Mini Beachcomber still under evaluation

The Mini Beachcomber concept car is still under evaluation for production although meeting crash protection regulations is proving a significant stumbling block.

The Moke-inspired concept car was unveiled at the Detroit motor show in 2010, but plans to sell the car have so far been thwarted by its minimalist styling, and particularly its open sides.

'From a crash protection point-of-view its not proving easy,' said BMW Group director of sales and marketing Ian Robertson.

'We have looked at some sort of side impact protection, but that kind of defeats the object of the car. But it has not been ruled out for production.'