Now, the British automaker is planning to put the Beachcomber into production, as autocar reports. Company insiders told the aforementioned source that designers are currently working on two versions of the future vehicle. One of these follows the Beachcomber’s design and uses the Moke name (inside the company), while the other is more compact, only comes with three doors and is called the Canyon Coupe.
The new Moke will be based on a pillarless incarnation of the Countryman’s platform, which will also be used for the following generation of the MINI Clubman. It is believed that the Beachcomber concept’s high side sills were sufficient to allow the vehicle to past most safety tests. However, the production version will ditch the concept’s doorless layout, using four proper doors - the rear ones will feature rear hinges.
In terms of styling, the Moke is expected to borrow the concept’s high stance and rugged appearance.
As for the Canyon Coupe, this is a more wild vehicle, being a reinterpretation of the “beach car” concept. It is underpinned by a shortened Countryman platform and comes with MINI’s new ALL4 all-wheel-drive system. The vehicle uses a conventional three-door layout with four individual seats.
The designers are now working to finish both projects. This will allow the company to choose one of them and put it into production. The automaker’s executives will select the Moke or the Canyon coupe by the beginning of next year.
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