Meet the Mini Concept Aceman, a battery-powered crossover that previews the design language of future EVs from the BMW-backed brand…

Mini has whipped the wraps off its new Concept Aceman, effectively debuting the “pared-back” design language it claims will define the British brand’s all-electric future.

A production version of the crossover concept is expected to materialise by around 2024, slotting in between the upcoming electric 3-door Cooper and the larger but likewise battery-poweredCountrymanreplacement. Interestingly, the Aceman features absolutely no leather or chrome (inside or out), instead relying on cabin finishes such as knitted recycled textile.

Mini has yet to release any technical details, so it’s unclear – for now, anyway – what sort of battery sizes will be available in the production model, nor what kind of single-charge range we can expect. There is also not yet any indication of power outputs.

However, we know the vehicle will have a noticeably smaller footprint than the Countryman. For the record, the Concept Aceman features five seats, four doors and short overhangs. The BMW-backed brand says it’s suitably compact, measuring just 4 050 mm from nose to tail, with a width of 1 990 mm and a height of 1 590 mm.

The production version of the Concept Aceman will slot in below the Countryman replacement.

Standout exterior features include flush door handles, a Union Jack design in the taillights (something we’ve seen before from Mini) and 21-inch light-alloy wheels. Up front, you’ll notice the illuminated surround for the grille.

The showcar – which is scheduled to make its public debut in August at the world’s largest gaming event, Gamescom 2022, in Cologne, Germany – is certainly colourful. It’s finished in Icy Sunglow Green body paint, with the roof painted in a more traditional metallic British Racing Green hue. There’s also dark green trim on the lower edge of the body and on the wheel arches, along with splashes of neon green.

The roof rack, meanwhile, features green fastening straps and an iridescent coating Mini claims creates a metallic sheen covering a “wide colour spectrum of blue, turquoise, green and violet”. Navy blue is combined with blue-grey painted spokes on the alloy wheels, while the front and rear skidplates are finished in royal blue.

The interior of the Mini Concept Aceman

What about the cabin? Well, the automaker says the interior is “dominated by a reduced design” combining fresh technology with “newly interpreted yet typical” Mini design features. The large panoramic glass roof lends the cabin some extra light, while the facia features a flat design element Mini says was “styled like a sound bar”.

The central interface combines all the functions of the instrument cluster and the on-board monitor as a round OLED display. As we’ve come to expect from Mini models, there’s also a toggle switch bar below the screen. Interestingly, the automaker has opted for a mix of touch controls and physical switches.

Mini says the concept’s display area extends beyond the central interface, with moving image projections able to transfer content to the entire dashboard. The production version’s infotainment system’s display and control system, though, will be based on the latest-generation of the Mini Operating System, which for the first time will be built on an Android Open Source Project software stack.

That’s certainly an “interesting” interior, isn’t it?

The controls for the gear selector and parking brake have been relocated to the dash, freeing up space between the driver and passenger seats. Here, you’ll find a flexible centre console that extends, transparently and seemingly free-floating, into the rear area. Meanwhile, the Concept Aceman’s seats feature integrated headrests and are finished in a combination of textile flat knit, velvet velour and waffle weave.

Like the seats, door panels and all other interior surfaces, the steering wheel is completely leather-free, instead trimmed in dark green velvet velour. The tiller’s multifunction buttons are integrated under backlit textile surfaces.

“The Mini Concept Aceman provides an initial glimpse of a completely new vehicle, bridging the space between the Mini Cooper and the Mini Countryman in the model family’s future,” says Stefanie Wurst, Head of the Mini brand. “This concept car reflects how Mini is reinventing itself for its all-electric future and what the brand stands for: an electrified go-kart feel, an immersive digital experience and a strong focus on a minimal environmental footprint.”