MINI will bring out an all-electric crossover to sit below the Countryman.
MINI has a busier year ahead with the launch of an all-new Countryman, the replacement for the Hatch and this – the all-new Aceman. It’ll be revealed in 2024 and will go on sale in early 2025.
As a pure-electric crossover, the Aceman will be pitched as a rival to the Renault Megane E-Tech Electric and Jeep Avenger EV, plus the upcoming Ford Puma EV. Built alongside the three-door MINI Cooper Electric in China, the Aceman will borrow pure-electric powertrain options from its smaller sibling.
That means a 40kWh battery could be available on cheaper Aceman E models and a larger 54kWh battery for SE versions. Maximum range will be from around 320km up to 400km.
Speaking to Automotive Daily, head of MINI Stephanie Wurst also confirmed that hot John Cooper Works versions of every new MINI are on the cards so a sporty Aceman should sit as a range-topping model with extra power.
Thanks to a series of spy pictures of the Aceman test car, we can show exclusive images of what the finished crossover model should look like – and it’s clear that it will carry over plenty of inspiration from the original concept version.
Up front it’ll use more angular headlights than traditionally seen on MINIs and the blanked-off grille will be larger than the one on the MINI Electric. Just like on other MINIs we’ll see a lower window line wrap around the car combined with the classic two-tone roofline.
The Aceman will be distinguished from the brand’s upcoming Golf-sized hatchback thanks to a higher ride height and chunky plastic cladding around the wheel arches. Both cars should receive MINI’s Union Jack rear light motif.
Wurst has also revealed the new Aceman crossover will be a “gamified concept” and that “the go-kart feeling will always be of the utmost importance.”
With the wheels pushed out to the far corners of the bodywork, the Aceman should offer excellent interior space, while leaving room for the next-generation Countryman to move further up in size.
With the next-generation Countryman growing in size to around 4.5 metres long, Automotive Daily understands that the Aceman will have similar dimensions to the original MINI Countryman, measuring a little over four metres long.
We’ve caught the Aceman testing previously and from our spy shots we can see the look of the crossover EV will be toned down slightly from the concept model shown earlier this year. However, we can already see plenty of stylistic elements taken from the concept and from MINI’s established design language.
The production Aceman will use a similar shape of headlight to the concept, but don’t be fooled by the chrome rings around the lights here – we expect a dark surround instead. Just like the concept, there’s a blanked off upper grille with a second grille opening below.
The windscreen looks much more steeply angled than on the current MINI Hatch and the Countryman, possibly because the Aceman will only be offered with EV-power, making aerodynamic efficiency even more crucial. The wheel arches from the concept have been scaled down for the production model.
At the rear we can see the rear light units extending on to the tailgate, but this is just the camouflage at work. The actual rear lights will be much smaller. Elsewhere around the back end, the Aceman looks fairly conventional – the rear bumper has a rather plain design and there’s only a small roof spoiler.