Mini Touts Design Details for New Models, Like Really Cool Seats

• Mini showed a series of design features for the upcoming Cooper and Countryman lineups.
• The highlighted elements include a new steering wheel, snazzy wheels, and some swanky seats.
• For some odd reason, Mini felt the need to highlight a new circular OLED screen but not release photos of it.

Mini is undergoing a transitional phase, with multiple models about to be refreshed or enter a whole new generation—or, in the case of the Clubman, disappear altogether. As the new era dawns, the automaker has revealed a few upcoming design highlights set to debut on its new models, including fresh wheel designs.

Snazzy Rims

Mini teased us with two new sets of wheels, including a modern-looking six-spoke design with flat silver blades over the spokes. A somewhat busy set of multispoke wheels (shown above) were also displayed, with silver metal accents covering a gloss black finish.

Cool Seat Styling

Mini also showed off some seriously swanky new seats with a colorful cloth pattern on the bolstering. The leather inserts are perforated in a pattern somewhat reminiscent of a diamond-stitch on higher-end cars.

Sweet Steering Wheel

Among the sneak peeks is a new steering wheel design. An un-pictured standard option comes with two spokes, while the optional wheel (shown above) features a third spoke made of cloth. While it obviously won’t affect actually steering the car, it does look pretty neat.

M.I.A. OLED

Another new detail coming to Mini models is a modern interpretation of the brand’s iconic circular center display. Previously, we’ve seen blurry spy photos of a new round infotainment screen, and now Mini has revealed it to be an 11.0-inch OLED touchscreen.

This was confirmed along with the other details, all of which included a photo. Annoyingly, the company felt compelled to mention it in the press release but decided against showing a single photo of it. Why, Mini? Why?

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Associate News Editor

Jack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1.
After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf.