The Aceman showcases design and technology innovations Mini says will define the brand in the future.
The new design language, called Charismatic Simplicity, reduces complexity in a way that Mini says serves to better highlight the brand’s traditional characteristics.
Details such as the closed-in grille, flush-fitting windows and smooth body surfaces also help to improve aerodynamics and increase range.
Mini has kept a link to the brand’s British heritage with references to the Union Jack flag, for example in the top half of the closed off grille, in the shape of the bars on the roof rack and in the shape of the taillights.
The crease in the bodywork linking the A-pillar to the front wheel arch is a nod to the welding seam seen on the original Mini.
The interior is said to include “the bare essentials” in a further link to the original low-cost Mini launched in 1959.
The round central display is retained as a touchscreen with just five controls underneath. “Digitalization allows us to get along with a minimal operating concept and at the same time maximize the experience,” Oliver Heilmer, head of Mini design, said in the statement.
The infotainment uses the latest generation Mini Operating System built on Google’s Android Open Source Project (AOSP) software stack that Mini says allows for a much wider range of digital features, including moving image projections.
The headlights and radiator grille element, central screen and projections work together in “precisely orchestrated harmony,” Mini said. Anyone approaching the car is “tracked by a cloud of light” that gets brighter as they get closer, while a sound is broadcast.
The interior is leather-free and uses a range of colorful fabrics including knitted textiles to create “a modern and homely atmosphere,” the company said.
The Aceman will be revealed publicly at the Gamescom 2022 gamer trade fair in Cologne, Germany. The fair starts Aug. 24.
