After yesterday’s leak there was no point in keeping the new Countryman under wraps so MINI went ahead and released initial details and a full gallery of its first-ever crossover model. Bear in mind that the BMW Group owned automaker noted that the car may not be named Countryman in certain markets without giving out any further details.

The Countryman is not only the British firm’s first-ever crossover, it’s also the first modern MINI to have four doors, an available all-wheel-drive system, four full-size seats and to measure around four meters in length.

The styling inside and out is unmistakably MINI, with the Countryman trying to stand out from the rest of the range with its chunkier nose job, raised ride height and some unique styling cues such as the headlamps and the alloy wheel designs.

The company said that driver gets a slightly elevated seating position while a new feature inside is the MINI Center Rail that extends from front to rear allowing anything from a cupholder and sunglasses to audio devices and an armrest to be attached and slid wherever they are required.

The Countryman comes as standard with four seats, but a three-seat bench is available as a no-cost option.

According to MINI, the rear seats can move fore-and-aft either individually or in a 60 : 40 (three-seat bench) split, the backrests may be tilted for angle either individually or in a 40 : 20 : 40 (three-seat bench) arrangement, increasing capacity in the luggage compartment from 350 to 1,170 liters (12.2–41.0 cu ft).

When the Countryman goes on sale in Europe this fall (North America in early 2011), it will enter the market with a choice of three petrol and two diesel engines, extending from the 90HP turbo diesel in the One D to a 184HP 1.6-liter four-cylinder petrol with a twin-scroll turbocharger and direct fuel injection in the rang-topping Cooper S.

All versions will come equipped with Brake Energy Regeneration, Auto Start Stop system and a gearshift point indicator.

MINI said that as an alternative to the six-speed manual gearbox featured as standard, the petrol engine models will also be available with six-speed automatic tranmission.

As an option, the Cooper S and Cooper D models will be available with MINI’s ALL4 permanent all-wheel drive system that uses an electrohydraulic differential positioned directly on the final drive varying the distribution from front to rear.

Under normal driving conditions, the system sends up to 50 per cent of the engine’s power to each axle, but in more extreme situations, up to 100 per cent can be sent to the rear wheels.

As with the rest of the MINI models, the Countryman will be offered with a wide range of customisation and equipment options on both the exterior and interior including an extra-large Panorama roof.

The official presentation of the Countryman will take place at the Geneva Salon in March, 2010.

The new MINI Convertible has caught the attention of engineers from famed tuner AC Schnizter that have developed a comprehensive sport package for the drop top. The German firm started by tuning the MINI’s 1.6-liter turbocharged engine to produce a reported 208HP for the domestic market model and 226HP for the export model, up from the standard unit’s 175HP. At the same time, the Cooper S and JCW models get a limited slip differential and a sport exhaust system.

Sans the JCW model, the rest of the MINI Convertible range can be upgraded with a sport spring kit and height-adjustable racing suspension. Customers can also choose from a variety of alloy wheel designs available in sizes 17-inches, 18-inches and 19-inches.

Those not content with the MINI Cabrio’s exterior looks can opt for AC Schnitzer’s bodykit that includes the usual front and rear aprons and side skirts along with a set of decals available in white, black or chrome-black. For the interior, the German firm offers an array of accessories such as gear knobs, handbrake handle, pedals and foot rests in aluminum and special floor mats.

Right on the heels of our recent first drive of the latest-gen Mini Cooper S convertible, Mini is raising the curtain on the John Cooper Works edition at the 2009 Geneva auto show. This marks the first time that the John Cooper Works package will be offered as a factory option on the convertible.

The JCW convertible shares the coupe and Clubman Works editions’ upgraded exhaust and turbocharged 1.6-liter four, good for 208 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque. An overboost mode allows for 207 lb-ft, which is, frankly, probably going to be too much for the Mini’s front tires to handle. The 177 lb-ft of torque available in the standard Cooper S convertible had us torque steering all over the place, and the Cooper Works edition isn’t likely to be any better, but we’ll wait until we drive it to comment further.

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The next-generation MINI Convertible has been revealed ahead of its worldwide debut in January at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Scheduled to hit dealerships worldwide in late March 2009, the new MINI Convertible follows in the footsteps of its hatchback sibling, meaning that you’ll find a hard time distinguishing it from its predecessor. Nevertheless, the Convertible’s exterior has been updated with new details like the headlamps, tail lamps and front/rear bumpers while the four-pivot hinges for the luggage compartment top are now mounted inside the car.

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These are the first official photos of the MINI E, an all-electric version of the MINI Cooper that will make its first public appearance at the Los Angeles Auto Show in mid-November. What’s so important about this MINI -aside from its technical specs- is that over the next year or so, BMW will produce around 500 units which will be leased to selected private and corporate customers in the U.S. states of California, New York and New Jersey, giving the Bavarian automaker the chance to evaluate the viability of a full-scale production EV. MINI said that it also considering the possibility of leasing the vehicle in Europe.

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