If that Clubman concept caught your eye, it's reality now. * Pictures with acknowledgement to paultan.org Hope it makes it to our shores soon!

[extract] The car-based van segment is rather popular in Europe and that particular segment is about to get even bigger with the addition of the MINI Clubvan. MINI showcased the vehicle at this year

Earlier this year in January, MINI announced its plans to revive the MINI Van and showcased the vehicle at the Geneva Motor Show. The car will be based on the MINI Clubman and the company called it the MINI Cargo. At that time, there were no photos or rendered images on how the car would look like. Just before the above mentioned auto show began, MINI showed images of the car and they also changed the name to the MINI Clubvan. Initially, the company stated that the MINI Clubvan will only be a concept and they have no immediate plans to put the vehicle into production. It is during auto exhibitions where many automakers gauge public reaction to a certain new offering before deciding whether it will go into production. In this case, MINI used the recent Geneva Motor Show to see how popular their MINI Clubvan was. And it appears that the public fully approves it and MINI will enter the Clubvan into production. The MINI Clubvan is hugely based on the Clubman

[extract] Back in early January of this year, I wrote about Mini

[extract] When the new Mini first emerged around 10 years ago, it was only available in one body type. In other words, there was only one model; the Mini hard-top hatchback. It was offered in several engine variations and trims (Cooper S, John Cooper Works, One, etc.). Five years later, the new Mini was offered in convertible form. Consumers did not have much choice when they look at the new Mini. It was either a hard-top version or a convertible. But starting from 2008, Mini has added two new models. Firstly, it was the Mini Clubman which was basically the estate or elongated version of the Mini hard-top hatchback. Two years later came the Mini Countryman. It was a crossover SUV and the company

hi Saw a clubman on saturday morning, its quite a good looker ....... anyone driving a mini ..pls come in to give your reviews and comments Thanks

Hey guys.. This is the review of the cooper s clubman. http://www.sgcarmart.com/news/review.php?AID=29 let me know if this echoes your opinions aight? cheerio!

http://www.leftlanenews.com/mini-clubman-future.html I want it. I WAN!!!! BUT.. WHY ONLY GOT SUICIDE DOORS ON THE RIGHT?!

Yes, kids: it's another Mini!!! http://autostate.blogspot.com/2007/07/2008-mini-clubman.html Official details and photos of new five-door 2008 Mini Clubman.