Stand-out-from-the-crowd style can also be amazingly practical - and
practicality surprisingly attractive. The MINI Clubvan Concept brings apparently
conflicting profiles together into a single package, paving the way for an
innovative vehicle concept without parallel in the premium small car segment.
The MINI Clubman-based concept car, scheduled for its world premiere at the
Geneva International Motor Show 2012, combines the driving fun for which MINI is
renowned with increased load-carrying capability. The MINI experience will
therefore find its way into new areas of life, the brand's distinctive character
gaining new popularity among target groups not previously on the MINI radar.
The closed-off load area behind the front seats and the opaque rear side windows
of the new concept set it apart most strikingly from the MINI Clubman. The MINI
Clubvan Concept uses its broader skill-set to open up new usage possibilities -
both business and leisure. Where a business's customers, product range and
operating environment demand a particular style for its vehicles, a premium
model can make the perfect delivery solution. For example, a car in the mould of
the MINI Clubvan Concept would fit excellently into the fleet of a fashion
designer, art gallery owner or event caterer. And its abilities as an
all-rounder also tick the right boxes for a photographer with a stack of camera,
tripod and lighting equipment to ferry around during the week - and bulky sports
and leisure gear to pile on board at the weekend.
The MINI Clubvan Concept pulls off the trick of blending enhanced practicality
and a well-judged lifestyle focus with natural ease. This ability is based on
the impressive adaptability that goes to the heart of the MINI brand's heritage.
Calls for maximizing the load capacity of the classic Mini began as early as
1960, just a year after the car's birth. And they were soon heeded. With its
10-centimeter-longer wheelbase, separate load compartment and split rear doors,
the Morris Mini Van was perfectly equipped for commercial use. It also provided
the basis for the fully glazed, four-seat Morris Mini Traveller, one of the
precursors of today's successful MINI Clubman. And so, more than 50 years on,
the MINI Clubvan Concept sees history repeating itself - albeit in a slightly
different order.
Two Seats, Five Doors
Limiting the car to two seats creates the capacity its owners will need on a
day-to-day basis, as well as opening up a whole new world of customization
potential. The load compartment of the MINI Clubvan Concept embodies the car's
fresh and rigorous interpretation of the principle used in the classic Mini - of
providing the maximum amount of interior space on the smallest possible
footprint. The load area reaches from the split rear doors right up to the
partition grille behind the two seats. The totally level floor makes full use of
the interior's depth, and that allows the concept car's load capacity to exceed
the maximum achieved by the MINI Clubman.
Six attachment loops recessed into the load compartment floor use elasticized
straps to hold items of varying lengths, heights and widths in place - without
the risk of them sliding around. Added to which, the partition grille, which is
fixed securely to the car body, ensures that items stowed in the load
compartment cannot find their way into the front seats, even under extremely
heavy braking. The lower section of the partition is made from solid aluminum,
while the upper section consists of a silver-colored stainless steel honeycomb
grating. The side walls and floor of the load compartment are trimmed in
high-quality anthracite-colored cloth. The anthracite roof liner, meanwhile,
extends along the full length of the interior. This uniform color scheme
emphasizes the pure-bred, practicality-oriented character of the MINI Clubvan
Concept.
Like the MINI Clubman, the MINI Clubvan Concept is a five-door car with a twist.
Two front doors for the driver and front passenger, two side-hinged doors at the
rear and the rear-hinged Clubdoor on the right-hand side create comfortable
access to the interior. The Clubdoor gives owners the option of loading or
unloading smaller items from the side of the car as well as the rear.
The generous levels of space on board the concept car can be exploited in a
variety of ways. Commercial users will be particularly pleased to discover the
scope for configuring the load compartment to personal requirements. For
example, tools and goods can be stored neatly and securely in made-to-measure
drawers or shelving units. 12-volt plug sockets in the rear area of the load
compartment provide additional practicality.
Exterior Design
Impressive practicality and the brand's time-honored style lend the MINI
Clubvan Concept its unmistakable character. Sharing the exterior dimensions of
the MINI Clubman and boasting cleverly increased storage capacity, the concept
car is the first premium model in the small car-based van segment. The exterior
appearance of the MINI Clubvan Concept marks it out immediately as a MINI - and
therefore as a premium product. The function-led design modifications have no
impact on the car's proportions and hallmark MINI design language, but they do
give customers the opportunity to combine the demands of commercial use with an
appreciation of individual style.
The MINI Clubvan Concept comes with British Racing Green exterior paintwork,
which extends to the roof, C-pillars and exterior mirror caps. As is usual for
vehicles charged with transportation tasks, the rear side windows of the MINI
Clubvan Concept are opaque. Polycarbonate sections - their outer surfaces
painted in the car's body color - and heavily tinted glass for the rear doors
make it difficult to see into the load compartment.
The unbroken paintwork along the car's flanks offers extensive scope for
individualization, which the MINI Clubvan Concept highlights to eye-catching
effect. The sealed side windows bear the logo of a sign design company based in
the MINI's native Great Britain. The hand-applied graphics lend the vehicle a
personal look. Indeed, the ultra-versatile MINI carries both its cargo and the
company's promotional message with a uniquely stylish verve. The MINI Clubvan
Concept presented in Geneva lends this form of customization a piquant
authenticity - on two fronts. The British company that has literally left its
stamp on the MINI Clubvan Concept creates similar vehicle graphics for its
customers. And the MINI Clubvan Concept showcases how these might look when
applied to a MINI van.