To ensure that everything continues to run smoothly at MINI, the design team led by Oliver Heilmer has decided to reduce the interior of the new MINI Cooper Electric to the essentials. Why? So that the essence of the brand stands out even more. In addition, the all-electric MINI has been equipped with new sound worlds.
How much can you leave out so that something still remains a well-rounded affair? Where do you have to start so that something still runs smoothly even if a little corner has been cut out beforehand? When are a few rough edges necessary to give something more charisma? All these questions and many more were discussed during the development of the new MINI design language »Charismatic Simplicity«. It is now being used in the interior design of the new MINI Cooper Electric for the first time. In an interview with Chapter, Oliver Heilmer, Head of Design at MINI, explained the meaning of the adjective »charismatic« for the brand as follows: »What I like about the term »charismatic« is that it is not judgmental in an aesthetic sense. Many people have an extreme amount of charisma through quite a lot of elements, and in this it is least of all the appearance, interestingly enough, it is rather the way one speaks, the way someone behaves. And that, we believe, is just as much more important to MINI.«
»Reduction without renunciation« – that’s how the new MINI design philosophy can be summed up in a nutshell, and it was first unveiled with the presentation of the MINI Concept Aceman, which already points the way forward for the new design language. Attention is focused on the essentials, allowing the essence – or rather: the charisma, the character – of the brand to come across more effectively. In order to implement the latter in the interior as well, the design team led by Oliver Heilmer focused on all the »round things« – both literally and metaphorically – that have always distinguished the brand: the steering wheel and the central instrument typical of the brand. In addition, the toggle switch bar has also been brought more into focus. The clever combination of traditional and brand-historically relevant design features with the latest digital technology is intended to ensure immersive driving experiences in the new MINI Cooper Electric in the future.
On a design level, bridges have been built to the classic MINI from 1959, but the new MINI Cooper Electric is equipped with a significantly smaller, as well as sportier steering wheel. The brand-typical central instrument retains its original position and, as a circular OLED display with touch function, becomes the digital interface between the human and the vehicle. The characteristic toggle switches also provide a classic, analog operating experience in the new all-electric MINI Cooper .
Creative scope
Reducing the interior design to the essentials created additional creative scope, which the MINI designers were able to use to develop new digital effects and intensify the interaction between driver and car. Among other things, with a newly developed welcome mode, with which the MINI Cooper Electric will greet its passengers in the future. A carefully coordinated interplay of light and sound, an animation on the round OLED display and a colorful projection is designed to create an immersive user experience that begins when the driver enters the car and continues throughout the journey. In this way, MINI aims to make an even more personal driving experience possible.
New worlds of sound
Since the individual character of a vehicle is conveyed not only through its look and feel, but also through its soundscape, MINI has also been busy in recent years giving the MINI Cooper Electric a suitable sound garb. »The new sounds are an elementary part of the digital experience and individually tailored to the character of the new models. They make an emotional contribution to passengers in the interior and shape acoustic perception in the exterior world. This also creates unmistakable, typical MINI recognition features at the acoustic level«, Oliver Heilmer explains.
A total of four driving sounds are available. These are designed not only to provide the driver with acoustic feedback on the acceleration process, but also to help emotionalize the driving experience. The driving sound »Core« is the only sound that can be perceived not only inside the vehicle but also outside as acoustic pedestrian protection. »Go Kart« is a driving sound for sporty driving, characterized by strongly pronounced pitch and load curves. Tradition and progress are combined in the MINI »Timeless« driving sound. Engine sounds of conventionally powered models from the classic Mini to the MINI John Cooper Works GP were sampled and combined with a futuristic interpretation of the MINI »Core« driving sound to create an acoustic journey through time. The fourth sound world called »Balance« is based on those sounds that can be perceived in forests at different times of day and night.
Does everything sound like a pretty well-rounded affair? True. But one with a big dose of charisma. [SW]
