2024 is going to be a very busy year for MINI, with the arrival of the hotly anticipated MINI Cooper and third-generation Countryman SUV, along with the reveal of the all-new, all-electric MINI Aceman that we’ve spied out and about in Germany.
As a pure-electric crossover, the Aceman will be pitched as a rival to the Hyundai Kona Electric, Volvo EX30, Renault Megane E-Tech, Jeep Avenger and Smart #1, plus the forthcoming Ford Puma EV. It will also fill the void left by the five-door MINI Hatch, sitting between the three-door Cooper and larger Countryman SUV in the MINI range.
The Aceman will utilise the same platform as the new MINI Cooper, and is also expected to borrow the pure-electric powertrain options from its smaller sibling. That means the entry-level model Aceman E should use a 40kWh battery for a range of around 200 miles, with SE versions getting a larger 54kWh for a range closer to 250 miles.
What will the MINI Aceman look like?
We’ve seen heavily disguised prototypes of the Aceman several times at this point, and it’s clear that the car will utilise the brand’s new design language seen on the new Cooper and Countryman. It will also carry over plenty of inspiration from the Concept Aceman we saw in 2022.
Our exclusive images give you a better idea of what the finished crossover should look like. Up front it’ll feature more angular headlights than traditionally seen on MINIs and a similar blanked-off octagonal grille to its siblings. Just like on other MINIs, we’ll see a lower window line wrap around the car combined with the classic two-tone roofline and MINI’s signature Union Jack rear light motif.
The windscreen looks much more steeply angled than on some of MINI’s out-going models, possibly because the Aceman will only be offered with EV-power, making aerodynamic efficiency even more crucial.
The Aceman will be distinguished from the brand’s upcoming Golf-sized hatchback thanks to a higher ride height and chunky plastic cladding around the wheelarches.
How big and practical is it?
As the Countryman has grown in size to over 4.4 metres long, Auto Express understands that the Aceman will have similar dimensions to the original MINI Countryman, measuring a little over four metres from nose to tail.
When we were given a chance to sit in a prototype ourselves, we found that with the wheels pushed out to the far corners of the bodywork the Aceman offers enough space in the back for a six-foot-tall passenger to sit behind a similar-sized driver. The boot is rather small, though, with a high sill to lift stuff over.
What is the interior design like?
The Aceman’s cabin should be almost identical to that of the three-door hatch, the centrepiece of which is an ultra-slim 9.4-inch OLED circular display responsible for both the infotainment and vital driver information like your speed and state of charge – just like the setup in Volvo’s EX30.
They’ll also be a selection of ‘MINI Experience Modes’ on offer that change the look of the screen and interior lighting, and provide their own unique soundtrack. In the MINI Cooper, drivers have a choice of Core, Green, Go-Kart, Personal, Vibrant, Timeless and Balance modes.
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Speaking to Auto Express, head of MINI Stephanie Wurst revealed the new Aceman crossover will be a “gamified concept” and that “the go-kart feeling will always be of the utmost importance.” He also confirmed that hot John Cooper Works versions of every new MINI are on the cards, so a sporty Aceman with extra power could serve as a range-topping model.
When will it go on sale?
The MINI Aceman is likely to be revealed in mid-2024 before going on sale early next year. Initially, the Aceman will be built alongside the three-door MINI Cooper Electric in China, however following £600m of investment in MINI’s Oxford plant, both cars will also be built in the UK from 2026.
What can we learn from the MINI Aceman concept car?
We first heard the Aceman name in 2022, when the MINI Concept Aceman was unveiled. We spoke to Oliver Heilmer, Head of MINI Design, who talked us through the Aceman concept.
“Since this is the new family member, it was clear for us that this will have a modern approach, it will break out of typical form language.”
Although similar in length to the soon to be discontinued MINI Hatch five-door, the Aceman concept is wider and taller, with a more SUV-inspired shape. A two-box profile with the wheels pushed right to the very extremes of the car’s body means the car’s overhangs are short, also making the most of space inside, and it’s onto this chunky silhouette that the new design language, called ‘Charismatic Simplicity,’ is projected.
The front end of the car is where the Aceman diverts most significantly from current MINI design language, with a new face that’s designed entirely for the brand’s electric era. Most significantly, the headlights aren’t round, but Heilmer says that in many ways the new front is “more classic” than the brand’s current look, given the new octagonal frame grille element that’s illuminated in turquoise.
The red vertical elements emphasise the height of the car, but they’re also home to a pair of external speakers – one of many concept car touches sprinkled throughout the Aceman. Another set is found in the rear valance.
The speakers give an audio welcome for the driver as they approach the car, but they’re also to draw attention to the new generation of sound design being created for the next-generation electric MINI models. “We are making every sound new. The driving sound, indicator, whatever, everything is composed specifically for the new MINI family,” Heilmer told us. “Even from its sound it will be recognisable as one of the new MINIs.”
Prominent and upright wheel arches create a tough look for the compact SUV, housing 20-inch wheels. A large roof rack is another nod to the car’s positioning as the brand’s new baby SUV, and it’s also home to a trademark MINI touch, with the brackets forming a Union flag-like motif.
At the rear, a clean look has been applied with little clutter, the compact tailgate sitting flush with the rear bumper wearing a MINI badge and Aceman lettering. “A MINI should have a good stance, that’s important,” says Heilmer, before teasing that a new level of customisation is in the offing for MINI buyers, a group traditionally keen on personalisation.
“The customer might be able to choose between two or three different signatures,” he said, suggesting that those who don’t want the Union-flag inspired tail-light design will be able to choose something else.
The use of colour is a massive part of MINI’s concept and newcomer model that will follow it. The Aceman’s pearlescent blue paint is combined with a British Racing Green roof, the car’s speaker elements are highlighted in red, and there’s also that turquoise frame and purple badging to take in. However, the car’s colour palette is even bolder inside the cabin.
As per MINI’s traditional approach, the use of space inside the Aceman concept is clever, maximising interior space so that the small car feels quite big inside from our early look around the car. There’s no leather or chrome inside, with various textile surfaces and iridescent metals used to create an eyecatching environment.
Alongside the unusual seat upholstery, the concept’s steering wheel is trimmed in green velvet velour. But alongside the fun, modern feel there’s a huge nod to the original Mini in the shape of the dashboard architecture and infotainment system.
“Due to digitalisation we are able to achieve it again,” says Heilmer. The Aceman features a single, round OLED infotainment screen in the centre of the dashboard, and in the concept it’s near-production-spec hardware.
Beneath it sits a small bank of switches, where the parking brake, gear selector, drive modes and volume control buttons are located, plus a power toggle interpreted as a modern-day take on the original’s turnkey. Placing these here frees up space for an adaptable centre console that runs from the car’s front area to the rear.
Another concept car touch is the inclusion of three “experience modes”, setting the theme for the infotainment unit and the dashboard as a whole. Toggling one of the modes reveals that the infotainment sprawls beyond the main screen, projecting across the entire dashboard.
The navigation can take up the whole surface, and a ‘charging game’ has been devised with projection technology. The goal is to successfully spell ‘Aceman’ across the dashboard using floating bubble letters, flung out of the screen and across the fascia with a swipe of the finger.
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