Hardly the most surprising news of the decade; MINI has announced that its Clubvan concept has been given the green light.
Measuring 3,961 mm in length, 1,683 mm in width, 1,426 mm tall and with a wheelbase of 2,547 mm, its dimensions are – unsurprisingly – identical to those of the MINI Clubman, but the lack of rear seats means 860 litres of load space is available, along with a 500 kilogram maximum payload capacity. The only real, visual difference is the body-coloured side windows with opaque polycarbonate reinforcements and tinted rear glass, while inside, there’s a flat loading floor, carpet-trimmed side walls, an anthracite roof lining, floor-mounted attachment hoops and handy 12-volt sockets for power tools.
The other side of the stainless steel mesh partition features a pair of black fabric seats with silver trim strips, although these can be upgraded to sports items trimmed in Ray, Punch or Lounge Leather. Other optional extras include a trailer hitch, xenon headlights, adaptive headlights, climate control, park distance control and a navigation system, while the standard 15-inch Delta Spoke alloy wheels can be exchanged for 16 or 17-inch versions.
Available from autumn 2012 in a choice of four colours: Midnight Black metallic, Pepper White, British Racing Green metallic and Ice Blue, the Clubvan will be offered in 72 kW (98 hp) One, 90 kW (122 hp) Cooper and 82 kW (112 hp) Cooper D guises.
[Source: MINI]