The new Mini Aceman is coming to a road near you very soon to fill the crossover-size electric vehicle (EV) hole in the BMW-owned brand’s range between the Cooper supermini and the Countryman SUV.
Mini latest electric offering – the Aceman – has been unveiled at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition this week – and the British marque has confirmed it will be produced in China along with the new Cooper.
And the price tag will be far from mini.
It’ll ring in from just over £31,000 and UK deliveries will emerge in the autumn.
The all-new Mini Aceman EV was revealed today at Beijing International Automotive Exhibition. Deliveries will begin in the autumn, and the entry-level variant will start from £31,220 for this city car
It takes style hints from the Cooper and Countryman, with the Cooper’s front and the Countryman’s haunches, with the classic Mini face that’s so distinguishable
The electric crossover is going to sit between the smaller Cooper (left) and the Countryman SUV (right), completing Mini’s electric line-up
The Aceman is set to be taller than the supermini three-door Cooper, but smaller than the surprisingly large Countryman.
It’s 4.07m long, 1.75m wide and 1.5m tall – around the same as the Jeep Avenger and Renault Clio but smaller than the Volvo EX30 – and comes with five seats and five doors.
Typical Mini design elements include the expressive angular headlights and front grille, the smooth Cooper curves at the front along with the Countryman staunch flanks and floating roofline.
It looks more like the Countryman than the Cooper, delivering the crossover styling that’s so popular today with both manufacturers and buyers.
The Aceman is about the same size as the Jeep Avenger and the Renault Clio, and is the first electric crossover from Mini
Two versions of the Aceman will be available when it goes on sale later this year – the entry-level Aceman E and the more powerful Aceman SE
Inside, it’s also very similar to Minis other recent EV unveilings, with the new (and world-first) circular 9.4-inch OLED-display infotainment screen taking centre stage.
The cabin is said to feel open and light thanks to a large panoramic glass roof, and the ambient lighting can be adjusted to fit your mood.
The interior also includes sustainable materials such as recycled polyester.
Toggle controls accompany the infotainment system and hark back to the 1959 original Mini, while there is also a central switch selector for ‘Mini Experience Modes’ that is mounted centrally below the circular screen and designed to look like the classic Mini’s ignition switch.
But instead of starting this EV, the controller adjusts eight different modes that change the interior lighting scheme and electric sound effects to adapt the driving experience.
You get 300 litres with all seats up, and 1,005 litres when the rear seats are down. The back seats also split 60:40 for extra versatility
The Aceman should be more versatile and practical than the Cooper – with the extra 20cm of length being put to good use increasing boot space.
You get 300 litres of luggage room with the rear backrests in the upright position, and 1,005 litres when they’re folded flat. The back seats split 60:40.
Two versions of the Aceman will be available when it goes on sale later this year: an entry-level Aceman E and more powerful Aceman SE.
The Aceman E will have a front-mounted motor producing 181hp and accelerate 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds.
Top speed will be 99mph – it’s aimed to be a city car after all.
The 24.5kWh battery has a usable range for urban driving of 193 miles (enough for a week and a half of driving, based on the UK daily average of 18 miles), and you can charge up to 75kW.
The interior follows on from the new Cooper and Countryman: It has recycled materials, and features the singular circular 9.4-inch infotainment screen as the focal point
Mini hasn’t done away with buttons though, as the Aceman still has toggles and an ‘Experience Mode’ selector that lets you change between eight ambient lighting and sound modes
The SE will use a 215hp motor, hit 62mpg from a standing start in 7.1 seconds and have a top speed of 106mph.
The larger 54.2kWh battery should be able to do 252 miles on a single charge, and rapid charge up to 95kW.
A John Cooper Works (JCW) Aceman is also in the pipeline, which will use the SE’s powertrain but come with the more sporty-racer set-up you’d expect from a JCW.
The Aceman E will cost from £31,220, and the SE from £35,720. Three trim levels are offered across both versions: Classic, Exclusive and Sport.
And in good news for the UK automotive industry,
Mini bosses confirm that from 2026 it will move Aceman assembly to its Plant Oxford site, which BMW is injecting £600million into to upgrade for EV production, safeguarding 4,000 jobs.
This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk
