New MINI crossover concept teased

The MINI five-door hatch’s all-electric successor will be previewed next month after MINI today released a new teaser image that provides a look at its future model design.

The image is little more than a mocked-up silhouette, while the front-end has obvious MINI styling cues.

The BMW-owned British brand doesn’t specifically nominate the five-door hatch successor as the “concept study of a crossover model from the new, fully electric MINI generation”, but the timing, previous coverage and a few key pointers from the teaser image indicate this should be the case.

News of the five-door hatch’s retirement first broke in April, with carsales reporting at the time that the practical small car would be replaced by a trendier all-electric crossover.

Such a model will bridge the gap between the looming new-generation three-door hatch and the larger next-generation MINI Countryman, which is tipped to grow by up to 200mm.

With the next-gen three-door MINI hatch now approaching the closing stages of its development, the car-maker won’t want to be without a compact five-door for too long but at the same time will want to give the new three-door star billing at its launch.

From the teaser image, we can see that the silhouette in question is small – much smaller than a MINI Countryman with what looks to be a low and wide stature, even with the roof racks and roof accessory.

Such an inclusion is no doubt a nod towards the car’s more versatile crossover/SUV intentions.

“The concept study of a crossover model from the new, fully electric MINI generation will provide the first full preview of the new design language for the next-generation all-electric model family and will be presented to the public for the first time at the end of July 2022,” a MINI spokesperson said in a statement.

“With it, MINI Design showcases how technological innovations and a progressive interpretation of individual mobility are taking the brand’s design language far into the future with this concept car.”

In addition to previewing the new design language, the concept study will also provide MINI with a chance to gauge market response to the new model and its positioning compared to its more traditional five-door hatch predecessor, not to mention the new-gen three-door.

The brand has previously indicated the new model would feature one of the more outlandish designs and characters of the gestating all-electric portfolio in an effort to attract the attention of younger buyers – the perfect premise for a concept study.

“Purely electrically powered models from MINI give us a unique opportunity to rethink our design,” said MINI Design boss Oliver Heilmer.

“At the same time, we retain the attention to detail, sense of tradition and passion for innovation that MINI is renowned for.

“The future of MINI design is based on the courage and determination to shape change and stamp a distinctive and inimitable profile on the brand.”

Predictably, the new model will be underpinned by a dedicated battery-electric architecture while the concept will be presented with a new-age digital dash, albeit with the traditional round interfaces and segmentations.

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