From the official Press Release:

The new MINI has been fully and consistently modernised all round, but nevertheless remains true and faithful to itself. The body designers have re-interpreted the traditional design and unmistakable shape of the car, in the process creating a truly authentic design reflecting both the character of the classic MINI and the up-to-date appeal of its predecessor.

While not one single body feature has been left untouched, this compact two-door athlete is immediately recognisable as a MINI from every angle also in its new design, offering a look even more classy and consistent than on the former model.

All this not only accentuates the individual style and character of the MINI, but also takes the great demands made by a customer of a genuine premium car into account. Superior performance and even higher safety requirements have at the same time motivated the car’s creators to specifically re-interpret its body design wherever appropriate and desirable.

As a result, the new MINI is some 60 millimetres or 2.36´´ longer than its predecessor. But since the car’s proportions have remained the same, the MINI remains just as unmistakable as before in its look, retaining that typical MINI character and style all the way.

“From the original to the original” – this is and was the philosophy from the start in designing the exterior of the new MINI.

And following this creed, the car’s creators and designers followed an essential step in the process of development along a clearly defined path.

“In its exterior design, the new MINI is an evolution of its predecessor”, states MINI Chief Designer Gert Hildebrand.

For the objective in designing the car was to bring out all signs and features of distinction not only classical, but also typical of the modern MINI, even more consistently and convincingly.

Indeed, even the first generation of the modern MINI already succeeded from the start in suitably adapting the concept of the classical MINI from the year 1959. And now the new model generation is continuing this concept of continuity.

Clay modelling process	Exterior Designer Markus Syring

Careful and consistent loyalty in maintaining the design of the car and equally consistent continuity in adhering to the traditional icons in the design of the MINI help to give the new MINI its unique authenticity at very first sight.

In its individual and emotional design language, the new MINI is almost carried over from the anatomy and mimicry of the human body, combining these symbols in perfect harmony.

An open and fully alert look characterises the front end of the car, powerful shoulders give the side view its typical flair and appearance.

And smooth, soft contours, finally, dominate many features and design elements such as the engine compartment lid.

The large wheels and elevated window line give the new MINI an even firmer and more muscular look from the side, clearly expressing the masculine and mature character of the new MINI.

The discreet wedge shape, as seen from the side, as well as the slowly rising window line all bear clear testimony to the car’s even greater driving dynamics enhanced to a standard never seen before.

New styling features

Compared with the previous model, the front section of the new MINI is 38 millimetres or 1.50´´ longer, the extra space serving to accommodate the larger engines and fulfil new legal regulations for the protection of pedestrians, which require a longer distance between the engine compartment lid and the technical components within the engine bay.

But, naturally, the face of the new MINI remains unmistakable and characteristic of the brand in every respect.

This is ensured in particular by three elements: the large front lights, the positioning lights accommodated in the front air dam, and the hexagonal radiator grille. The round clear glass headlights have been turned slightly to the outside in order to fully maintain the well-known and perfectly balanced proportions of the front end.

Clay modelling - Hood detail

The headlights themselves, in turn, now accommodate the direction indicators formerly fitted as separate units. Hence, the only “insular” element still remaining is the positioning lights serving as “beauty spots” in the face of the new MINI and accommodating the optional foglamps, when ordered.

The new radiator grille is particularly conspicuous in its design. Now made as one complete unit, the grille is no longer split up into two sections, one on the engine compartment lid, one at the front end of the car.

Through its shape alone, the modified hexagon radiator grille is even more reminiscent of the air scoop on the classic MINI, enhancing this design icon to an even higher standard than before. Through its horizontal orientation, in turn, the radiator grille serves further more to emphasise the width of the car’s body, giving the new MINI an even more masculine look.

A distinctive style

Mini Cooper S - Front view sketch

The front ends of the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S differ through a number of details giving each model variant its own, distinctive appearance.

On the MINI Cooper the lower air intake scoop swings up slightly at either side, creating the impression as if the car were actually smiling. The radiator grille, in turn, is formed by three crosswise, chrome-plated ribs and a plastic grid positioned further down, again helping to give the entire front end of the car an elegant and likeable touch.

Front end

The front end of the MINI Cooper S is more sporting and dominant in its overall look, with the engine compartment lid being curved up an additional 20 millimetres or approximately 0.8´´ in order to accommodate the even more powerful turbocharged engine.

