Before the last The BMW i3 is about to roll off the production line in Leipzig, Germany, not even cooled down, sister brand Mini is hitting the market with what looks like new entry-level EVs from the BMW Group. The company is getting started with this product, the Mini Aceman, which also revealed a new design direction for the brand.
The Aceman is not only the brand’s first all-electric crossover, but also the first Mini built on a dedicated electric architecture. This means it doesn’t hurt to have to try and fit electric motors and extensive wiring into spaces originally designed to house internal combustion machinery. That makes it totally unlike 2020 Mini electricity (known as Cooper SE in the US), built on an appropriate form of internal combustion engine type. This new electric architecture, as well as the car itself, will not be produced in Germany or the UK, but in China by Great Wall Motor for the Mini, another first for the brand.
Mini says this Aceman concept car unveiled today in Dusseldorf, an 80 percent true crossover SUV with a final production design will land on the road in 2024. The car will sit between the Cooper and The brand’s Countryman, despite being just over 13 feet long and just under 6.5 feet wide, it’s practically the same size as the current Countryman (which makes it clear that the Countryman is going to get bigger and bigger in a single revamp. Upcoming). Interestingly, the Aceman’s rugged, boxy aesthetic makes the car appear larger than it actually is when you see it with your own eyes.
Mini, which has sold 302,000 vehicles worldwide in 2021, expects half of sales in 2027 to be electric, and it plans to introduce its final internal combustion engine model in 2025.
Aceman’s “two-box” design with short overhangs gives the car more space for passengers and luggage without giving it too much legroom – despite being a four-door sedan with a trunk (but no furniture) and seats for five people. The glass is fitted flat with body panels that improve aerodynamics, while the old chrome trim has been wisely removed for a more minimalist look. Wide body wraps, rounded wheel arches, larger wheels and a custom roof rack round out the concept’s crossover feel.
Like many other EVs, the Aceman’s center grille is closed, because the electric motor doesn’t need cooling. Instead, here Mini has added matrix LED units built into the animable upper for seemingly no other reason than that it’s doable and can be used to “welcome the occupants”. In fact, the lamp design is one of the car’s standout starting points, as the Mini has ditched its iconic round lights for a more contoured shape that follows the contours of the bodywork.
