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Mini teases one-box concept — a Mini-van

Mini appears poised to unveil its first van concept if this just-released teaser image is anything to go by. The brand showed a teaser image for the Vision Urbanaut on Twitter, calling the vehicle "an urban oasis." https://twitter.com/MINI/status/1328352146224418816?s=20 Mini previously offered a panel-van version of the Clubman, but the Urbanaut concept appears to be a much differerent one-box design. Its ultra-short frontal area suggests it does not utilize the current Mini platform. Instead, this is likely an EV, with its batteries packaged under the floor. The concept, then, could also debut a new dedicated EV platform for Mini. (Mini's current electric car, the Cooper SE, is a battery-powered version of the standard Mini hardtop.) Based on its profile, the Urbanaut concept does not appear to be a preview of any of the future models the brand has recently discussed. Those include two new crossovers, a BMW X1–sized model that revives the Paceman nameplate and a second entry built on BMW's RWD platform and possibly called Traveler. However, the brand also mentioned adding more EVs, and that could be where the Urbanaut fits in. Of course, the Urbanaut also could end up going nowhere, like the Rocketman concept that failed to launch. Still, a tiny-sized van does strike us as an intriguing and brand-correct new model for Mini — certainly more so than another large-ish crossover. We'll be interested to learn more about the Urbanaut. Related Video:

Mini will launch two additional crossovers to expand its footprint

Mini will maximize its global potential by releasing two crossovers during the 2020s, according to a recent report. The first will bolster the firm's electrification efforts, while the second will be positioned at the top of its range. The BMW-owned company's vast heritage makes expanding its presence in the crossover segment a tricky proposition, but executives believe they've blazed a way forward. The Countryman's first high-riding sibling will be an electric model developed jointly by Mini and China-based Great Wall Motors and built in the latter's home country. BMW announced the joint venture in late 2019, though it didn't specify which vehicle(s) it would build. Autocar learned the model, which could resurrect the Paceman nameplate, will be about as big as the current-generation X1, meaning it will slot slightly above the Countryman (pictured) in terms of size. It will arrive as a four-door soft-roader built on a platform developed through the joint venture, and it will benefit from a new generation of batteries manufactured without cobalt, an element mined in often-difficult conditions. Mini will dig even deeper into its past to name the second crossover it's working on. Executives favor the Traveller nameplate, which was introduced in 1960 on a Morris-badged version of the Austin Mini Countryman wagon. The model will inevitably become the poster child of the company's ongoing un-Minization process, but it should play a significant role in turning around its fortunes in key markets like the United States and China.  "The Countryman is a small SUV. In the United States and China, there are certain needs. We will look at a compact SUV in the next generation. There are lots of benefits with a car like that for urban use. For me, it's a good match," said Bernd Korber, the company's boss, in an interview with the magazine. Upsizing Mini's image will require borrowing the CLAR architecture currently found under BMW's X3, X4, X5, X6, and X7, though don't expect a jumbo-sized people-hauler masquerading as a city car. "We can stretch the interpretation of Mini always being the smallest, but I can't imagine being bigger in a segment. We need to fulfill a requirement on size," Korber stressed. It sounds like, size-wise, the Traveller may fall between the X1 and the X3. BMW's CLAR platform will make the Traveller the first Mini equipped with a longitudinally-mounted engine, and its first rear-wheel drive production car.

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.