Using the latest spy pics we’ve rendered what the upcoming MINI Aceman will look like.
MINI is expanding its range with the introduction of the new Aceman crossover EV. Scheduled to go on sale in 2024, the MINI Aceman will sit between the five-door MINI hatchback and Countryman SUV, providing competition to the Renault Megane E-Tech Electric and Jeep Avenger EV.
Thanks to a series of spy pictures of the Aceman test car, we can show renderings 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.
Speaking to Automotive Daily, MINI boss Stefanie Wurst revealed the new Aceman crossover will be a “gamified concept” and that “the go-kart feeling will always be of the utmost importance.”
The Aceman will be built in China alongside the three-door all-electric Cooper model. There will not be a five-door all-electric Cooper, with the Aceman effectively taking care of five-door ‘small MINI’ electric-car duties.
However, 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.
Rumours suggest that there may be two battery sizes and two power outputs available for the Aceman: an entry-level car with a 40kWh battery, around 135kW and a range of up to 320km, and a bigger 50kWh battery with a more powerful motor producing about 160kW and a range of around 400km.
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.
Technical specifications for the Aceman have not been detailed, except for the car’s use of MINI’s new all-electric platform that will appear on the next MINI Hatch coming in 2023. That means that the Aceman will be built in China.
Alastair Crooks