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Mini Aceman concept previews a funky, flashy EV below Countryman

Mini has big plans for its future, and it all revolves around electrification and fun, funky design. Some of that has been shown with ambitious concepts such as the Mini Urbanaut micro-van, but now we're getting a look at what's coming soon with the Mini Aceman (a name curiously similar to the ill-fated two-door Paceman). It's still very much a show car at this point, but it does hint at a production electric SUV. The overall shape is clearly Mini. It's a boxy little thing with a contrasting roof, wraparound glass, fender flares, big headlights and a big grille. But everything is now beveled and angular. The grille has distinct sides, as do the headlights, which match the angles. The wheel arches are squared off, and the whole body has more chiseled panels. It gives the whole thing a more rugged shape than the usual Mini, which fits its crossover bodystyle and mission. And because it's an EV, it has a filled-in grille and flush door handles. All of these aspects are likely to show up in a production Aceman. Probably not appearing in the production model is the flashy LED grille that can display all kinds of colors and patterns. It's also matched with similarly animated puddle lights. We also doubt the production model will feature the bright orange covers over the external speakers that provide safety sounds but also welcome sequence sounds. The Union Jack taillights, though, those are probably happening, since they're already on the current production Mini lineup. That Union Jack roof rack wouldn't be out of the question either. Mini also noted that the production Aceman will slide between the Mini Hardtop and the Mini Countryman in the lineup. The size seems to back that up. It's about an inch longer than the four-door Mini Hardtop and about six inches taller. And all those numbers come in well below the bigger Countryman, save for height, which is similar. The interior is even more interesting than the exterior. Mini says they've applied the idea of "Charismatic Simplicity" to the car, and this is where it really shows. It has just a simple dash pad ahead of the funky green velour steering wheel, and mounted to it is a circular OLED touchscreen infotainment display. It continues the design idea laid out by the original Mini revival of the early 2000s, but very decluttered.

Mini pegs its future on crossovers, electric cars, and the Chinese market

Mini shed light on how its range of models will grow during the 2020s. It confirmed the longstanding rumors claiming it will expand its presence in the crossover segment, and it announced plans to launch more electric cars, including some that will be built in China through a joint-venture established with Great Wall Motors. Executives at the BMW-owned firm have approved what they describe as a realignment of the line-up that's primarily built on three pillars: electric technology, crossovers, and China. "Harnessing new target groups and sales markets will be crucially important for the future of Mini," stressed company boss Bernd Korber. As of writing, Mini's only entry into the crossover segment is the Countryman (pictured), which is well into its second generation, and its only electric car is a variant of the two-door Hardtop. It confirmed two more crossovers are in the pipeline. One is described as a being positioned in the small-car segment, and the other is billed as a compact model. The former will exclusively be available with an electric powertrain, while the latter will be offered with internal combustion engines, though some degree of electrification will almost certainly be available. Mini stopped short of providing concrete details about its future high-riders, and we don't know precisely when they'll be unveiled, but an earlier report sketches the outline of a battery-powered crossover that resurrects the Paceman nameplate and that's about as big as the BMW X1. Possibly called Traveler, or Traveller if product planners select the British spelling, the second model will reportedly ride on BMW's CLAR platform, meaning it will be the first Mini equipped with a longitudinally-mounted engine, and the brand's first rear-wheel drive car. Like its parent company, Mini realistically aims to give customers what it calls the power of choice. While electrification will spread across its line-up, it's not planning on phasing out gasoline- or diesel-burning engines in the near future. It pointed out internal combustion technology remains an ideal solution in some markets. Whether current members of the Mini range will be canned during the realignment is a point executives steered clear of. They confirmed the Countryman will sooner or later return for a third generation, but unverified rumors claim the open-top variant of the Hardtop will retire without a successor in February 2024.

BMW seeks partners for electric Mini, could make it an all-EV brand

LOS ANGELES — Germany's BMW is talking with other automakers "around the world" to try to find partners to lower the cost of electrifying its future Mini small cars, management board member Peter Schwarzenbauer told Reuters. "We are talking to many OEMs (manufacturers) around the world, not only in China, (about) how to electrify smaller cars," Schwarzenbauer said. "There's no final conclusion on it." Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor said last month it was discussing a possible venture to build Mini vehicles in China. BMW currently does not build Mini vehicles outside Europe. Schwarzenbauer declined to discuss the Great Wall situation, saying "this was speculation." However, he said building smaller electric cars was challenging, not only because of the financial costs, but also the engineering problem of fitting batteries with sufficient range into a smaller vehicle package. BMW has worked with rivals before to share the costs of clean vehicle technology. The automaker has a partnership with Toyota to develop fuel cell vehicles. BMW has said it plans to launch a new, electric Mini model in 2019. Eventually, Mini could become an entirely electric brand aimed at urban consumers, Schwarzenbauer said. Mini sales in the United States have fallen 10 percent through the first 10 months of this year, as demand for many smaller cars has waned in favor of sport-utility vehicles and trucks. "It's really only in the U.S. where we are facing this with Mini," Schwarzenbauer said. BMW will not try to reverse that trend by adding larger SUVs to the Mini lineup, Schwarzenbauer said. Instead, he said, "the way for Mini in the U.S. is ... building the Mini brand in the direction of the electric urban mobility company." On a separate issue, Schwarzenbauer said BMW intended to offer a self-driving car planned to debut in 2021 at a price that could be below $100,000. The iNEXT model, which BMW previewed earlier this year, will be offered to individuals, ride services fleets and put into service in BMW fleets, Schwarzenbauer said. "By 2021, you will have a lot of people who want to own this car," he said. "It will be a normal price. We are thinking of scaling this. To bring a $150,000 electric car is nice, but it will not really scale." When it launches, the iNEXT may not be offered with complete, so-called Level 5, autonomy because the regulatory and legal frameworks for such a vehicle likely won't be in place, Schwarzenbauer said.