The next generation of MINI vehicles are currently in development and will showcase the brand’s new ‘Charismatic Simplicity’ design language, which will be presented in the form of a concept study set to debut at the end of July this year.
According to the carmaker, the upcoming show car will be an all-electric crossover that serves as a preview of the new design direction the company will be taking. We also get a teaser image to go long with the announcement, which depicts a vehicle with angular lines, door-mounted side mirrors, a roof rack and a deceptively low profile.
MINI says its new models will be given a “strong individual character of its own” with a “clear, reduced design language.” This focus on just the essentials will extend from the exterior to the interior, both of which will feature materials that are sustainable. As such, the use of chrome components will be “almost zero,” while leather will be banished entirely.
The new MINI model generation will be built on a platform that has been developed from the start with electric powertrains in mind. This allows for a different approach to vehicle design, allowing engineers and designers to create ideal combinations of a small footprint and available interior space.
“Purely electrically powered models from MINI give us a unique opportunity to rethink our design. At the same time, we retain the attention to detail, sense of tradition and passion for innovation that MINI is renowned for,” said Oliver Heilmer, head of MINI Design.
The cockpit of these future models will not sacrifice usability in the pursuit of minimalism either. For example, the OLED (organic light-emitting diode) technology for the fully digital display and control unit, as presented in the MINI Vision Urbanaut, will allow more functions to be squeezed into a single control unit.
This is presented in the archetypal MINI circular central instrument in the middle of the dashboard, the company says. Even with the fancy tech, analogue controls such as the toggle switches below the central interface will be retained to provide an emotional experience typical of MINI.
In addition to the unnamed concept study, MINI previously showed off prototypes of the fourth-generation 3-Door in March and confirmed that a third-generation Countryman is on its way – both will come with purely electric drive.
GALLERY: 2023 MINI 3-Door EV prototype
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Isn’t Countryman a crossover or they’d forgot that it existed in their catalogue?
obviously this is the next gen countryman then
The Countryman wasn’t intended to be an EV when it was first designed. I guess MINI wanted an all-new platform and therefore an all-new model lineup for their models that are designed from the ground up to be EVs.
It is more likely that the next gen Countryman will share the all-new BMW X1 underpinings, including the EV version, which will be an iX1 with a MINI body.
A platform developed with EVs in mind does not necessarily mean designed to be exclusively to be for EVs, it can mean a platform that can have both ICE and EV versions.
https://paultan.org/2022/06/01/2022-bmw-x1-debuts-petrol-and-diesel-versions-xdrive30e-phev-gets-326-hp-477-nm-89-km-ev-range/
https://paultan.org/2022/06/01/2022-bmw-ix1-revealed-all-electric-u11-in-xdrive30-form-with-awd-313-ps-494-nm-up-to-438-km-range/
Thanks for clarifying, Paul. That’s helpful to know.
They should have designed a mini van, like vw’s ID buzz. But with awd like mitsubishi delica.