We’re still more than three months away from the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, but the BMW Group has already begun dropping information and photos of the models it plans to introduce at the show. Following the presentation of the all-new 2012 BMW 1-Series hatchback during the weekend, today the Bavarian group unleashed specifications and a large gallery of photos of the MINI Coupé.
While the model seen in the official pictures is partially covered in the firm’s characteristic swirly camouflage, it’s clear that the production version has barely changed from the 2009 concept car. Pictured here in John Cooper Works (JCW) form, the top-end Coupé hangs on to the concept’s sportier aero package that includes modified front and rear bumpers, side skirts and extended wheel arches that leave room for larger alloy wheels. The Coupé is also the first MINI to get an active rear spoiler that extends automatically at 80 km/h (50 mph).
There are no pictures of the interior yet, but it’s safe to assume that minus the extravagant trim options, the concept’s interior design has been kept intact featuring a strict two-seater layout with extended stowage and loading capacity behind the driver and passenger seat.
Mini says it has fine tuned the chassis of the three-door hatchback model upon which the is based on. “The new car radiates the brand’s hallmark go-kart feeling with a whole new depth of intensity and achieves the best performance statistics ever recorded by a volume-produced MINI,” the company said in a statement.
The British automaker published information on the Coupé lineup, which will include the most potent petrol and diesel engines in the brand’s arsenal (depending of course on the market).
Sitting at the top of the range is the JCW model fitted with a 1.6-liter turbo petrol delivering 211HP, followed by the Cooper S with a 184HP version of the same engine. The third petrol model is the Cooper that gets a 122HP naturally aspirated 1.6-liter unit.
In Europe and other select markets Mini will also offer will the diesel-powered Cooper SD with a 143HP strong 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine returning 4.3lt/100km (54.7 mpg US or 65.7 mpg UK).
Sales of the new Mini Coupé are expected to start towards the end of the year or early 2012. A roadster model will be unveiled late next year.
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