What Is It?
Mini Concept Detroit
What's Special About It?
Mini's Traveller concept is touring the world. The trip started in Frankfurt last fall, then it was on to Tokyo where chief designer Gert Hildebrand dressed the car in brass and British Racing Green, the costume of a traveling Britishman, says Mini. Third stop Detroit and, predictably, this Traveller, now called the Mini Concept Detroit, is outfitted for winter sports.
We're not sure why but a snowboard now rides on the massive stainless-steel roof rack, and an exterior storage box fastened to the passenger-side rear window holds a hat, scarf and goggles. Wouldn't it make more sense to put these items inside the car, seeing as how the whole point of building this concept was to show that a Mini could get bigger and roomier without getting less cute? Compared to the production Cooper, the Traveller has a 3-inch-longer wheelbase and is about 8 inches longer overall.
Mini's Dr. Michael Ganal, a member of the board of management of BMW AG, wasted no time on these details during the unveiling of the Mini Concept Detroit. Instead, he gave a lengthy lecture on Mini's sales success, then paused and said, "We have decided to add a new member to the Mini family."
That new family member will be a production version of this concept vehicle. It'll be called the Traveller and we're told it will go on sale at the end of the 2007 calendar year.
We expect many of the concept car's features to die in the transition, including the rear barn doors with power-down glass, the swiveling front chairs, the revolving speedometer, the furry cowhide dash and the heart rate monitor in the steering wheel. The more aggressive front-end look is likely to stay.
What's Edmunds' Take?
Finally, a cure for supersized American families diagnosed with inoperable Mini mania. — Erin Riches
Mini Concept Detroit
What's Special About It?
Mini's Traveller concept is touring the world. The trip started in Frankfurt last fall, then it was on to Tokyo where chief designer Gert Hildebrand dressed the car in brass and British Racing Green, the costume of a traveling Britishman, says Mini. Third stop Detroit and, predictably, this Traveller, now called the Mini Concept Detroit, is outfitted for winter sports.
We're not sure why but a snowboard now rides on the massive stainless-steel roof rack, and an exterior storage box fastened to the passenger-side rear window holds a hat, scarf and goggles. Wouldn't it make more sense to put these items inside the car, seeing as how the whole point of building this concept was to show that a Mini could get bigger and roomier without getting less cute? Compared to the production Cooper, the Traveller has a 3-inch-longer wheelbase and is about 8 inches longer overall.
Mini's Dr. Michael Ganal, a member of the board of management of BMW AG, wasted no time on these details during the unveiling of the Mini Concept Detroit. Instead, he gave a lengthy lecture on Mini's sales success, then paused and said, "We have decided to add a new member to the Mini family."
That new family member will be a production version of this concept vehicle. It'll be called the Traveller and we're told it will go on sale at the end of the 2007 calendar year.
We expect many of the concept car's features to die in the transition, including the rear barn doors with power-down glass, the swiveling front chairs, the revolving speedometer, the furry cowhide dash and the heart rate monitor in the steering wheel. The more aggressive front-end look is likely to stay.
What's Edmunds' Take?
Finally, a cure for supersized American families diagnosed with inoperable Mini mania. — Erin Riches
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