Mini's Traveller Concept Stands Out For Its "Barn Doors" At The Rear, With A Large Mini Emblem. But The Concept's Other Styling Cues Hide The Facelifted 2007 Mini In Plain Sight. The Headlamps And Interior Show What Bmw Plans For The Next Car. Headlamps Are More Swept Back And Aero-Looking, And The Center Speedometer Is Part Of A "Free-Hovering" Dashboard. In The Concept, At Least, The Seats Also Hover: They're Connected To The Center Console By Load-Bearing Extensions. These Elegant Details Could Help Mask The Fact That The Next Mini Is All About Decontenting To Make It A More Profitable Small Car.
The Two-Door, Wagonlike Traveller Will Share Its Extended Wheelbase With An All-New Five-Door Version Of The Mini. The Three-Door And Convertible Models Will Be Upgraded And Continued.
The Doors On The Traveller Concept Are On Kinematic Parallelogram Hinges And Pivot To Swing Open With Minimum Movement To The Side And Maximum Movement To The Front For Easier Ingress/Egress. Its Two Split Side Windows At The Rear Merge With The Side Windows At The Front, And The Front Section Moves Electrically Beneath The Rear Section When Opened. The Luggage Area Is Called The Cargobox, With A Floor That Can Be Pulled Out To The Rear To Help Load Heavy Bags. The Cargobox Also Swivels Up To Section Off The Passenger Compartment From The Luggage Area.
Bmw Will Ditch The Current Inline-Four Engine For A New In-House-Designed, Direct-Injection 1.6-Liter Powerplant. This Engine Will Be Turbocharged For Cooper And Cooper S Models, Developing About 140 And 170 Horses, Respectively, With A 15-Percent Improvement In Fuel Economy. Rumors From Munich Suggest The Top Of The Range Cooper Works Version Could Be Good For 230 Horsepower.