MINI at the 2012 Paris Motor Show.

New additions to its model range allow MINI to strengthen its position as the world’s most successful manufacturer of small and compact premium-class cars and to reaffirm its compelling talent for innovation. The brand is using the Mondial de l’Automobile show in Paris (29 September – 14 October 2012) to press its case as a byword for sporty driving fun on urban roads. Indeed, Europe’s most important motor show of 2012 will host the world premiere of the MINI Paceman – the seventh model in the MINI line-up. The first Sports Activity Coupé to be launched in the premium compact segment takes the brand into new territory once again, combining extrovert design and stylish individuality with a fresh interpretation of the hallmark MINI go-kart feeling.

The Mondial de l’Automobile 2012 will also see MINI raise the curtain on a new elite performance model: the MINI John Cooper Works GP celebrates its world premiere in the French capital – the fastest MINI ever built adding a spectacular new chapter to over 50 years of motor sport tradition. The two-seater represents the most concentrated evidence yet of race-inspired John Cooper Works development expertise in action. The MINI John Cooper Works GP will come onto the market later this year in an exclusive limited-edition run, its instincts having been sharpened in intensive testing on the Nürburgring. The new arrival means that drivers can now choose from six John Cooper Works models in which to sample that authentic race feeling every day. And the sub-brand now also offers customers an even wider range of accessories into the bargain.

MINI Paceman: a sporty and elegant individualist enters the premium compact segment.

Its two doors and large tailgate, powerful proportions and dynamically stretched lines allow the MINI Paceman to perform the role of the sporty yet elegant individualist in the premium compact segment. The design of its body uses a typically MINI interplay of forms to showcase both the car’s agility and its breadth of driving talents. The interior likewise features a new take on the distinctive MINI style. Like the driver and front passenger, the occupants of the two individual rear seats enjoy generous levels of space, outstanding lateral support and exceptional comfort in a lounge-style ambience. Folding down the rear seats expands the load capacity of the MINI Paceman from 330 to a maximum 1,080 litres.

The MINI Paceman will be available from launch with a choice of four powerful engines covering an output spread from 82 kW/112 hp to 135 kW/184 hp, which can be harnessed by a six-speed automatic gearbox as an option. Lowered sports suspension, meanwhile, comes as standard. This is the second model (after the MINI Countryman) to offer the option of channelling its engine power to the road through four wheels; the MINI ALL4 all-wheel-drive system can be specified for the MINI Cooper S Paceman, MINI Cooper SD Paceman and MINI Cooper D Paceman.

MINI John Cooper Works GP: a limited-edition sporting machine.

Technology with direct links to racing cars helps imbue the MINI John Cooper Works GP with outstanding performance on the race track and an imposing presence on the road. An extensively modified four-cylinder turbocharged engine developing 160 kW/218 hp, adjustable coilover suspension, an ultra-powerful sports braking system, the DSC stability control system with GP race mode, along with model-specific alloy wheels and sports tyres, all ensure superb handling and a whole new level of driving fun.

An aerodynamically optimised design and lower weight – to which the absence of rear seats makes a key contribution – set the seal on the racing skill-set of the MINI John Cooper Works GP. This exclusive sports machine sprints from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.3 seconds and on to a maximum 242 km/h (150 mph), the highest top speed ever recorded by a series-produced MINI.

The MINI John Cooper Works GP will be produced in a limited run of 2,000 units and is joined at the Paris show by its John Cooper Works stablemates. Another recent addition to the line-up is the MINI John Cooper Works Countryman, which combines that unmistakable racing feeling with the ability to feed its power through all four wheels.

2. At a glance.

World premiere: the MINI Paceman.
MINI is expanding its model range with the introduction of the world’s first Sports Activity Coupé in the premium compact segment. The British manufacturer is using the Mondial de l’Automobile 2012 show to stage the world premiere of the MINI Paceman – the brand’s second model after the MINI Countryman with a body measuring over four metres in length and which customers can order as an option with the MINI ALL4 permanent all-wheel-drive system. Two doors and a large tailgate, muscular proportions, flowing coupé lines and a lounge-style interior with two individual rear seats mark out its distinctive character. The MINI Paceman will be available with two petrol engines and a pair of diesel variants from launch. Standard specification also includes lowered sports suspension.

World premiere: the MINI John Cooper Works GP.
Outstanding performance characteristics and a limited production run combine to make the MINI John Cooper Works GP an exclusive sporting machine. The fastest MINI ever built is powered by a 160 kW/218 hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine and comes with adjustable coilover suspension, an extremely powerful sports braking system, and bespoke light-alloy wheels and sports tyres. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.3 seconds and is capable of a top speed of 242 km/h (150 mph). The interplay between the engine, suspension and aerodynamics was fine-tuned during intensive testing on the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife circuit, which used to host Formula One grand prix races.

Crowd-puller: the new John Cooper Works model range.
With a new generation of engines on hand, the intoxicating racing feeling offered by the current crop of John Cooper Works models will be interrupted even less frequently by the need to refuel. All the members of MINI’s elite performance family can also be optionally ordered with a six-speed automatic gearbox. Added to which, the new MINI John Cooper Works Countryman is the first model in the John Cooper Works line-up to be equipped with the ALL4 all-wheel-drive system as standard. Customers can now choose from a selection of six John Cooper Works models.