Spy Shots: All-wheel-drive Mini Cooper hybrid caught weathering the arctic
 

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/spyphotos/" rel="tag">Spy Photos</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/hybrids/" rel="tag">Hybrid</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/mini/" rel="tag">Mini</a></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/spy-shots-mini-cooper-hybrid-with-awd/"><img alt="hybrid mini cooper spy shot" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/03/02-mini-awd-hybrid-cp-630.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px 0px;" /></a><br />
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AWD Mini Cooper Hybrid Spy Shots - Click above for high-res image gallery</div>
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Once you've put <a href="http://green.autoblog.com/tag/mini+e/">an all-electric drivetrain</a> into a <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/mini">Mini</a> Cooper, is it that hard to hybridize one? Well, yes, especially since <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/bmw">BMW</a>'s limited testing program was intended to give the company information about a plug-in architecture. But our spy photographers have discovered what's believed to be the first Mini Cooper prototype fitted with a hybrid drivetrain.<br />
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The body certainly looks the same, but - as you can see in <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/spy-shots-mini-cooper-hybrid-with-awd/">our high-resolution gallery</a> - BMW has affixed a sticker in the window that clearly says "hybrid test vehicle." We don't know many details about the powertrain sitting under the bright red paint, but sources indicate that this is a through-the-road hybrid, with the front wheels powered by a normal engine and the rear wheels motivated by an electric motor. Things like displacement, total horsepower and battery size are all as mysterious as they ever were, but rumor has it - <a href="http://green.autoblog.com/2010/07/09/spy-shots-mini-clubman-hybrid/">no, really this time</a> - that a hybridized Mini will be available when the next-generation arrives in 2013.<br />
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<div class="postgallery"><p><s trong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/spy-shots-mini-cooper-hybrid-with-awd/">Spy Shots: Mini Cooper Hybrid with AWD</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/spy-shots-mini-cooper-hybrid-with-awd/#4007374"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/03/01-mini-awd-hybrid-cp_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/spy-shots-mini-cooper-hybrid-with-awd/#4007375"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/03/02-mini-awd-hybrid-cp_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/spy-shots-mini-cooper-hybrid-with-awd/#4007376"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/03/03-mini-awd-hybrid-cp_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/spy-shots-mini-cooper-hybrid-with-awd/#4007377"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/03/04-mini-awd-hybrid-cp_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/spy-shots-mini-cooper-hybrid-with-awd/#4007378"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/03/05-mini-awd-hybrid-cp_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br />
[Source: Carpix]<p style="padding:5px;backgr ound:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/28/spy-shots-all-wheel-drive-mini-cooper-hybrid-caught-weathering/">Spy Shots: All-wheel-drive Mini Cooper hybrid caught weathering the arctic</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblo g</a> on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 14:26:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/28/spy-shots-all-wheel-drive-mini-cooper-hybrid-caught-weathering/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19894299/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/28/spy-shots-all-wheel-drive-mini-cooper-hybrid-caught-weathering/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>

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