MINI Clubvan Concept

Ever since it acquired the rights to the Mini brand in the mid-1990s, BMW has been making sure that the model has been given a distinctive character and unique positioning in the premium small car segment. Other carmakers may have simply exploited the Mini’s appeal as simply a small car and developed something similar and cheap but not BMW.

 

Over the past 11 years, the company’s designers have come out with numerous proposals for variants, some of which have made it to the showrooms while others have been so outrageous that they remained concept models for motorshows.

 

At the Geneva Motor Show next month, MINI will unveil its latest creation - the Clubvan Concept. Said to bring apparently conflicting profiles together into a single package, the Clubvan has the task of finding its way into new areas of life among target groups not previously on the MINI radar.

It has some similarity to the Clubman but the closed-off load area behind the front seats and the opaque rear side windows of the concept car set it apart most strikingly from that production model. 

 

Sharing the exterior dimensions of the Clubman and boasting cleverly increased storage capacity, the concept car is said to be the first premium model in the small car-based van segment. 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 Clubvan Concept has 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 are opaque. Polycarbonate sections – their outer surfaces painted in the car’s body colour – and heavily-tinted glass for the rear doors make it difficult to see into the load compartment. In places like Malaysia, that may be an issue with the JPJ but if it’s classified as a commercial vehicle, then it would be no different from a panel van.

 

The unbroken paintwork along the car’s flanks offers extensive scope for individualisation. The sealed side windows bear the logo of a sign design company based in Great Britain, the hand-applied graphics giving a personal look.

The Clubvan Concept uses its broader skill-set to open up new usage possibilities – both business and leisure. Where a company’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 like the Clubvan Concept would be fit the image 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 concept car 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, with the Morris Mini Van.

 

With its 10-cm longer wheelbase, separate load compartment and split rear doors, the Morris variant was perfectly equipped for commercial use. It also provided the basis for the fully-glazed, 4-seat Morris Mini Traveller, one of the precursors of today’s MINI Clubman. More than 50 years on, the MINI Clubvan Concept sees history repeating itself – albeit in a slightly different order.

 

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 is a modern interpretation of the principle used in the classic Mini: providing the maximum amount of interior space on the smallest possible footprint. 

 

The load area extends from the rear doors up to the partition grille behind the two seats. The flat 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 Clubman.

 

The lower section of the partition is made from solid aluminium, while the upper section consists of a silver-coloured stainless steel honeycomb grating. The side walls and floor of the load compartment are trimmed in high-quality anthracite-coloured cloth. This uniform colour scheme emphasizes the pure-bred, practicality-oriented character of the Clubvan Concept.

 

Like the Clubman, the Clubvan Concept is a 5-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. There won’t be a door on the left side to suit righthand drive countries because it would involve an entire re-engineering effort, and MINI doesn’t see any point to spend that extra money.

 

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 electrical power for tools or recharging devices.

 

The concept model looks very much like it’s ready to go into production as yet another variant and MINI is probably waiting for response and feedback from the wider audience at the motorshow before deciding how to price it.

To know more about MINI and experience one, visit www.mini.my for the location of a showroom

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