MINI’s Paceman concept vehicle was confirmed for production almost immediately after it was revealed back in January at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, and now we have an official patent sketch of the production version that was obtained from the European Patent Office.

The image reveals that the production version of the Paceman concept, essentially a three-door MINI Countryman with a sloped roof, will stay true to the lines of the original concept. It also appears that the production version will feature the same cap-style roof as seen on the recently revealed MINI Cooper Coupe, albeit an elongated version of it.

With this three-door model, and the original Countryman, MINI will be able to better compete with the Range Rover Evoque, which itself comes in both three- and five-door configurations.

When it lands, expect the new MINI to feature a similar engine lineup to that of the Countryman, including both naturally aspirated and turbocharged 1.6-liter units. A high-performance John Cooper Works model is almost a certainty.

Considering MINI’s relatively fast turnaround time for development of a production model from the concept stage, we could expect to see this new MINI crossover as early as next year, possibly with a debut at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show.

To see more of the leaked patent images, follow the jump below.

[Carscoop]