Skip to main content

Geneva 2013: MINI promotes further personalization with Bond Street, Hyde Park editions

MINI Clubman Bond Street
Image used with permission by copyright holder

One of our favorite qualities about the MINI lineup is the brand’s belief in personalization.  Want a Union Jack plastered on your roof?  Go for it.  Want different caps on each of your side mirrors?  You got iy.  And what about giant silver, no, black, wait, gunmetal wheels?  Yeah, you can have those, too.  So, it comes as no surprise to us that MINI plans to show off a slew of customized cars in Geneva.

This year at the Geneva Motor Show, MINI’s booth will be home to three new trims: the Clubman Bond Street, the Hyde Park and the Highgate Convertible.  All three cars are designed to give off an aire of pomp and circumstance with a decidedly British kind of luxury.  Think MINIs fit for the Queen, and we’re on the same page.

The Clubman Bond Street is done up in black and gold (MINI calls it “Cool Champagne”), and the car is fitted with black wheels, too.  Inside, the dash is leather-wrapped, which is something we’ve only seen on the Rolls-Royce-designed Goodwood edition in the past.  The seats are also trimmed in black leather with champagne piping, giving the Bond Street a slightly uppity, yet totally MINI vibe.  The Hyde Park edition is available on both Clubman and standard Hardtop models, and wears many of the same features as the Bond Street, but in white.

On the other side of the floor will be the new Paceman, but in its JCW performance guise.  Think of the Paceman as a two-door version of the company’s Countryman compact crossover, now available with the John Cooper Works package.  JCW offers a new set of options to the new Paceman, ranging from turbo upgrades that boost the engine to 218 horsepower, custom paint, wheels, and several other go-fast goodies.

Check out our coverage of the Geneva Motor Show next week, where we’ll have more information on future MINI products.

Davis Adams
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Whether you're talking about gadgets or cars, Davis always seems to prefer "next year's models." He's a neophile to the core…
The Apple Car was reportedly dubbed ‘the Bread Loaf’
A man checks his phone in an Apple retail store in Grand Central Terminal.

A 2020 prototype of the so-called "Apple Car" was dubbed "the Bread Loaf" for its looks, according to a Bloomberg report on Wednesday.

In a deep dive into the costly project, which Apple canceled last month, the report described the vehicle as “a white minivan with rounded sides, an all-glass roof, sliding doors, and whitewall tires [that] was designed to comfortably seat four people and inspired by the classic flower-power Volkswagen microbus.”

Read more
The Rivian R2 SUV is up for preorder for only $45,000
Rivian R2

You can now get a Rivian without spending more than $70,000. After months of rumors and leaks, Rivian has finally taken the wraps off of the Rivian R2, its newest SUV, and the first to be built on the new Rivian R2 platform. The R2 is built to be Rivian's "Model 3 moment," or its attempt to build a car that's more accessible to the general public and thus could be sold at a much higher volume than the R1S or R1T ever were.

The R2 certainly cuts some corners to achieve the lower price point, but it actually still has a lot going for it -- especially as an electric SUV in this price range. It goes up against the likes of the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Mustang Mach-E, and Kia EV6, but it's much more of an SUV than a crossover-sized car and should appeal to those who want something larger and with Rivian's design sensibility.

Read more
The R3 is Rivian’s surprise electric crossover
Rivian R3

Rivian didn't just announce the R2 platform at its latest launch event -- in a surprise twist, it also announced the R3 crossover. The R3 is Rivian's smallest car yet, offering a size much closer to the likes of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 than the SUVs that came before it.

Of course, not only is the Rivian R3 smaller, but presumably, it's also cheaper. Rivian didn't reveal actual pricing for the car, but it did say that it would be less than the R2's $45,000 price. Also, it may be some time before we start seeing the R3 on the road -- the car will follow the R2, which isn't set to be available until the first half of 2026.

Read more