MINI Crossover Design Leaked? Not Quite.

Larry Simpson May 13th, 2009 Link

I give this post about 3 hours till Mini makes motoringfile take it down!! Looks good, cant wait till it comes out!

Reply

Gary May 13th, 2009 Link

Gaakkk…what are those on the headlights in the (NFR/W?) exterior photo — eyelids? Heaven help us…

Reply

Jonathan Ikemura May 13th, 2009 Link

looks like MINI keeps making their headlights bigger and bigger.. I just got used to the R56 headlights, im sure these will grow on me too

Reply

DanC May 13th, 2009 Link

The picture of the exterior looks like it is of a toy model. I do remember design cues were leaked this way before.

Reply

James Irmiger May 13th, 2009 Link

The design language is all wrong. I mean, who the heck flame surfaced a MINI? Plus, even with a fisheye lens, the proportions and angles of the car shot are all wrong. Both of these are sadly more Photochopped garbage designed to add readership.

Reply

Hai May 14th, 2009 Link

BMW outdid itself by making the headlights even uglier than those on the R56.

Reply

Future MINI. More Photoshop than photo. | theSwitchback May 14th, 2009 Link

[...] shots, which appeared similar to those we’ve seen before, were in fact VERY familiar indeed. Motoringfile got their thinking caps on and realised the images were indeed Photoshopped versions of the second [...]

Pete May 14th, 2009 Link

LIke all of us, beauty fades with age…alas, the poor MINI seems to be going that way too.

Reply

Eric May 14th, 2009 Link

After seeing the photos, I feel my R52 is everyday becoming more of a wanted classic MINI.

Reply

DCMotoring May 14th, 2009 Link

If the interior shots are photoshopped, the exterior shots probably are too. I wouldn’t get too worked up over it. As I was looking at the exterior pictures, my first thought was, “it looks French.” That’s not a shot at the French either, the styling just looks like a French car to me.

But regardless of what the next MINI looks like, my ‘06 Astro Black Cooper will still be the most beautiful MINI ever. ;)

Reply

Joe Covington May 14th, 2009 Link

unfortunate MINI never made that wood finish available – would of looked brilliant with the Tusacan interior as opposed to the darker one they offer now

two things about the top image: (1) kinda miss the throughly stylized character lines on the hood of the current MSC – then again this does appear to be the Cooper model (2) not so sure about the way the body resolves itself around the front foglamps – very unMINI and too Vectra or even CC

oh and ill be very disappointed if the new headlamps go the way of 7-series with signed eyelids and coronas – they should turn the ring jewels of the current model into daytime LEDs

Reply

robble May 14th, 2009 Link

why all the moaning over these two pictures?

they are photo chops of old pictures. It’s not the first time we’ve seen photo chops that didn’t look anything like what came out.

Reply

Seth L May 14th, 2009 Link

If true, those headlights appear to be migrating, flounder-like, into Morgan Aero 8 territory.

Reply

Brendon May 14th, 2009 Link

Mini should change their name…..how could this possibly be considered a “mini” R53’s are going to be worth Alot in the very near future

Reply

robble May 14th, 2009 Link

once again..

this is not really an image of anything but simply a sophisticated photoshopping job.

Reply

alpinamike May 14th, 2009 Link

It looks like its mad at something, possible the picture taker? ;)

Reply

SFRedMCc May 14th, 2009 Link

Photo #33 with the blue body/silver roof looks like the most reasonable take on what the Crossman might look like: http://automobile-magazine.fr/media/galeries/photos/mini/les_mini_du_futur/(photo)/25419#galerie_top

Reply

bee1000 May 14th, 2009 Link

For Disneyland Nerds: RE: Top interior photo:

It’s a hidden Mickey!

Reply

JMills May 14th, 2009 Link

Well it is interesting that there is a hood cutline showing, as opposed to the single bonnet on the real MINIs, this could very well be what the new Crossman will look like.

Reply

2012 MINI Cooper i-MegaCity? [Spy Photos] | Car Advisory May 15th, 2009 Link

[...] believed all along, our suspicions about the French have been true. The MINI-obsessed folks at MotoringFile have uncovered that the interior image that L’Automobile has “acquired” is simply [...]

MotoringFile » Archive » MF Exclusive: Leaked MINI Prototype a Fake May 24th, 2009 Link

[...] Last week we exposed the interior image seen in Automobile.Fr as a forgery. This week we’re doing the same to the exterior photoshop image. Instead of debating the image for days upon days we thought we’d go straight to the source and ask the always candid Gert Hildebrand while at MINI United. His response was straight forward and clearly sincere. The images (interior and exterior) are both fake. A simple answer from the man who would know. [...]