It seems the brains at Mini intend to explore a lot more niches than we would have expected and if you thought that the Countryman crossover/SUV strayed too far from the sporty promise of the brand, the Paceman Concept might be more up your alley.
This concept car explores the possibility of a coupe version of the Countryman, while also showing off some new design ideas like those distinctly un-Mini-like horizontal taillights.
Much like a Range Rover Evoque, only smaller, the Paceman is a coupe-like three-door crossover and Mini could do far worse things than exploit this potential niche.
As it is still strictly a concept car, no official announcement has been made about the possibility of putting it into production, but a Mini spokesperson did drop a little hint by stating: “The Mini Paceman Concept could become another building block in the ongoing development of the brand and its product portfolio.”
According to Mini, this concept combines the looks of a coupe and the dynamic capability you'd expect from the brand (including go-kart-like handling) with the generous dimensions and lifestyle capabilities of the Countryman - even if the latter simply means mounting pavements, we suspect.
Although it has lost two doors, this Mini still seats four occupants, also in a raised seating position just like the Countryman.
The roof design is quite eye-catching and is likely something we'll see on future Minis, if not a production Paceman. The flat roofline runs horizontally from front to rear, where it flows into a wide, transparent-looking C-pillar.
The windows appear to wrap around the car like a band of glass, with the “helmet roof” - in a strikingly contrasting colour - suspended on top.
The coupe-specific windows taper as they extend to the rear, and combine with the slightly rising waistline to create a prominently dynamic wedge shape when viewed from the side.
According to the head of Mini exterior design, Marcus Syring, “In contrast to the more vertical design of the Mini Countryman, we've given the Mini Paceman Concept a horizontal emphasis and accentuated the width of the car rather more.”
Likewise, the interior of the concept deliberately draws from the familiar Mini design language, yet also has its own distinct edge.
There's nothing new beneath the skin of this car, but the fact that Mini has fitted it with its most powerful engine, the 155kW JCW 1.6-litre twin-scroll turbo motor and Mini's All4 permanent all-wheel drive, hint that a potential production version could present an interesting and exciting take on the hot hatch game.