The global slowdown of the economy has not put the brakes on the Mini Crossover. Mini Australia national manager Justin Hocevar told the Carsales Network this week that the car is nearing completion with production set to begin next year.
Due to go on sale in Europe in late 2010, Australian customers will only have to wait until the early months of 2011 before the four-wheel drive Mini makes it here.
"That's all going to plan," Hocevar says. "There is no interruption to that. A plant has been selected, the product's well and truly into its development. I've personally seen several iterations of the vehicle through its development phases and our dealers will get an opportunity later this year to see an early pre-production variant. It's well and truly on track."
Plenty has already been written about the car (read more here) but Hocevar says that one detail has been missed; there will almost certainly be a turbodiesel variant.
"Highly likely," Hocevar says, when asked about the prospects of a diesel Crossover.
Whether that means the car will share the 80kW/240Nm 1.6-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder as used in the new Cooper D due here in May (more here), or a more powerful engine, rumoured to be in development for a Cooper S diesel, is still a question to be answered.