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Mini Aceman debuts at Beijing Auto Show as a little, all-electric crossover

This here is the totally new Mini Aceman, and it’s an all-electric, Mini crossover. Splitting the size difference between the properly mini Mini Cooper and large Mini Countryman, it fills the space previously occupied by the now-discontinued Clubman, but does so without a gasoline-powered option (or cute barn doors in the rear). Before we get ahead of ourselves, though, MiniÂ’s made clear that the Aceman is not yet confirmed for U.S. sales, and the global debut itself just took place at the Beijing Auto Show. So, as of now, this little EV is definitely destined for international markets, but weÂ’ll need to wait and see if Mini sees fit to bring it here.  Two versions will hit the market initially, the Aceman E and the Aceman SE. The base E is fitted with a single electric motor good for 184 horsepower and 214 pound-feet of torque, enough for a 0-62 mph time of 7.9 seconds. It also gets a 42.5-kilowatt-hour battery pack that Mini says gives it a 192-mile range on the optimistic WLTP test cycle – fast charging peaks at 75 kW in this model. Meanwhile, the Aceman SE gets a more potent electric motor good for 218 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque, reducing its 0-62 mph time to 7.1 seconds. The SE also gets a larger 54.2 kWh battery pack, increasing range to 252 miles on the WLTP cycle – it charges better than the E, too, peaking at 95 kW. Do note that both versions would cover much less ground on the EPA test, which is a more realistic barometer for real-world driving than the WLTP test. Coming in about 14 inches shorter and three inches narrower than the big Countryman, the Aceman is bound to be a more fun-to-drive and cheaper EV. We donÂ’t know much about its underpinnings now, but Mini says its suspension, steering, powertrain and braking systems are all tuned with fun driving in mind. Its outward appearance isnÂ’t a replica of, but closely follows the design direction proposed by the Aceman Concept back in 2022. Many elements weÂ’ve seen in the new Cooper and Countryman apply here, too, such as the customizable light patterns, flat surfacing and general minimalism to the styling. Wheel options between 17-19 inches will be available, and four different trims with varying styles will be, too. One of those four will be a JCW trim, but itÂ’s not meant to be a performance model, instead sticking to sporty appearance add-ons like a Chili Red roof and hood stripes alongside high-gloss black accents all around the exterior.

Top Gear caught filming Best of British near Buckingham Palace

YouTuber and car-fan extraordinaire Shmee probably had very little trouble tracking down the Top Gear film crew recently, as the group was putting together an episode that could accurately be described as "excessive." With its flag-waving (literally) Best of British theme, the TG guys gathered a jaw-dropping array of British cars, and parked them all right in front of Buckingham Palace to make extra sure that the point was driven home.
Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May were outfitted with a trio of Jaguar F-Types festooned with gigantic Union Jacks, with which to survey the landscape of British motoring glory. In the video below, you'll see that this includes any number of Mini, Aston Martin, Lotus, McLaren, Land Rover, Bentley and Rolls-Royce models (just to name a few), as well as a healthy dose of weird stuff that most people would never guess at being built in the UK. The lawnmowers and military vehicles are especially cool.

The manual transmission in the Mini Cooper is officially dead

We feared this might be the case after learning all about the latest Mini Cooper, but now it’s confirmed: The manual Mini is dead. Confirmation of the news comes from Mini boss Stefanie Wurst via an interview with Top Gear. “We wonÂ’t have a manual, unfortunately,” Wurst told TG in reference to the new generation of Cooper. Mini revealed its new model last week in the lead-up to the Munich Motor Show, and while the company was happy to share all the details on the electric E and SE, the gas models remained shrouded in a bit of mystery. We know there will be a base and an S model powered by gasoline engines, and now we know that they will be exclusively equipped with automatic transmissions. The elimination of the manual transmission is a tad ironic, given Mini just recently opened a Mini Manual Driving School in California. The point of that school was to teach people how to operate a manual transmission, but now Mini wonÂ’t have any in its lineup come 2025. This news was also foreshadowed a bit by the introduction of the Mini John Cooper Works 1 to 6 Edition earlier this year. Mini made that model as an ode to the manual, and it limited production to just 999 units worldwide. It looks like that special edition is more of a send-off to the manual transmission than anything at this point. As of now, you can still get the manual transmission on the Mini Hardtop and Convertible models, but the 2024 model year will be the end of this generation of Mini, and with it, the end of the manual transmission in the lineup. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Green MINI Hatchback Electric