And The Next New MINI Will Be…

Envelope please: The rumor mill is churning out some big prospects about the MINI marque. Read at your own risk…

As we’ve just reported, the next model that was due out of the MINI stable was supposed to be the long-expected MINI SUV crossover, the Countryman. Forget that, as now it has been pushed back to 2011 at the earliest. But just because the Countryman production line has stopped temporarily doesn’t mean the MINI Rumor Mill has. Here’s what some on the Net are swearing to right now:

All-wheel drive will be the driving force behind the Countryman, powered by a diesel engine for the U.S. market.

And if that’s not off-roady enough for you, there’s this: There will be a revival of the indeterminate Moke. That’s right, the Moke, the Jeep-style MINI - named after the English slang word for Donkey - will be shown at an auto show (apparently, to be named later) sometime next year and it’s concept name shall be SpaceBox (although it will certainly look different than this monstrosity!).

There will also be a more mainstream concept built off the four-door R60 Countryman platform that is designed to compete with the likes of the Volkswagen GTI hatchback.

The Coupe and Roadster concepts seen at the Frankfurt Auto Show will be green-lighted and in show rooms by 2012.

In 2013, look for a complete re-design of the MINI hatchback that will include a three-cylinder engine.

And finally, this wing-dinger: BMW will share its breakthrough Efficient Dynamics engineering initiative with its smaller cousin, merging high style and hybrid technology; a unique blend of driving pleasure and fuel efficiency.

The BMW Vision concept car (shown here) that also debuted in Frankfurt wowed enthusiasts and engineers alike and seems ripe for production but, like everything you read here (and elsewhere) should be considered with a healthy dose of skepticism until we actually see reality set in.