The new Mini Aceman is supposed to be the future of design for Mini. It is more minimalist, boxier, and more tech loaded. Also, it runs on Android! Although this is a concept, the production version of the Aceman would be ready by 2024. Here’s an overview of the Aceman EV.
The Outside
The MINI Aceman EV Concept marks a change in the MINI Design language. While the overall shape and proportions might remind you of a MINI, there are distinct differences here. For one, MINI was not scared to use more boxy lines in this car. The wheel arches are asymmetric and compliment the light colour of this vehicle very well.
Also gone are the chrome handles. They are been replaced by passive door handles. You now slide your hand within to open the door. More changes also involve the tapering of the roof and the car’s rear.
With EVs, the focus has been very high on aerodynamics, and hence MINI has made these design decisions in the name of aero efficiency. These wheels look absolutely sick on this EV crossover. However, we cannot expect them to be on the final production vehicle, as is the tradition.
The front of the Aceman again very MINI, but has been stripped down to the bare minimum. Instead of the big “Eyes” of the MINI face, we now have an LED outline, which is filled inside with matrix LEDs. Matrix LEDs might as well have been the most expensive part of this vehicle simply because this car is littered with these LEDs.
For starters, the car’s bumper is lined with them, which can display the Union Jack or light up as you walk near them. The aforementioned LED fillers also light up if you go near them, adding another element of perceived awareness in this car. A green light strip also outlines the “grille” and can light up parts of itself when you go near it.
In contrast to the light show at the front, the rear is done very simply, yet tastefully. Once again the taillights are Matrix LEDs, and can show a variety of shapes. In their default brake light setting they will show the Union Jack, which the company seems to have embraced more under its current German ownership, interestingly.
But from this angle you can really appreciate how boxy the lower half of this car really is. It is a big departure for MINI whose design are synonymous with smooth and curvy.
The Inside
The Aceman EV’s design is very different from anything we have ever seen. Contrary to the usual, there is not a single bit of leather in here as a nod to the sustainability factor. Also, the seats are made out of cloth material and of course, have a part of the Union Jack stitched onto them. There are various textures that can be felt in this car. Alcantara and other types of cloth fibres make this car’s interior very playful and fun to be inside.
Now, let us get into the displays. There is a central, circular OLED display that is very reminiscent of a Moto 360 smartwatch. While that smartwatch ran Android Wear, this head unit runs off a custom MINI skin built over the Android open source codebase.
I think this shift in the codebase is an even more significant shift than the design language of the car. MINI is now another manufacturer who is now basically using Google’s software. Although do note that Google does not have any partnership or monetary involvement here. It’s just that Google has been the biggest contributor to the codebase and hence holds a significant say on how the codebase, and as a result MINI’s software stack will progress with time.
Anyway, moving on with the playfulness factor, the entire dashboard of the Aceman is essentially one big screen. More importantly this “Screen” is tied in with the infotainment. So the actions in the infotainment will reflect on the dashboard. This is a really cool way to do this, and I would have to assume this dashboard display is how the speedometer and other information will be shown.
The Rest
We don’t have much information on the motor specifications or battery sizes. But one can take a guess and say that from previous models, it will not be a surprise if the Aceman comes kitted with a 40-50kWh battery.
Now for the main question. Who is this for? Considering the minimalist design, and the fact that they are first demoing the car at GamesCom 2022, it’s pretty clear that they are targetting the tech-forward audience. All the nifty features, material choices and design choices show that this is for a completely different audience than the usual MINI customers.
Every company now wants a piece of the “tech guy customer” pie. It will be interesting to see if the Aceman will be able to garner the attention of its target audience. After all, it still needs to nail the range and driving experience. But design-wise, both interior and exterior, there isn’t a cuter and more playful concept out there!
