2023 Mini 3-door hatch spotted out in the open

In the past few months, the rumor mill surrounding the upcoming next-generation 2023 Mini Cooper was in full force. This was understandable because according to Mini itself, the said model will be receiving a big change, if not, the most drastic redesign since the brand’s revival 21 years ago. 

The camouflaged 2023 Mini Cooper 3-door hatchback prototype

To that end, many spot shots were spread around the internet, and many were speculating on what specs and powertrain this car is getting. 

But while an official spec sheet is still a ways off, undisguised photos of the 2023 Mini Cooper three-door hatch had surfaced just this month. According to reports, these can be traced back to Chinese social media then it quickly spread out on numerous publications and social media sites. 

Of course, the 2023 Mini Cooper still gets to keep the marque's signature round headlamps

As for the car itself, it still bears the familiar round-shaped pair of headlamps but the grille eschews the familiar black color and instead uses the same color as the car’s body. It then gets the same side profile complete with a floating roof design, but it looks like it's getting shorter overhangs than the current model. 

Another big change to the upcoming Mini Cooper’s design can also be found on the rear of the car. For starters, the taillights with the Union Jack design element are now gone. Instead, it gets a pair of triangle-shaped lamps which to us looks similar to the eyes on Spiderman’s mask. It also gets a black-colored trim piece spanning the car’s rear.  

The uncamouflaged 2023 Mini Cooper from the rear 

Besides the exterior, photos of the interior have also surfaced. The most striking thing about its interior is the round-shaped infotainment system. It also gets a clean and minimalistic looking overall cabin and dashboard design, though physical buttons for what looks like the climate controls are still present. 

The infotainment system looks like a bezel-less sheet of glass

As mentioned, not much is known about what will power the 2023 Mini Cooper. We do know though that an electric-powered variant is coming. As for combustion engines, we reckon that it's going to get the same four-cylinder and three-cylinder engines as the currently available third-gen Mini Cooper as well. 

Of note, a third-gen Mini Cooper EV called the Cooper SE or Mini Electric was launched just a year ago but it is not available locally. 

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