Farnborough, England - With the new Mini Aceman Concept, the British carmaker is ushering in a new design language and technological approach that will influence future models.
But if you tone down some of the more outlandish design details, what you see here is essentially a close preview of a new SUV model that will slot between the current Mini hatch and Countryman.
Measuring 4050mm in length, the Aceman design study is 250mm shorter than the latter, more of a Mini in other words, and that can’t be a bad thing. Take a closer look at the concept in the video below:
This is also the company’s first all-electric SUV. Mini is not speaking power or range just yet, but the new vehicle architecture will surely incorporate improved batteries that will take it further on a charge than the current Cooper SE electric car, which has a claimed range of 215km.
While the concept’s colourful interior resembles a child’s play area, it’s likely that the showroom version will be toned down just a tad, while retaining some of the basic proportions and design elements that we see here.
The cockpit is dominated by the characteristic central ‘clock’ and for the first time it is being presented as a completely round OLED display. This incorporates a brand new graphic display as well as attractively designed widgets, Mini says. There are also various personal modes which promise a fun and entertaining graphic experience, including “experience-rich navigation with surprising moments”.
The carmaker is promising a completely new operating system for the production model, which will be built on the Android Open Source Project software stack.
In keeping with the more sustainable times, the interior is free of both leather and chrome, which are replaced by eco-friendly textile materials.
“In the interior of the Mini Concept Aceman, we have concentrated on a simplistic appearance in combination with premium materials and welcoming colours,” said Mini design boss Oliver Heilmer. “Digitisation enables us to make do with few operating elements and at the same time maximise the experience in a way that is characteristic of Mini. The entire design is all about offering occupants a holistic experience in the interior space.”
Look out for the production version of the Mini Aceman Concept around 2024.