The soon-to-be-revealed next-generation Mini Cooper S has been leaked completely undisguised. These shots come from the land of the dragon; China. Many Mini Coopers can be seen in these pictures. While some are camouflaged one of them is an undisguised prototype that reveals the entire look of the new generation model. All the models are three-door versions. This iteration of the Mini Cooper is supposed to go on sale in 2023.
Design
These spy shots suggest that Mini has a complete makeover in mind for its previous generation models. At the front, the car gets a new bumper, a differently shaped bonnet, and a blackened ‘Mini’ logo at the nose. The dipping nose design has been curbed with a straighter bonnet with bold character lines. The bumper retains the octagonal grille, but this time it has been covered by a thick slat, with only small vents at the bottom, and a black diffuser.
Headlights are the same round units but are now placed more upright. Along the sides, the design is fairly smooth and simple. The door handles are flush with the body and the car gets black alloy rims. The rear packs the most comprehensive changes of them all. The overall design of the boot lid has been changed, and it is now wider too. We also get to see completely new taillights that are much sharper and get black surrounds. Across the boot lid is a Slat that connects the two lamps and is covered in gloss black, with Cooper S badging over it. The ‘Mini’ logo is once again blackened. The car in the pictures did not have an exhaust outlet. The car carries a dual-tone theme of white and black. The integrated rear spoiler, side mirror, front and rear diffusers, and side pillars are all in black.
Interior
The cabin also gets some updates. The dashboard looks much cleaner and sophisticated. The traditional central circular display finds its way into the new model as well. But this time the display is much slimmer and slick looking. It also gets a small heads-up display. The tachometer placed behind the steering wheel in the current generation Cooper has been done away with in the new one. It also gets a panoramic sunroof.
Performance
In November, the brand revealed that the new generation cooper hardtop will be available with both gasoline and electric powertrains. The thick slat covering the front grille and the lack of exhaust at the rear suggests that the car in the spy shots could be electric.