Agent47 Posted July 27, 2022 Posted July 27, 2022 (edited) The Mini Aceman concept will evolve into a new compact electric crossover at the end of 2024 to fill the gap between the flagship Mini hatch and the mid-sized Mini Countryman. It uses a stretched version of the all-new Spotlight architecture that is being developed jointly by BMW and Chinese partner firm Great Wall and will form the basis for the next-generation electric Mini hatchback. Mini has not given any clues to the likely battery sizes or potential range of the final production version of the Aceman. However, the Spotlight-based EV hatchback will come as a 181bhp Cooper with an approximately 40kWh battery and a 221bhp Cooper S with a 50kWh pack, giving a range of around 250 miles, so the production Aceman will be broadly similar. Sources emphasise that this concept is not intended as a Countryman replacement. That model will be reborn in a third generation as a larger car with a bigger boot and be twinned with the next-generation BMW X1. The Aceman is shorter than today’s Countryman, at 4050mm long, 1990mm wide and 1590mm tall. However, the Aceman could be seen as an indirect replacement for the Mini Clubman, which, Autocar understands, will be phased out in the middle of 2023. Sources say the departure of the Clubman will be marked by at least one special edition, recalling the original Clubman estate’s trademark side graphics. The five-door Mini hatch is also not set to get an electric successor. The Aceman concept is the result “of a lot of research and feedback”, Mini design chief Oliver Heilmer told Autocar. “The owners of the Mini hatch and Countryman are very happy, but they are very different people,” he said, hinting that the Aceman will target a demographic that has never owned a Mini. “This is classic Mini in the sense of the very short front and rear overhangs, but we have a very different side elevation. There is much more muscle in the sides.” The clean, almost fuselage-like sides have been replaced by surfaces that are more clearly stamped and industrial. BMW said: “This ‘edginess’ signifies a progressive interpretation of the robustness and versatility characteristic of a crossover model.” Also gone are the prominent chrome door handles and the triangular panel between the front wheel arch and front door. Heilmer’s team has reduced the Aceman’s front-end design to a bare minimum. The Mini’s large, chrome-rimmed headlights have been greatly reduced visually and the brand’s traditional ‘face’ is now defined by an LED outline. The Mini grille has donated its outside edge as a very minimalist reminder of the brand’s roots. “This car feels robust, but it is not huge. The new Countryman will have more boot space,” said Heilmer. “The shoulder on the car is a result of the aerodynamic performance needed for an electric vehicle. “The tailgate spoiler and the way the rear of the glasshouse narrows was also driven by aerodynamics, as was the wheel design.” https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/mini-aceman-ev-concept-brings-bold-design-and-range-shake Edited July 27, 2022 by Agent47
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