MINI ACEMEN IS THE CONCEPT OF THE FUTURE

MINI ACEMEN – The new MINI family is coming together. The British manufacturer unveils the MINI Concept Aceman, an early look at the new design of its next model generation. MINI’s design and technical improvements may be seen in this concept car, which outlines the brand’s trademark driving experience of the future. For the first time, the MINI Cooper with the famous three-door body style, which has been reinterpreted several times during its 60-plus-year existence, will be joined by a crossover vehicle in the next model generation.

Exterior Design: MINI ACEMEN

This style is defined by the complete user experience of light, movement, interactivity, and music, in addition to the clear and simplified external and interior design. Knitted recycled textile surfaces with new colour contrasts merge with seamless digital controls and a new OLED display as the core interface. This all adds up to a one-of-a-kind interior experience that is unmistakably MINI. A practical two-box design with low overhangs maximises person and luggage room on a little surface area.

The MINI Concept Aceman sports four doors and a huge boot lid, with space for five people inside. The iconic three-way body partition, all-around window graphics, and roof are reworked. The aerodynamic qualities are enhanced by a flush transition between the vehicle body and glass surfaces. The MINI Concept Aceman’s simple and minimal design eliminates the chrome trim around the corners that were prominent in previous model versions. Wide body surrounds, powerfully shaped wheel arches, wide wheels, a stunning roof rack, and front and rear valance sections fashioned as underride protection highlight the robust all-around attributes of a crossover vehicle for urban driving enjoyment. The MINI Concept Aceman’s upright front clearly declares its presence.

The radiator grille element in the vehicle’s centre is surrounded by transparent surfaces, with the conventionally hexagonal design streamlined into an octagonal contour. The light green LED contour lighting gives a stunning light signature in both daytimes running lights and night design. The daylight running light’s continuous contour illumination emphasises its independence. The curve of the lights extends to the surfaces of the bonnet’s exterior sections. This emphasises their individuality even more. The wheel arches have flat and mathematically sculpted surfaces, similar to the bonnet.

This, too, is a representation of the new MINI design style’s clarity. The body’s tight surfaces are similarly structured by precise edges. The clean external surface design is paired with trademark details that emphasise attention to detail while also adding a MINI twist. The distinctive vertical MINI rear lights stand out against the clear, horizontal surfaces. They also have matrix LED units, as does the radiator grille element at the front of the car and the inside of the headlights, allowing for various lighting situations depending on the environment.

“The MINI Concept Aceman provides an initial glimpse of a completely new vehicle, bridging the space between the MINI Cooper and the MINI Countryman in the model family’s future.”

Stefanie Wurst, MINI Brand Head

Interior Design

The inside of the MINI Concept Aceman is similarly dominated by a simplified design with clean shapes and well-produced details. It mixes cutting-edge technology with fresh interpretations of classic MINI design elements. The cockpit of the concept car is continually pared down to the minimal essentials, precisely like the creator of the iconic MINI intended in 1959.

Alec Issigonis created a cabin that, aside from the seats, steering wheel, and gear lever, required just a central circular instrument and toggle switch bar to provide unrivalled driving enjoyment. The wide-open and softly curved surfaces of the door panels and dashboard create a large sense of space. The huge panoramic glass top of the MINI Concept Aceman creates a light-filled environment.

When looking up at the sky from the interior, the glass surface is patterned by the roof rack’s transverse and diagonal struts, whose construction picks up on the Union Jack flag motif. The dashboard is a flat design piece that stretches over the whole width of the cabin in front of the driver’s and front passenger’s seats and is fashioned like a soundbar.

The MINI Concept Aceman interior’s smooth knitted textile surfaces offer a contemporary and cosy ambience. The dashboard is linked by a support structure that, like the roof rack, features the Union Jack pattern, emphasising the coherence of outside and internal design.

“In the interior of the MINI Concept Aceman, we have concentrated on a simplistic appearance in combination with premium materials and welcoming colours. Digitisation enables us to make do with few operating elements and at the same time to 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.”

Oliver Heilmer