Cute Wars, Mini's latest salvo in the city car battle

LONDON, England (CNN) -- The war of the cute city cars has heated up with the release of the first official pictures of the new Mini Clubman. The estate version of the iconic supermini will be available throughout Europe from November. The announcement comes a month after Fiat released details of its Mini competitor, the cute 500.

The original Mini, launched in 1959, came in a number of variants including station wagon and pickup body styles. This new estate shares the vertically-split tailgate of the original, with two doors opening outwards from the center. Confusion over trademark ownership means that the new Mini estate isn't known by its original name, "Traveller". Instead it is named "Clubman" after the long-nosed variant of the Mini intended to keep the model fresh through the 1970s.

The car was cheekily previewed at this year's Geneva motor show. Rather than taking an official stand at the show, a largely undisguised Clubman was driven through the streets of the Swiss city bearing the graffiti "stop staring at me" and "just teasing".

Engine and trim options will follow those of the standard Mini, there is no entry level "One" variant but there is a Cooper, Cooper D (Diesel) and a higher-performance Cooper S. The cars will be assembled at Oxford, England.

The Clubman is 24 cm longer and 2 cm taller than the standard hatch. Boot capacity, with the rear seats down, is 930 liters. As well as passenger and driver doors, there is a third rear-hinged door which can open when the main right-hand door has opened. This is to aid access for back seat passengers. But in the UK, one of Mini's most significant markets, this will mean the doors open out to the road rather than the sidewalk because traffic drives on the left.

Fuel economy is boosted by a brake energy regeneration and a stop-start system which cuts out the engine in congestion. And the rev counter indicates the optimal point to change gear to achieve maximum fuel economy.

Prices in Germany start at €19,800 for the MINI Cooper Clubman, €23,900 for the MINI Cooper S Clubman and €21,600 for the MINI Cooper D Clubman. UK prices are £14,235, £17,210 and £15,400 respectively. E-mail to a friend