Mini Pocket Rocket : Marius Burghardt

MINI POCKET ROCKET

MINI POCKET ROCKET is an urban vision by Marius Burghardt, heavily inspired by urban culture and trends and a possible changing downtown city environment of the future. 

The core idea was to translate the feeling of 50cc scooter culture which can be seen all over European metropolitan cities into a small sub 3m long MINI Vision. 

MINI is the perfect brand for such an experiment with its iconic roots in rally racing, giving its rebellious heritage against the big players of the racing seen but also its cultural relevance in the big cities of Europe. 

Another inspiration for this project came from the iconic HotWheels Flipper cars, with its wheels in the corners, allowing the user to have to different cars in one. 

I took inspiration from that, thinking about new possible parking and storage solutions for small urban cars of the future. 

The big ball likes wheels in the corners allowing MINI Pocket Rocket to dock autonomously onto the vertical parking elements, removing the car from the streets and connecting it more with the city environment. Almost like parking away your bike in a storage unit. These vertical parking units also function as charging stations. 

By pushing the driver capsule in, the parked car will sit flush with the building facade or allow a more efficient parking for underground parking slots. 

If you know the iconic PEZ dispensers you will see the connection there. 

The design draws from very recognizable design cues, like the capsule being the race helmet, the front window being an actual reversible glasses and the motocross style sun visor. 

I did not want to take inspiration and change it up to fit an automotive design language but actually try to use it almost one to one into the design so people will always immediately see the connection. 

Overall the MINI POCKET ROCKET should describe a hang loose, playful feeling, envisioning the two worlds of MINI. The rebellious and individuality promoting world but also the world of MINI being a relevant mobility product for the cities of the future. 

About Designer

Marius Burghardt, 25 year old designer born in Toronto, Canada. Grew up in Germany, finishing my bachelors degree in Pforzheim as an automotive designer. Past experiences: BMW Designworks, MINI Design, Land Rover Design, Citroen Design.