Official spy photos of the Mini Paceman were released by the company recently which showed off the car sporting a bit of camo, but now we have full photos of the new three-door Countryman.
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The MINI Paceman concept, now known as the Countryman Coupe, will likely bow as a 2013 model year car, and be available in the first quarter of the same year.
Caught sliding through corners at the very limits of its All4 all-wheel drive system, a selection of spy photos reveals the near-production MINI Countryman Coupe testing on the Nurburgring.
The MINI Paceman concept was revealed to us at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, and will hit dealer showrooms in early 2013 badged as the Countryman Coupe.
Earlier this year, we alluded to the fact that the MINI Paceman Concept would hit dealerships as the Countryman Coupe and it looks like that will be made official when the vehicle debuts at this year’s Paris Auto Show.
It all makes sense that MINI would put the Countryman name onto their two-door Paceman Concept considering the production vehicle will share the same front end. It also appears that the Paceman Concept will closely resemble the final production Countryman Coupe and it is still on schedule to hit dealerships in 2013, as a 2014 model.
Unfortunately there is still no confirmation on what will power the new Countryman Coupe, but the Paceman Concept did sport a John Cooper Works-built 1.6L twin-turbocharged engine sporting 211-hp and 192 lb-ft of torque. The Countryman Coupe should make a nice addition to MINI’s lineup.
GALLERY: MINI Paceman Concept
[Source: Car and Driver]
MINI‘s boss in the United States recently confirmed in an interview that the Countryman Coupe will be available on the US market in the first quarter of 2013.
Originally debuted in the form of the Paceman Concept at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, the Countryman Coupe should take on the Land Rover Evoque and is expected to boost MINI sales significantly. It’s expected that the Countryman Coupe will make its debut sometime in September, perhaps at the 2012 Paris Motor Show.
The Paceman Concept was powered by a John Cooper Works-built 1.6L twin-turbocharged engine with 211-hp and 192 lb-ft of torque. An Overboost function allowed the torque to peak at 207 lb-ft for a short period of time.
GALLERY: MINI Paceman Concept
[Source: 4 Wheels News]