Agreed I will wait till the final product is out to make a decision on wheather I like it or not. And it is true if we want a MINI speedster or anything like that MINI is going to have to come out with something like this to fund a speedster car. The marked for a small SUV or whatever you want to call it is much greater than the speedster market.

 

It looks like they found a name for it.

BMW trademarks "Countryman" for Mini crossover name?

by Jeremy Korzeniewski on Jul 16th, 2009 at 10:30AM


Thanks to a few eagle-eyed BMW fans with a handy penchant for tracking trademark filings, we may know the name of the upcoming and oft-spied Mini crossover: the Countryman. If this is indeed the case, the badge would go hand-in-hand with BMW's current naming convention for its Mini line, which includes the extended-length Clubman in addition to the standard Cooper and convertible. We're expecting the new CUV to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in production form as a 2011 model.

Interestingly, BMW also trademarked the name ActiveE, which some are speculating will be the moniker applied to the automaker's upcoming electric vehicles as it matches up quite nicely with BMW's present ActiveHybrid series. Last year, the German automaker reserved the name eDrive, and it seems the two labels could somehow be paired together as part of the company's Project I initiative.


Gallery: MINI Crossover Concept

• 
• [Source: German Car Zone via BMW Blog]

 

Saw both of them on I-70 in Colorado headed east to denver on July 14, look to be going to Denver or possibly high altitude driving. We see alot of cars tested up in the Summit County area of Colorado. All areas are above 8,500ft.

 

am i the only person who thinks this is stupid? i mean i LOVE the idea of an all wheel drive mini. i'd be much happier with it.... that said what is it with companies doing stuff like this

-mini doing a roadster and suv
-porsche doing a suv and sedan(call it what you will porsche)
-hummer doing a small ****** suv

i'm really looking forward to the bently off roader, the ferrari economy car, the jeep roadster, the lexus performance car (:-) )

seriously can companies not stay in their segment?

i especially think, mini, porsche, and hummer have devalued their names with these new things. when you've said these brands in the past you've known what people are talking about instantly. porsche HAD their sports car, hummer HAD their military grade machine that arnold drives and mini was an ICON, now their all just parts of their respective lines.

...vent done :-)

 

I agree and I also think this pig is misguided and a monument to the arrogance and greed of the honchos in BMWs board of directors. Whomever green lighted this turkey should be fired. $29K to start fir this ugly duckling? no thanks! With that much money, I'll take a new BMW 3 series sportswagon under the European delivery program with spare change to keep in my pocket. And yes, the Bimmer is a vastly superior car that doesn't pretend to be anything other than a superb driving family hauler.

Only suckers and MINI fanbois will lineup in dealers to plunk down their life savings for one of these.

Watch after the first 12 months in the market, MINI will have a hard time moving these things out of dealer lots without serious incentives and rebates. Mark my words.... You read it here first

 

Have you seen the news lately? We are at nearly 10% unemployment rate in the nation, the worst since the last depression. 10% puts us at the doorstep of the next great depression. Good luck to BMW/MINI selling these things strictly on cash and/or traditional financing deals. Most people now days don't even qualify to borrow $.050 for a can of Coke, let alone for a $40K MINI.

 

I'm perfectly happy with the Coupe, even the Clubman is a bit much for me, but I'll wait until I see one in person before making a judgement. I doubt its for me, but I'm sure there are people out there for whom it'll be the perfect car. I'd be surprised if those people were the current customer base (aka MINI fanbois).

 

I didn't know it was possible to make the antenna even longer.

They really want to keep the remote-control-car-joke idea huh.

 

Reviving this thread for fun. Kind of amusing seeing the comments from the early days.
This quote amuses me.I think the tide has turned a bit and people realize it is a viable option for people who need a bigger vehicle but enjoy driving.
The pics are great, regardless.
Annette