Mini: Setting the pace for the future

Mini's new Paceman. Photo / Supplied

Mini's Paceman concept will debut at Detroit on January 10, with production tipped for 2012.

Mini calls it a "sports activity coupe" and will sell the Paceman as a premium car, with no entry-level engines.

The concept is fitted with a tuned John Cooper Works 1.6-litre twin scroll turbo-charged petrol engine and Mini's permanent four-wheel-drive system, though production vehicles will include front-drive variants.

The car uses the Countryman platform and much of the basic structure but it's 20mm lower, a tad longer, and uses longer doors and a C-pillar tinted to match the glass.

The narrow streak of windows, the rising waistline and new rear wing further emphasise the car's dynamic feel.

The cabin will match the Countryman's but for its new seats, the concept using quilted tan leather and a single rear pew deeply sculpted for two.