Mini Aceman Concept Brings Video-Game Spunk to Classic Silhouette

While many of today’s EVs embrace sleek designs that appear to be inspired by Tron or Star Trek, Mini’s new electric concept takes a different approach. Called the Mini Aceman concept, this new crossover looks cheeky and appears to take its inspiration from video games like Nintendo’s Animal Crossing or Super Mario Brothers. Mini claims the Aceman previews a future production vehicle that will fit in between the Cooper hatchback and Countryman subcompact SUV.

There’s currently no timeline for when the Aceman could enter production, but with the Clubman slated to exit the lineup in 2024, it could be sometime around then. There are also no technical specs to speak of as of yet, but hopefully the Concept Aceman improves on the Cooper Electric‘s 110-mile range.

You’ve likely noticed by now that the Aceman’s name is just one letter off from the oddball Mini Paceman, a two-door version of the Countryman sold from 2013 to 2016. Compared with that model, the Aceman is wider and taller, which should make it roomier inside. Plus, with its four doors, plastic cladding, geometric wheel arches, and roof rack, the Aceman should appeal to a more rugged crowd, albeit one who can also appreciate cute things.

The Aceman’s basic shape is pure Mini, but the details look like they came from an alternate cartoon universe full of 8-bit shapes and rainbow lights. The rims look like fanned-out playing cards, and the headlights and the grille are outlined in solid light with a central LED matrix that calls to mind Lite-Brite toys of old.

The matrix lights are able to wink at the driver and display the top half of the Union Jack flag, and the front shines brighter and brighter as you approach the vehicle. The taillights, too, feature similar lighting motifs with their pixelated half–Union Jack shape. Colorful accents such as the green roof and blue front bumper piece complete the look.

Step inside and you’ll be welcomed with a colorful burst animation on the circular main display, along with a projection on the cloth dashboard. Images and an interactive map can be projected onto the dashboard through the Aceman’s three Experience Modes. One of the modes even lets you play with gamified bubble letters on the dashboard while the vehicle is stationary. All of the visual animations are accompanied by sounds as well.

The rest of the interior also embraces cloth, as Mini specifically touts the Aceman’s lack of chrome and leather. The steering wheel is wrapped in velour and the seats are embroidered with a whimsical Tic-Tac-Toe-inspired pattern. Elsewhere inside, there is a modular center console, bright purple seatbelts, and sunset-colored speakers.

As much as the Aceman concept looks to a cartoonish future, it also honors the Mini legacy. The roof-rack crossbars are designed to look like the Union Jack flag, and the roof itself and some interior details are dressed in British Racing Green.

Curious eyes can view the electric crossover when it is unveiled in person next month at Gamescom 2022, a video-game convention in Cologne, Germany.

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