Scissor Door Mini Looks Sharp! - Easy Parking In Tight Spaces

By Henny Hemmes
Senior European Editor
The Auto Channel

MUNICH, April 1, 2016. Now the Mini community has another gimmick to talk about. Their beloved brand is offering Scissor Doors for the Mini 3-door, Paceman and Convertible models. As from September on, the option will also be available for the 2017 model years of the 5-door, Clubman and Countryman. The wing doors will costs 1,959 euro, in the US $ 1,995.

By opening vertically, the Scissor Doors offer a good solution in tight parking spots. The opening width of 1,930 mm/76 inches of the Mini 3-doors with this option is 30 per cent less than that of the standard doors (2,681 mm, or 105.5 inches). The Scissor Doors are electro-hydraulically activated via the standard remote control. In conjunction with Comfort Access, that is also an option, the doors can be opened and closed by pushing a button on the door handle, with the ignition key in the driver’s pocket or purse.

The door concept is fitted with several comfort features as standard and technical preparations for the installation of new technologies in the future, such as the possibility to open and close the doors via smartphone using the Mini Excitement App.

In order to achieve maximum safety, the wing doors not only feature highly rigid side impact protection elements,” says Malph Mahler, Head of Mini Production Innovations, “but also a pyrotechnical emergency opening system known as ‘Pyrotechnic Emergency Exit’, or PEE or KABOOM in the Middle East. Powerful air bag like propellants ensure that the doors are reliably blasted off within milliseconds in the event of an emergency, giving rescue workers fast access to passengers.

This new MINI was only available on April 1, 2015...April Fool!