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Mini's not-so-mini Urbanaut minivan concept comes to life

BMW-owned Mini showcased one way it could branch out into new segments when it unveiled the Vision Urbanaut concept in late 2020. At the time, the design study existed merely in a series of digital renderings. It hasn't been approved for production yet, but it was recently transformed into a real concept car that people can experience. Executives argued the idea of an electric Mini minivan isn't as far-fetched as it might sound. "We have developed an idea of how we can take the Mini attributes — as here, with the focus on the clever use of space — into the future of mobility and interpret them in a typically Mini way," said company boss Bernd Korber. Clever use of space was the original Mini's claim to fame thanks in part to an ingenious drivetrain layout, and the Urbanaut takes it to a new level. Longer than a Countryman and shaped like the box it came in, it offers a lounge-like cabin that can be configured in a variety of different ways depending on the number of passengers it's carrying, and whether someone is driving. Mini created three profiles called Chill, Wanderlust, and Vibe, respectively. Chill lets the passengers relax, work, or sleep with minimal distractions while the Urbanaut drives itself. In this mode, the instruments and switches on the dashboard are hidden out of sight to make users feel like they're in a living room, not in a car. Wanderlust allows passengers to choose whether they want to drive or be driven. Vibe may as well be called Party; it configures the Urbanaut's lights and screens to make users feel like they're in a club. Alternatively, users can configure their own driving profile thanks to a feature named My Moment. While the Urbanaut doesn't look like a traditional Mini, it will (hopefully) smell like one. For the first time, Mini is linking its brand identity to a fragrance. We can't convey a smell over the internet, there's not an app for that yet, but we're told it is refreshing and discreet. It's accompanied by a welcome sound that greets users as they enter the cabin. Mini will present the Urbanaut concept to the public for the first time at the Digital-Life-Design (DLD) Summer Conference opening July 1 in Munich, Germany. What happens next hasn't been revealed yet. While we'd be surprised to see it land in showrooms, something like it could zig-zag across major cities in the coming years. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Meet the Mini Urbanaut concept: an autonomous Mini minivan

If car designers are to be believed, the future of fully-autonomous electric vehicles is the box. Whether it's squared-off or rounded, it seems many autonomous concept vehicles are vans meant to efficiently carry people and stuff, or be a new living space. And that's the case with the Mini Urbanaut concept, just on a smaller scale. The Urbanaut measures in at 14.6 feet long, which is a little more than 2 feet shorter than a Toyota Sienna. But if it were put into production, it would be the biggest Mini on sale at roughly half a foot longer than the Countryman, and easily as tall if not taller (Mini didn't provide an exact height). It takes the one-box shape close to its extremes, similar to a VW Bus, which itself is seeing an electric revival. At the front, an aluminum grille inspired by the current Mini grille hides LED lights for illumination and communication, and taillights get similar aluminum coverings. The wheels are translucent and illuminated. There are cutouts that are inspired by the Union Jack flag. The Urbanaut features two particularly unusual design choices, though. The first is that it has a single sliding door for interior access. The second is that one of the C-pillars is actually a sort of display case that can store a variety of souvenirs or other trinkets. Isn't that cute? The interior has seating for four, with a rear bench and conventional bucket seat at the front for the driver next to a sort of jump seat. The driver seat can swivel to face the front for manual driving, or to face the middle for parked or autonomous modes. In between the rows of seats is a table with a decorative plant as well as the main instrument display and infotainment interface. The screen is round, a callback to old Mini instruments and the current cars' center infotainment binnacle. The idea is that the Urbanaut would primarily be used in autonomous or parked modes with occupants facing toward the middle. There is, however, a secondary display that activates at the front when the car is in manual driving mode. The interior has a number of nifty party tricks. There's a ceiling section above the rear seats called the "Loop" that has animated illumination behind a fabric covering. The dashboard lowers at the front in the stationary mode to create a daybed. The windshield can open up, too, when parked. Different vehicle modes are accessed by placing the key fob, called the "Mini Token," in the corresponding slot.

The original Mini Cooper still has universal appeal

It sold over five million units. It was voted the second most influential car of the last century, bested only by the pioneering Ford Model T. It counted among its owners Steve McQueen, Enzo Ferrari and Peter Sellers. It is the classic Mini.
The tiny, two-box, four-seat hatch is an automotive icon of the first order and it's high time it featured in an episode of Petrolicious. Of course, the video gurus did it right, filming this handsome 1971 Mini, which has been modified to accommodate the 1,275-cc four-cylinder from the Mini Cooper S of the time.
Its owner, Sumner Norman, describes life with his right-hand-drive, UK-spec Mini. Naturally, he points out some of the idiosyncrasies inherent with a car built under the guise of British Leyland, including some of well known reliability woes, which he says is the car "going British." Mostly, though, he just seems to have a good time with the little hatch.