A hot new Mini Cooper S hatch leaked online

The 2015 MINI John Cooper Works hot hatch leaked online

The official images for the latest addition to the new MINI range: the hot John Cooper Works edition of the existing Cooper S hatch. A concept of the JCW hatch was seen at Detroit Motor Show at the start of 2014, and the production-ready version will debut at the same motor show in January.

It is ready to go on sale and the dramatic styling of the concept has been toned down slightly for release. Yet it’s still distinctly different from the Cooper S, with deeper side skirts and a new front bumper, as well as bespoke 17 inch alloy wheels. Inside, it’s usual MINI fare, with the addition of a sports steering wheel, racier pedals and instruments and red and black Alcantara seats.

Performance specs are unconfirmed, but rumours say the JCW’s 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine will get between 225 and 230bhp and increase of around 40bhp over the Cooper S. Peak torque will be around 320Nm, up 21Nm from the standard car.

The 0-62mph time is expected to be around 6.3 seconds with the six-speed manual gearbox, and even less if the option six-speed automatic is specified. The car should manage around 42mpg on the combined cycle too, thanks to a lighter kerbweight than the previous Mini John Cooper Works.