These are the very first official photographs of MINI's new Crossover concept car, due to make its debut at next month's Paris Motor Show and previewing a new, larger generation of MINIs.

At first glance, the concept looks very similar to previous show cars such as the Concept Frankfurt and Concept Tokyo, though the keen of eye will notice a disparity between the two sides of the new concept's door layout. Unlike the MINI Clubman, the Crossover concept features two conventional doors on the right-hand side, while the left-hand side reveals a curvier front door and an unusual sliding rear door for access to the back seats. It's expected that the production version will adopt a more conventional four doors, with the rear hatch split vertically as it is in the Clubman, essentially making the Crossover a six-door model.

Elsewhere, the exterior styling of the Crossover adds SUV-like body parts to the next generation MINI looks, with contrasting black plastic wheelarches and underbody protection, as well as integrated roof rails, a raised ride height and chunky wheels and tyres. Backing up the concept's brawny looks is a new four-wheel drive chassis of which little is yet known.

The interior of the Crossover concept is a logical, future-looking evolution of the current MINI style, though the dashboard is simplified by grouping a lot of the controls into the 'MINI Centre Globe', which can be divided into two distinct screens for the driver and front passenger. The driver also has a track ball built into the spoke of the steering wheel to access a variety of controls.

MINI has admitted that the Crossover concept previews its next series production model, though expect a more conventional layout when it arrives later in 2009. Four-wheel drive is likely to feature, as are conventional rear doors. It's also likely that this larger new platform will underpin the next generation of MINI hatch.

Shane O' Donoghue - 10 Sep 2008