“And it is a wonderful example of that classic ‘form follows function’, making it quite typical of MINI”, states Exterior Designer Marcus Syring. “Authentic design of this kind shows what comes within the car, which is precisely why we have intentionally given the MINI Cooper S an even more powerful and muscular front end.” 

The plastic grid within the radiator grille in its chrome surround accentuates this extra size and muscle, the honeycomb grid pattern taking up the hexagon design of the radiator grille repeated in the lower air intake. As a result, both air intake scoops visualise the power of the turbocharged engine beneath the lid, another sign of distinction on the new MINI Cooper S being the stylised opening in the hood.

The sideline

With its powerful presence, the front end of the car flows smoothly and harmoniously into the flanks of the new MINI, creating a particularly firm and taut look also from the side. Large wheels and minimum body overhangs both front and rear give the new MINI that typical “stance on the wheels” character now famous for several decades, as if the car were literally resting on its wheels. So once again, the new MINI brings back a truly unique feature of its classic predecessor, now with even more style and powerful presence.

Another reminiscence of the great-grandfather of the new model launched almost 50 years ago is the diagonal flow of the body seam between the engine compartment lid and the side indicators – where the classic MINI used to have a distinctly visible welding seam. Further design icons are the chrome-plated door handles and the direction indicator lights accommodated in the front side panels.

Yet another feature characteristic of the modern MINI is the glazed “band” around the passenger cell referred to as the “greenhouse”, standing out also on the new MINI as a dark strip of glass extending all round the body.

Also covering the roof pillars, this band of glass creates the impression of a roof hovering freely in space, while at the same time the gently rising waistline is higher up than on the former model, raised up 18 millimetres or 0.7´´ around the B-pillar and therefore once again emphasising the muscular stature of the car’s design. Again, this distinctive shoulder line accentuates the dynamic character of the new MINI.

Rear end

In creating the new MINI, the car’s designers have set off the extra growth at the front by making the shoulders at the rear even more powerful and striking in their looks, thus maintaining the unmistakable proportions of the MINI’s body. And compared with the former model, they have now also given the rear end rounder contours, the car also being characterised by parallel, horizontal lines at the back.

The segments created in this way build on one another and appear to support each other in the process, forming a gently flowing step structure, the “cascading” effect so typical of the new model and giving it a stable stance also from behind.

Already acknowledged as icons in design, the almost vertical rear light clusters remain virtually unchanged. They are however slightly bigger than on the former model and are housed within separate chrome surrounds now separated from the rear light clusters as such and therefore standing out even more distinctly and in even greater style. The distance from the rear lights to the slightly wider black band – the dark, lower band around the entire body – has however remained the same, giving the rear end of the new MINI a compact look despite its increase in size.

An additional trim panel near the C-pillar acts as a vertical contour lip to optimise the flow of air at the back of the new MINI. And a further feature also to be mentioned in this context is the small air flow lip at the rear end of the roof helping to significantly improve the car’s aerodynamics: The drag coefficient of the new MINI Cooper is now just 0.33.

The roof spoiler on the new MINI Cooper S is significantly larger and more conspicuous, increasing downforces on the rear axle in addition to the optimisation of air flow. Further features carried over in their looks from motorsport are the twin tailpipe positioned right in the middle, a large air outlet in the rear air dam, and the rear fog warning light in two separate sections.

So through these design features alone, the powerful MINI Cooper S exudes a touch of dynamic performance from every angle, from every perspective.

Body colours

The new MINI is available with a choice of no less than 12 body colours, eight of which are metallic. Brand-new colours are Mellow Yellow and Oxygen Blue, while Chili Red and Pepper White were already available on the former model.

The metallic colours are British Racing Green, Pure Silver, Astro Black, as well as the new colours Sparkling Silver, Lightning Blue, and Nightfire Red.

Two further metallic colours, Dark Silver and Laser Blue, are reserved exclusively to the MINI Cooper S. Choosing the colour of the roof, the customer is able to further increase the range of colours and combinations, with the MINI fan being able to order the roof also in black or white, over and above the actual body colour of the car as such.

Both the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S are available with optional Chromeline comprising chrome-plated surrounds and, on the Cooper, a crossbar on the lower air intake scoop, in the foglamps and in the rear fog warning light and, on the MINI Cooper S, also in the air outlet at the rear end of the car.

(Source: Mini)