It's free of any disguise at the front or sides, and our spyshots finally prove that the MINI has carried its early design ideas through to the showroom with van doors at the back, and a Mazda RX-8-style rear passenger door. The newcomer will be officially unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, before it goes on sale here early next year.
Study our pictures and you will see exactly what we've got to look forward to. In keeping with the style of the Traveller and Countryman estate variants of the past, the designers wanted to avoid creating a conventional five-door bodystyle.
However, practicality would be too limited if access to the rear was available only through the front doors. The one workable solution was to design a barn-style door with reverse hinges to leave a large opening.
Look through the windows of this prototype, though, and you will see one of the MINI's secret quirks - there is a rear door on just one side. This asymmetric design not only fits in with the car's youthful image, but it will also cut manufacturing costs.
Read Article