Exclusive – MINI VISION NEXT 100: the MINI for the Coming Decades
The MINI’s 100th anniversary celebrations are far from over. After unveiling the BMW VISION NEXT 100, it’s now time to introduce MINI’s vision for the future. The Munich-based group is targeting autonomous driving and the MINI VISION NEXT 100 will incorporate this new technology. Car sharing is also on the horizon, meaning that you’ll have access to a MINI wherever you go.
With “Every MINI is my MINI” as the theme, the head of design for the future MINI spoke to us at length about the subject. Connectivity will become the company’s calling card, and its brass wants to create a MINI community. You’ll be able to customize your MINI with different colour projections on the roof and in the cabin, chosen according to your mood and to the situations in which you find yourself on your journey.
- Also: Exclusive – Rolls-Royce VISION NEXT 100: Look Ma, No Steering Wheel!
- Also: BMW Next 100: The Car of the Future
The signature circular gauge found in all MINIs is placed in the middle of the windshield. This “Cooperizer” acts like a kaleidoscope with limitless colours that vary with your choice of music, for example. They can also change in accordance to your communication method or driving mode (traditional or autonomous).
Like BMW’s VISION NEXT 100, it offers an emission-less engine, a collection of the most highly evolved passive safety systems and safer anticipatory driving. It will be able to see obstacles that lie ahead and modify your driving method accordingly. What’s more, autonomous mode will be available at all times. This city car of the future will be able to adapt to whatever’s happening in the moment.
Note that this MINI VISION NEXT 100 features an entirely transparent front end. A thin strip located at the base of the windshield houses the digital instruments, which can be quite numerous depending on what the driver wants.
However, don’t expect this MINI to arrive any time soon. This is just a representation of the designers’ dreams and an image of what BMW would like to see in the next 20 years. Some love it, others, not so much, but you can judge for yourself.