Mini is embarking on a new design era with the introduction of its new Charismatic Simplicity design language. This language will be previewed with the release of an all-electric crossover concept next month. All future Mini models will be based around architectures designed for electric powertrains and through its new design philosophy, Mini will reduce the number of components and instead concentrate on essential styling elements. It wants future models to “achieve an emotional, intuitively perceptible identity,” and will ensure that each future Mini model will have “its own individual charisma that is unmistakably based on the brand’s core, reinterpreting it confidently and in its own way.”
A key pillar of the new design language will
be the use of advanced LED technology in the taillights of Mini models,
providing the typical Union Jack design with a unique light signature for each
model. The next generation Mini study also does away with most chrome elements.
Sustainability is a key factor of Mini’s
Charismatic Simplicity design language. For example, the concept goes
leather-free and focuses on the use of secondary raw materials alongside
natural and recycled materials. It uses a fully-digital round display with a
revised user interface, though Mini’s design team has opted to retain some
important analogue control units, including toggle switches.
A single teaser of the aforementioned
crossover concept has been released. Mini says this concept will showcase “how
technological innovations and a progressive interpretation of individual
mobility are taking the brand’s design language far into the future.”
We already have a good idea of what to
expect from Mini’s new design language after a prototype for the next-gen
Cooper S EV was spotted in China late last year without any camouflage. It made
a particularly bold statement with overhauled LED taillights and the presence
of black accents rather than chrome.
