GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: MINI concocts a new van

In what MINI claims to be the first crack by anyone at a premium contender in the small car-based micro-van class, a new light commercial dubbed Clubvan will be unveiled at the Geneva motor show next month.

With just two seats and five doors, the new concept is basically a stripped-out version of the Clubman - a belated follow-up to the original Morris Mini van from the early 1960s - featuring a flat, full-length load area where the Clubman normally seats passengers, as well as a safety partition behind the seats.

With an eye towards boutique-style customers wanting to make a lifestyle statement, the MINI Clubvan is fully trimmed out with side walls and load compartment floor trimmed out in anthracite-coloured cloth, as well as a full-length anthracite roof liner. The lower section of the protective partition is made of solid aluminium, with a stainless steel honeycomb grating forming the upper section.

Access is via the same apertures as the Clubman – complete with two outer-hinged rear doors and a small, also rear-hinged door on the driver’s side. Herein lies a basic flaw for right hand drive countries – the Clubvan’s side-loading door opens right into the traffic flow, rather than onto the kerb.

That said, the company claims the load area is greater than the Clubman’s – as you’d expect given the lack of a rear seat – yet with its full-trim interior it is anything but a regular commercial van. It seems not to be intended for grubby professions – the press blurb talks understandably about fashion designers, photographers or art gallery owners. It mentions florists, too, but even there the Clubvan’s fully-trimmed interior could present a few issues in terms of keeping everything pristine.

The load area features six recessed attachment loops using elasticised straps to secure loads of various sizes and the opaque, sealed side windows and heavily tinted rear windows help ensure some level of security.

The press material doesn’t discuss the Clubvan’s mechanicals, but there’s no rationale saying it shouldn’t be subject to the full range of MINI driveline options, right through to JCW-spec Cooper S.

Although the Clubvan will draw comparisons with the likes of Citroen Berlingo and Renault Kangoo, it is in reality a stand-alone concept in which practicality takes a second seat to the more amorphous areas of image, lifestyle and straightforward desirability.

Will we see a production version of the Clubvan? MINI isn’t saying anything yet, but it would be barely possible to imagine a more obvious addition to the company lineup.

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