MINI Canyon in the Works

After the release last year of the first crossover in its lineup, the Countryman, British manufacturer MINI is apparently now trying to reach a more uptight segment of the automotive industry with a new model.

Dubbed by sources Canyon, the new MINI is supposed to use the same platform as the Countryman. BMWblog reports that, unlike the Countryman, the Canyon will have a three door configuration and be a bit smaller than the model of inspiration, being aimed at customers with suits and ties.

The Canyon will be fitted with MINI's ALL4 all-wheel drive, an electrohydraulic differential positioned directly on the final drive, varying the distribution from front to rear in "an infinite process".

As you already know, the system directs 50 percent of the engine’s power to the rear wheels under normal conditions, while when put through its paces, it directs all of it. The system is aided by Electric Power Steering with Servotronic, Dynamic Stability Control, Dynamic Traction Control as well as an electronic limited-slip function.

Back to the Canyon, sources say it will be meant as a competitor for the Land Rover Evoque, a model based on the LRX concept and scheduled for release in 2011.

germancarforum.com reports that the Canyon “is on the Design wall in Munich,” awaiting to receive the green light for production. Obviously, other details about the vehicle are absent, but it's not hard to imagine how the Countryman, the vehicle which opened an entire new market for the carmaker, will spawn a new generation of MINIs.

If approved for production and with the technologies to be used in it already here, it's likely more details about the Canyon will surface soon.