Mini Vision concept: what does it say about the brand's future?

The sight of Mini design head Anders Warming presenting a holographic, 3D projection of the Mini Vision concept as if appearing in his own cartoon was certainly a new one on us, but it captured the quirky, slightly left-field image the subsidiary of BMW Group has cultivated since its relaunch 13 years ago.

As the 'Vision' tag suggests, this is billed as a marker of intent for the brand's future design direction rather than a pre-production teaser of the new Mini hatchback (Cooper in most markets) we'll see later this year. However if the third-generation 'new' Mini doesn't look remarkably similar we'd be amazed, such is the level of productionized detailing on this purely digital model.

So what does the Mini Vision tell us about the brand's design future? As expected we're talking evolution rather than revolution but it's a pretty significant step by Darwinian standards. The proportions are unchanged with super-short front and rear overhangs, upright screen and generous glasshouse. The core iconography – round lamps, trapezoidal grille, upright screen and floating roof – also remain but with fresh treatments. Those lamps are now ringed with an even, LED glow, while the grille has grown larger to take in the impact bar and auxiliary lights. "We really wanted to bring back some more of the original large grille," says Warming glancing over at an original 1959 Morris-badged example in the viewing garden of BMW Group's design center.

"But it's not just the headlights and grille that make up the front, I also believe the bonnet [hood] is a Mini-typical feature," he continues. "The curvature will always be experienced from the outside but also from the drivers' perspective. When you sit inside you always know you are in a Mini because of the very sculptural bonnet. There's even a little detail – the racing stripes are embossed into the bonnet as a form with sharp lines."

But don't these very set graphics constrain the design time? "These features are everything but restrictive," defends Warming. "There are good examples around the world in design that are everlasting and I believe the design of a Mini is everlasting. These features are here to stay."

The other now-mandatory pieces of Mini iconography – the ‘side scuttle' that continues the line of the A-pillar, the wheel arch surrounds and beltline finisher – have been remixed and consolidated into one inter-linked element made of ‘organo metal', a new material formed by molding together various fibers. This new feature acts as a framework that appears to brace the bodywork beneath, emphasized by the chamfered edges applied to the painted surfaces where they meet the contrasting structure. It appears Mini is moving on from the pure, full volumes, with the addition of these sharp creases and feature lines.

This layered theme is emphasized by the air curtains around the front wheel that inlet through dimples in the lower mask and exit in a floating section of the oragno metal frame ahead of the door. It's a far more successful treatment of the similar aero devices we've recently seen on the BMW 3 Series GT and 4 Series. "When we look to the future of what Mini is all about, we want to incorporate aerodynamics into 'the look'," confirms Warming.

The biggest change in character is reserved for the rear, where the lamps have grown beyond their current position within the boundaries of the surface either side of the tailgate and multiplied in size. It's a neat trick that immediately makes the car look more compact both from the rear and also three-quarter view as they cheat the corner of the car further over the rear wheel. Unfortunately their scowling expression – emphasized by the totally superfluous, heavy feature lines that run off their upper surface add an unwelcome dose of aggression – surely something that should never be associated with the brand.

Just as the exterior remixes traditional elements with added functionality, so the Vision's interior appears familiar, but is packed with new and interesting solutions.

IP architecture is still based around a central, round element but sense has prevailed with speed now displayed in front of the driver. "We wanted to bring these elements that people love and that make the brand to the future in a modern way and that's why we stick on the center instrument," explains Oliver Seighart, head of interior design. "Increasingly infotainment is coming into cars – especially with Mini customers – and this is the right place to do it; it's democratic, it's in the center, it's the heart of the Mini and things should start and stop here."

However while this strategy appears neat on paper there is one big technical barrier: "The circle is one of the big challenges we haven't got through yet - the round displays," concedes Seighart. "In this car we solved it with a projector from the back and this could one day be a solution. We are quite close to display manufacturers and we have so far got to an octagonal display but not yet a circle. For the near future we have a nice in-between solution and for the far future, this round screen is our vision."

But it's not just all about the screen. Light guides run along the wing element of the IP, augmented by a passenger-side dashboard and floor illuminated by large pixels, offer navigation turn guidance and parking spot hints in the peripheral vision. There's a clear intention to create an interior that's an interactive whole.

According to Seighart this digitization has allowed the team to concentrate on a few, key pieces of physical interaction such as the engine stop/start toggle switch: "it's an enabler to focus on more reduced yet emotionally mechanical functions. Because you don't need as many buttons you can focus on making these more emotional and visible."

This philosophy extends to the slightly contrived Union Jack-inspired door card straps and the more successful seats that hark back to the type of low-backed bucket seats racy Mini owners would have fitted in the 1960s.

As a vision for Mini moving forward, this concept makes sense. It takes the core appeal of the brand's products and subtly reworks them in a way that adds a freshness that has been missing since we first saw the BMW Mini back in 2000.

There are some genuinely neat design solutions – we're particularly fond of the interior concept – that should re-invigorate sales to new and existing customers alike. The only slight caveat to this is the proliferation of creases and feature lines that have appeared on what was once a haven of simplicity in a market full of over-stamped body pressings.

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By Owen Ready