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MINI Minor Revival Coming in 2011

An interesting rumor started picking up speed 'round the web these days regarding, once again, British manufacturer MINI. After earlier this week reports of a possible reinterpretation of the Countryman taking the Canyon shape surfaced, now word of a Minor revival comes from the UK.

According to Autoweek, the new MINI Minor, also called MINI Mini, will take the form of a concept which will be presented at next year's Geneva Auto Show. Currently, the source says, BMW's Munich auto labs are working on the project.

The new car would be an entry-level model, based on an existing front-engine/front-wheel-drive platform. The interesting part about the new MINI is the fact that it appears to be part of BMW's Megacity project lineup.

A minor detail which opens tons of possibilities in terms of both powerplants and badges. Because, as you know, BMW has made up its mind to create a new brand for the Megacity project vehicles (which would make the new Minor anything but a MINI).

The news regarding this new model first surfaced in late May, when British magazine Autocar talked about a smart rival being in the works in BMW's workshops. The data available so far point to a car with a maximum length of 3,050 mm (120 inches), 700 mm (27 inches) shorter than our everyday MINI and 200 mm (7.8 inches) longer than our everyday smart fortwo.

"Nothing is decided just yet,” an inside source told Autocar back then.“It is all at an early stage of conception. But there is a lot of momentum behind it right now. We may be ready to show a concept within the next 12 months or perhaps a little longer.”
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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