Mini has built a five-door hatchback, a stretched version of the new three-door model unveiled at the Los Angeles motor show.
Anonymous pictures of a prototype taped up for painting at the Mini factory in Oxford, England, are doing the rounds of the internet.
A hint that a five-door might be in the mix came at the Los Angeles motor show where Mini unveiled the three-door.
Mini product executive Dietmar Zimmerhackl told reporters: “You can see from looking at the standard hatch that we will need to expand the wheelbase just to fit another set of doors in.
“Some people want a Mini with the ease of five doors but they don’t want it to be as big as the Countryman. That’s our market here,” said Zimmerhackl.
The car pictured is a Cooper S, identified by the bonnet vent. It will use the new 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine in a line-up of more powerful but cleaner burning engines.
The 1.6-litre family has been replaced by 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol and diesel units for the Cooper and Cooper D (diesel), and the 2.0-litre Cooper S.
Buyers now have a choice of three six-speed gearboxes: manual or automatic, or a dual-clutch unit that comes complete with shorter shift times and rev-matching downshifts.
The five-door hatchback will be aimed at buyers in love with everything Mini but needing extra space.
The three and five-door versions will comprise a new-look line-up for Mini that could total eight separate models, all based on the flexible new UKL1 platform.
Replacements for the Cabriolet, Clubman, Countryman and Paceman are guaranteed, while a sporty Mazda MX-5 rival could replace the slow-selling Roadster and Coupe models.