Paris motor show - Mini Crossover

Forget the concept car moniker, you will be able to buy this Mini Crossover in 2010.

Mini reckons it's all about getting new types of buyer into the brand, and the Crossover is certainly the biggest Mini to date at 4.0 metres long and 1.6 metres tall.

Unlike other Minis this, one will be made in Austria rather than Britain, and will have four-wheel drive (although it won’t really be up to any serious off-roading).

The boot is hinged on the side but there’s only one door, which means rear visibility is much improved over the Clubman.

All four seats are individual, so the two in the rear can be adjusted independently of each other – as much 13cm backwards and forwards.

Inside, the instruments and driver information are displayed in a dash-centre 'globe', which can be split so that the front passenger can, say, surf the web while the driver uses other functions.