It was to our understanding that, Mini’s German parent firm, the BMW Group, had made plans to blow the covers off the all-new, third generation of the Hatch just before or during the press days of the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, but evidently, they didn’t count on someone being on hand during an official photo shoot of the car…in July. Well, all the better for us!
There were three cars spotted at the press-book photo session, two Cooper S models finished in light orange and gunmetal grey shades respectively, and a regular Cooper in red paint with a white roof, stripes and mirrors.
As we’ve mentioned many times in the past in our scoop posts, the 2014 Mini hatchback evolves the series’ signature looks that were inspired by the original model penned by Greek-British car designer Sir Alec Isigonis.
The most visible changes concern the front end that is directly inspired from the 2011 Mini Rocketman, a concept for an even smaller Mini hatchback that never came into fruition, with bug-eye, LED-equipped headlamps and a new interpretation of the firm’s grille. The front windshield also looks more raked while at the back, we see that Mini’s designers used much larger and prominent taillights.
We can’t see the interior from these images, but previous spy shots reveal Mini has moved the speedometer from the huge center console gauge (that remains in its place) to right behind the steering wheel.
The new Mini has grown a few inches in length and is now based on the BMW Group’s new front- and all-wheel drive, “UKL” chassis, which will be shared with the upcoming BMW 1-Series GT tall-hatchback.
BMW officials have confirmed that the new Mini range will eventually feature the brand’s new 1.5-liter three-cylinder turbocharged gasoline and diesel units, but at this point, we do not know if it will offer them at launch or later on.
Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoopS
PHOTO GALLERY
