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Clubman name is officially confirmed.



Viva MINI Clubman!

You know for the life of me, I can't work out why they had to put those barn-style doors in the the tailgate instead of a conventional upwardly hinging hatch. The nett effect is a back-end that looks fussy, will be more prone to torsional twisting creaks and obstructs rearward visibility.

This car has too many shutlines and window apetures and I just can't dig the looks in the same way I do a straight ol' Cooper S. Blech - is what I'm anticipating saying in the official thread.

New MINI claims Clubman name

03/06/2007

Today at the International Automobile Salon in Geneva, MINI has announced that the next derivative in its model range will be called MINI Clubman. Based on a concept first shown in Frankfurt in 2005, a ‘Shooting Brake’ body-styled car will be on sale in the UK before the end of 2007.
The new car promises to be distinctive, yet authentically embody the MINI character. Offering more versatility without compromising the revered chassis of current Hatch models, the production version of the car is further evidence of MINI’s aim to break boundaries in car design.

Historically, ‘Shooting Brake’ models are so-called due to a combination of premium two-door styling, with added interior flexibility for owners leading active lifestyles. The new car takes inspiration and styling cues from the Morris Mini Traveller, which experienced widespread success between 1960-69.

Source: BMW Press

From Geneva...




MINI Clubman Announced at Geneva
Based on Mini Concept Geneva

The world’s most successful small car premium brand will boost its appeal even further with the European launch of an all-new model before the end of the year.

The new MINI Clubman is developed from the MINI Concept Geneva revealed one year ago in Switzerland.

Just 12 months later MINI is not only naming the new production car but it is also announcing the goal of increasing sales from the record number of 200,000 units in 2005, to a figure beyond this tally for the year, thanks to the successful launch of the 2007 New MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S models.

In Europe, where MINI sells the majority of its models, the new MINI One and MINI Cooper D will join the New MINI hardtops and the MINI Cabrio, before the MINI Clubman arrives.

The MINI Clubman is described as a Shooting Brake concept, a body designation that refers to a coupe-style two-door car that has an elongated rear. The MINI Concept Geneva was subtly modified to suit three further major International Motor Shows, Frankfurt, Tokyo and Detroit, reflecting the expected world-wide appeal of the new model.

The five-year old MINI brand is accelerating in popularity so the Plant Oxford production facility was expanded in mid-2006 to allow for growth beyond the already extended 200,000 cars a year capacity.

The 2006 modifications to the plant will eventually allow for a 20 percent capacity increase. This move to increase capacity underlines the BMW Group’s confidence in the on-going success of the MINI brand.

“We assume that the MINI brand will become even more important for the BMW Group’s retail volume,” Dr Michael Ganal, Member of the Board of Management for BMW Group said, speaking at the MINI stand at the Geneva Motor Show, yesterday.

“Last year, MINI accounted for almost 14 per cent of the Group’s automotive retail volume. In its home market Great Britain, the share was even more than 24 per cent.

“We expect to reach a new MINI retail record for the overall year 2007. So, in other words, we are going to outperform our 2005 record of over 200,000 vehicles.

“In the first two months of this year, we have delivered almost 26,000 MINI vehicles to customers worldwide.

“It is our goal to achieve a retail volume of over 240,000 units in the medium term. We will meet this goal, among other things, by launching attractive new products. A further driver of retail growth will be another MINI model.

“We already gave you a foretaste exactly one year ago when I presented the MINI Concept Geneva here at the Geneva Motor Show. This MINI Shooting Brake has meanwhile been developed to series production maturity. So again, we have managed to successfully interpret an authentic MINI concept. The new member of the MINI product family will be launched before the end of the year as the MINI Clubman. Yesterday, we let the MINI Clubman off the leash for a short time so that it could get used to life on the road.

“The MINI Clubman will share all the characteristic genes of the new MINI generation as regards authenticity, design and go-kart feeling. So it is an unmistakable MINI and at the same time a stand-alone, unique concept sporting specific attributes and typical MINI solutions,” Dr Ganal said.


Source: WCF

http://http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/207349/mini.html

Expect more Clubman related viral / guerrilla marketing from MINI in the next months.

now thats an awesome car, now i really want my dad to get one of these

Hoots Mon... Or whatever that means???

From Glasgow were today we begun our viral / guerrilla marketing for the new MINI Clubman on the streets of the Scottish City.
we filmed a MINI Clubman amongst a line of Black Taxi Cabs with the slogan "It's not what you think it is..." and another slogan in which the Clubman was accompanied by two Police Motor Cycle outriders with the Slogan "nothing to see..." watch out for our little dig at "Smart" coming soon.

With the Clubman we are basically following the formula of MINI market the car as a Lifestyle - The Clubman will follow through with a highly visual media campaign which will concentrate on fashion , culture , music and film.

The MINI Clubman is expected to be previewed at MINI united before it's debut at Frankfurt in September - where BMW will also use the Clubman as a Taxi for guests , VIP's and the media at the MINI International night in Frankfurt on the eve of the show...

This would be my choice of hot hatch over the VW uber Golf variants (GTI + R), simply because it out handles them. Good on space, big on style, amazing handling. I'm just hoping I can find one for a more than resonable price, could prove hard w/ all the price gouging MINI dealers do.