The new Mini Aceman is coming to a road near you soon to fill the crossover-sized electric vehicle (EV) gap in the BMW-owned brand’s range between the Cooper supermini and the Countryman SUV.
Mini’s latest electric offering, the Aceman, was unveiled at the Beijing International Motor Show this week and the British brand has confirmed it will be produced in China alongside the new Cooper.
And the price will be far from mini.
It will cost just over £31,000 and UK deliveries will take place in the autumn.
The new Mini Aceman EV was launched today at the Beijing International Automobile Exhibition. Deliveries will begin in the autumn and the base variant will start at £31,220 for this city car.
It takes styling cues from the Cooper and Countryman, with the front of the Cooper and the haunches of the Countryman, with the classic Mini face that is so distinguishable.
The electric crossover will sit between the smaller Cooper (left) and the Countryman SUV (right), completing Mini’s electric lineup.
The Aceman will be taller than the three-door Cooper supermini, but smaller than the surprisingly large Countryman.
It measures 4.07 m long, 1.75 m wide and 1.5 m high (about 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 gentle Cooper curves at the front along with the Countryman’s strong flanks and floating roofline.
It looks more like the Countryman than the Cooper and offers the crossover styling that is so popular today among manufacturers and buyers alike.
The Aceman is about the same size as the Jeep Avenger and Renault Clio and is Mini’s first electric crossover.
Two versions of the Aceman will be available when it goes on sale later this year: the base Aceman E and the more powerful Aceman SE.
Inside, it’s also very similar to the Mini’s other recent EV introductions, with the new (and world’s first) 9.4-inch circular OLED infotainment screen taking center stage.
The cabin is said to feel open and bright thanks to a large panoramic glass roof, and the ambient lighting can be adjusted to suit your mood.
The interior also includes sustainable materials such as recycled polyester.
Toggle controls accompany the infotainment system and date back to the original Mini from 1959, while there is also a central switch selector for the ‘Mini Experience Modes’ which is centrally mounted below the circular display and designed to resemble the switch. ignition switch of the classic Mini.
But instead of turning on this electric vehicle, the controller adjusts eight different modes that change the interior lighting scheme and electric sound effects to tailor the driving experience.
You get 300 liters with all seats folded and 1,005 liters with the rear seats folded. The rear seats also split 60:40 for added versatility.
The Aceman should be more versatile and practical than the Cooper, taking advantage of the extra 20cm in length to increase boot space.
The trunk has a volume of 300 liters with the rear seatbacks in the upright position and 1,005 liters when they are folded down. The rear seats are split 60:40.
Two versions of the Aceman will be available when it goes on sale later this year: a basic Aceman E and a more powerful Aceman SE.
The Aceman E will have a front-mounted engine that will produce 181 horsepower and accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds.
The maximum speed will be 160 km/h; After all, it is meant to be a city car.
The 24.5 kWh 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 can charge up to 75 kW.
The interior is a continuation of the new Cooper and Countryman: it has recycled materials and features the unique 9.4-inch circular infotainment screen as the focal point.
The Mini hasn’t done away with the buttons, however, as the Aceman still has buttons and an ‘Experience Mode’ dial that lets you switch between eight lighting and ambient sound modes.
The SE will use a 215-horsepower engine, reach 62 mpg from a standstill in 7.1 seconds, and have a top speed of 106 mph.
The larger 54.2 kWh battery should be able to go 252 miles on a single charge and fast charge up to 95 kW.
Also in the pipeline is a John Cooper Works (JCW) Aceman, which will use the SE’s powertrain but will come with the sportier setup you’d expect from a JCW.
The Aceman E will cost from £31,220 and the SE from £35,720. Three equipment levels are offered in both versions: Classic, Exclusive and Sport.
And some good news for the UK car industry:
Mini bosses confirm that from 2026 it will move assembly from Aceman to its Oxford plant, into which BMW is pumping £600m to improve electric vehicle production, safeguarding 4,000 jobs.
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them, we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.