It's a five-door Mini, but not as you might expect. This long-awaited version of the Mini, previewed in Frankfurt two years ago, has asymmetric doors, plus a split-door at the rear. It's a stylish version of this baby BMW and the unique bodystyle will definitely add to its premium positioning in the small car sector.

In the flesh it looks rather long and thin, the contrasting color on the rear corner possibly added to reduce this effect. In addition, the roof features bulges at the outer edges that conspire to make the roof look visually heavy in some views. The new rear end is also very busy looking: rather like Noah's ark, there's a progression of 2x2 elements that creep down the tail. Two doors, two wipers, two 'fridge-like' door handles, two exhausts on Cooper S versions and, of course, two colors: silver or black pillars and roof, depending on body color. The split-door opening is ingenious however. To allow as wide an opening as possible, the hinges are positioned outboard of the tail lamps and each door closes around the lamp unit.

The freestyle door is on the right-hand side only - curbside for most countries, driver's side for UK and Japan. This 'clubdoor' is very narrow looking and, when you realize it contains a thick B-pillar too, the actual window contained within it is more like a slot. Functionally, it's quite useful, as it aids entry to the more generous rear seat (the wheelbase is extended by 80mm). It also allows small items such as a bag or laptop to be easily stowed onto the rear seat and it gives unrestricted access for 'larger' front occupants. Other new features include brake regeneration and Auto Start-Stop that reduces CO2 emissions to just 109g/km on the diesel version.

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In an age of ever-more complex BMWs, there's a simplicity to this car that's attractive. The scale of the car, plus its combination of 1 Series form language and upright rear screen combine to make it strongly reminiscent of the much-loved 2002, a car that also featured strong bone lines in the bodysides, frameless doors and slim pillars.

The basic front end of the car up to the B-pillar is standard three-door 1 Series except for a new front bumper design and the rear overhang is extended by 133mm to provide a decent trunk - larger than the hatchback and extendable via a 60/40 split folding rear seat as on the hatchback. Seen against a 3 Series coupe it's smaller and less elegant, with a dumpy rear end and relatively tall glasshouse but it's still a genuine four-seater car, albeit with very cramped rear seats. The rear end is the most uncomplicated of any current BMW, with no complex surfacing and conventional linear rear lamps that are inverted versions of those on the 3 Series coupe, with the L-shaped extensions onto the trunklid at the base rather than on top.

The model line-up comprises two diesels, a 120d with 177PS and a very powerful 123d with 204PS. Flagship is the 135i with a 3-liter twin turbocharged 6-cylinder gasoline engine with 306PS, the first time this powerplant has been fitted in a 1 Series. Perfect for rich college kids who've outgrown their Civic coupes.

Citroen's second concept shown at Frankfurt couldn't be more different from the C-Cactus shown alongside. The C5 Airscape is an elegant 4-seat coupe cabriolet in the mould of a BMW or Audi cabrio. In terms of design strategy, it has two functions: to give a teaser as to the direction of a forthcoming C5 replacement and to show a new level of premium quality for the Citroen brand. The side view is flowing and elegant, with a long chrome doorhandle that extends onto the rear fender. This adds length to the bodyside and visually extends the door to reduce the space to the rear wheel. A second chrome line in the lower door has a similar lengthening effect and takes one's eye away from the unusually deep doors that extend into the sill area - unusual for a soft-top.

The front end looks production-ready, with the usual broad chevron upper grille flanked by slim boomerang-shaped headlamps that now include a stepped-down section containing a pair of LED strips. The lower grille sees a change of direction for Citroen concepts, with a smiley U-shaped mouth rather than the inverted trapezoid shapes that have now become too associated with Ford.

The roof is interesting for several reasons. The folding roof is covered in a brown mohair fabric - but actually consists of two rigid panels - and the windscreen hides the header rail under the glass, with a second glass panel at the front of the folding roof that extends the graphic into the roof (like the Picasso MPV). Finally the rear window is lightly concave at the base, like the C6. The rear has overtones of a BMW 3 Series cabrio, especially the main surfaces and tail lamps, albeit one that's been pumped up and softened somewhat. Seats are covered in brown leather with chunky box pleats and a neat center 'watchstrap' of offset pleats that can be admired when the roof is lowered.

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