Cooper Countryman Plug-in Hybrid

Make
Mini
Segment
SUV

Over a year ago, we caught wind that Mini was working on a new vehicle called the Aceman. The German-owned British brand teased the Aceman yesterday and has now revealed the car in all of its quirky glory. Arriving in concept form, the Mini Concept Aceman is the company's first all-electric crossover model (the Mini Cooper Countryman Plug-In Hybrid is only partially electric). Mini says the concept is meant to preview the future model's design.

Measuring 159 inches long, 78.3 inches wide, and 62.6 inches tall, the Aceman is 10 inches shorter in length but a little taller than the current Countryman.

The exterior design is an evolution of the classic Mini philosophy. We love the front end, which creates a pseudo-grille with an open octagonal contour and green LED light strip, within which a Union Jack LED motif is portrayed through the body panel where the grille would be when the car is unlocked.

Matrix LED headlights ditch the traditional round style and bring the Mini brand into a new era. At the back, the lights mirror the British Union Jack, as does the roof rack up top. 20-inch wheels that look like spinning blades cap off the concept's distinctive look.

Since this is only a concept, Mini went wild with the interior. The four-door crossover seats five plus a generous trunk. The seats are textile flat knit with velvet velour, waffle weave, an over-dimensional houndstooth pattern, and embroidered X and O graphics. Oh, and the seatbelts are purple for good measure. A large panoramic glass sunroof provides loads of light.

The dashboard is styled to look like a sound bar with minimal controls harking back to the 1959 original. The Aceman previews a new circular OLED screen, which will appear on the next-generation Mini EVs. It will feature strong contrasts with deep blacks and be powered by an Android Open Source Project software stack.

The display can project elements onto the dash, including an outlined map, messages, or images of clouds. Drivers can personalize the projections and choose a sound backdrop or use it for more practical purposes such as navigation prompts.

We look forward to seeing how much of Mini's clever design ends up on the production Aceman. A lot of the clever lighting animations should be easy to transfer, but some of the more out-there elements like the seat fabric will be toned down. Mini didn't share any information about the powertrain, other than mentioning its next-generation EVs will feature independent sound design (an artificial propulsion noise) for the first time. As we've seen from BMW's partnership with Hans Zimmer, these sounds can be quite cool.

The Mini Concept Aceman will make its public debut at the gamescom 2022 computer and video games fair in Cologne, Germany. No timeline has been set for a production reveal.