2012 Mini Cooper"countrymans Sport" on 2040-cars

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Car designer Frank Stephenson wants to show you something ... smaller

Influential car designer Frank Stephenson has often thought small. Now he’s thinking smaller. Throughout the past three decades, he has shaped — literally — some of the most indelible designs in automotive history: the modern Mini, the Ferrari FXX track star, the Maserati Gran Sport, a range of stunning McLarens and down to the funky 21st-century version of the Fiat 500. Now heÂ’s turned his pen to fashioning watches. His Cosmos analog piece, made to mirror “a black hole in space” and detailed “with an orange pinstripe which simulates the supernova glow of a neutron star,” features a Japan-built quartz movement and was created in concert with the Time Concepts company. “ItÂ’s the age-old adage ‘car people are watch people,Â’ so it was a natural step for me to get creative with timepieces too,” Stephenson said in a statement. “The collection showcases the love I have for exceptional and emotionally charged design, just like what is required in designing world class cars.” While Stephenson, who is 64, may be best known publicly for his vision of “affordable style” with the Mini and the Fiat, his ethos also translated to the utilitarian. In the case of BMW in the mid-1990s, the company was hustling to market an SUV, and turned to him for inspiration. His team had six months to complete the project. The result was the high-end X5, which Stephenson sketched during a two-hour flight. In 2018, Stephenson established the independent design company, Frank Stephenson Design, based in London. Related video: Design/Style BMW Ferrari Fiat Maserati McLaren MINI Gadgets watch frank stephenson

Mini unveils new, stripped down logo

Quirky British marque Mini is going with a ... less-than-quirky logo redesign, unveiling a "flat design" that it says is intended to focus on the essentials. It replaces the three-dimensional white-on-black logo that first appeared in 2000. Gone are the three-dimensional style, shading, gray tones and gray-on-black name of the previous version in favor of a stark contrast of black lines and the all-caps Mini name against a white background. It keeps the wings, which first featured on the iconic cars in the early 1960s, according to the Logos History blog, which has a comprehensive collection of logos stretching back to the brand's origins in 1959 under the British Motor Corp. and the Austin and Morris brand names. It also bears a visual similarity to the logo introduced during the mid-'90s. We're not saying the new logo was designed on an old PC using MS Paint, but it looks like it could've been. Parent BMW Group says the new logo combines stylistic elements from the early phases of the classic Mini "with a future-oriented appearance that focuses on the essentials" and a two-dimensional look "allowing universal application." (Meaning, cheaper to produce?) It'll appear on all new Mini models starting in March on the bonnet, the rear, at the center of the steering wheel and on the remote control.Related Video: Image Credit: BMW Group Design/Style MINI Coupe Sedan branding logo bmw group

Mini lineup could expand to include up to 10 models, still no hope for Rocketman

During an event in Ponce, Puerto Rico last week where Mini introduced members of the media to the 2013 Paceman and John Cooper Works GP, product planners discussed that the brand's lineup could expand to eventually include up to 10 bodystyles. Currently, the Mini range consists of seven models: the Hardtop, Clubman, Convertible, Countryman, Coupe, Roadster and Paceman.
Speaking to members of the media, David Duncan, Mini USA sales manager, said that these new models could fall into a range of niches - "any segment that makes sense for a small car." No specific vehicle classes were discussed, but Duncan stated that the possibilities are endless, "as long as we're the smallest player in any segment."
Well, nearly endless. We've been hoping that Mini would re-think its decision to nix plans to create a vehicle smaller than the Hardtop - a notion previewed by the excellent Rocketman concept (shown above) from the 2011 Geneva Motor Show - but the automaker once again stated that this is absolutely off the table. In order to create a vehicle of the Rocketman's size, a completely new platform would have to be engineered (that's expensive), and while Mini has looked into acquiring existing architecture from another brand, parent company BMW has reportedly put the kibosh on such an act. If a Rocketman is ever to be born, BMW/Mini will do it on its own, and right now, that simply isn't in the cards.