MINI goes big on small electric SUVs. New Aceman all set for April 24 debut

MINI has previewed its incoming Aceman small electric SUV that it has created to bridge the gap between the Cooper hatch and much larger Countryman and revealed it will be fully unveiled on April 24.

Releasing new pictures of the all-new MINI Aceman wearing a lurid lens-dazzling camo carrying out final testing ahead of its launch, the new MINI SUV looks like it won’t deviate much from the original 2022 concept of the same name.

Measuring just 4075mm long, 1754mm wide and standing 1495mm tall, the new Aceman is just 52mm longer, 27mm wider and stands only 70mm taller than the regular five-door MINI hatch. But the British car-maker says there’s much more passenger space with ability to carry five adults.

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That’s because under the skin the MINI Aceman sits on a new architecture that has been developed between MINI and its Chinese partner GWM that will only be used for EVs. Without having to accommodate petrol or diesel power there’s a longer wheelbase liberating more room within.

The Aceman introduces the BMW-owned British brand’s next-gen ‘Charismatic Simplicity’ design language that will inspire all future MINIs and kicks off a “new design era for MINI”.

Intended to reduce the number of body components, the Aceman’s simpler exterior is more minimalist than previous designs, while its octagon-shaped front lamps are far more distinctive than the old Clubman’s round lamps.

MINI has yet to release full details regarding the Aceman’s powertrain, but it’s thought it will share powertrains with the latest MINI Cooper E and Cooper SE electric hatch due this year.

The base Cooper E will arrive with 135kW of power and 290Nm of torque and feature a motor that drives the front-wheel. Expect a 0-100km/h dash of around in 7.5 seconds.

Its big brother, the Cooper SE, will lower that to comfortably less than seven seconds thanks to its 160kW/330Nm outputs.

Two batteries will be available – a 54kWh powerpack that should offer a range of around 400km and a second smaller 40kWh battery that will provide a range of around 300km.

Charging rates will be limited to around 95kW, which is about average for the small electric SUV class.

Once launched a far-faster John Cooper Works (JCW) performance flagship has already been confirmed for the range that should debut an aggressive aero new chassis tech, including the brand’s latest torque-vectoring tech, plus a dual-motor powertrain that will kick out at least 225kW.

Within all versions will come with a minimalistic cabin that will be dominated by a huge 9.5-inch disc-shaped OLED infotainment system that will run BMW’s latest OS9 operating system and come with an on-board virtual assistant that is awoken by “Hey MINI”.

The dash, meanwhile, will be wrapped in 100 per cent recycled fabrics with leather banned from within.

Already successfully completed winter testing at the Arctic Circle and temperatures in excess of 50C, MINI says its Aceman’s air conditioning, charging and battery cooling system, as well as its powertrain have all withstood extreme torture testing before being signed off for production.

Speaking of which, production of the all-new MINI Aceman will begin before the end of this year, initially, at a factory in China. From 2026 MINI says it will then move production back to its UK base in Oxford.

It’s not clear when Australia will receive its cars yet but they should land by early 2025.