Next Generation MINI to Take “Big Design Leap”
Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group design, recently told Autocar.co.uk that the next generation of the MINI hatch will be a “bigger design leap than the last one.” Mr. Hooydonk goes on to add that Anders Warming, the new head of MINI design, will be all but starting over with the new line of iconic little hatchbacks, but adds “we have to balance that against the fact that it is the brand’s core model, like the 3, 5 and 7-series rolled into one.”
I can’t say this is too much of a shock. We’ll be two generations and nearly 15 years removed from Frank Stephenson’s revolution of the classic car in the R50. And while I love many things about the R56 (power, comfort, refinement, etc.), I’ve always felt that many of its design details were needlessly derivative of the first generation MINI — change for change’s sake. Not bad per se, just fussed with in a way that I’ve never liked. With the car evolving significantly in this next generation (3-cylinder engines, more variants), it makes sense for the design language of the MINI to get an overhaul. Add to that new leadership at MINI design and significant change is inevitable.
But what will that change look like? What is sacred ground? How can the MINI evolve and still be iconically MINI? In their posting, Autocar goes on to cite sources saying that MINI is working on a “new interior design language to replace the theme of the large centrally mounted speedometer.”
I was flabbergasted when I read this. Speaking just for myself, I really hope this is just a rumor. Perhaps it’s just a design exercise and not their actual intention. Yet, I can’t hide my alarm. The center speedo is one of the few truly unique design details in the MINI. No other car out there shares the gauges with the cabin like the MINI does. Rooflines, headlight shapes, bonnet bulges — these can all be pretty fluid in my mind. MINI has shown us over and over in their concept cars how much flexibility there is in the brand’s character. But can a MINI be a MINI without the center speedo? Does it just become yet another clever european interior? Say it ain’t so, Anders. Say it ain’t so.
We’ll be working diligently to get more information. Stay tuned.
<p>Starting from scratch makes me nervous. However, I agree that it is needed at times. When you’re tasked with just making minor changes, the changes can feel tacked-on or overwrought. I feel that way about the ’11 front bumpers, for instance.</p>
<p>Not toing to be a nay sayer. Not going to be a hater.</p>
<p>Not going to say “They are killing the brand”</p>
<p>BUT I will say that they are messing with perfection!</p>
<p>BMW has created some of the best looking cars on the road. They have also butchered beauty on more than one occasion. I am nervous about the how the serious folks at BMW will manage to reinvent the design language and keep the fun and quirkiness that has defined MINI.</p>
<p>Interesting and couldn’t agree more that the center speedo needs to stay!!! It isn’t a MINI without it!!!</p>
<p>Before you say that the central spedo has allways been a part of the Mini take a look at the interior from a 1970 model</p>
<p><a href="http://www.shiresoft.com/cars/mini-interior.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.shiresoft.com/cars/mini-interior.jpg</a></p>
<blockquote>Before you say that the central spedo has allways been a part of the Mini take a look at the interior from a 1970 model</blockquote>
<p>Well being as that wasn’t said, I think we’re safe.</p>
<p>Best news I’ve heard about the speedo, hate it but I guess it’s all about personal preference.</p>
<p>Here we go… what is that old saying? If somethin’ aint broke, then don’t fix it!”
Example – have Porsche decided to ditch the traditional shape?
BMW was humming along fine and then along came Bangle. Eagle eye headlamps, flame surfacing panels – a panel shop’s nightmare, and a design shift. The 7 series with the duvet cover on the boot lid was hated, sales of new 5 series dropped, the 1 series scares little children, and the 3 series went on steroids. But sales went up thanks to China and emerging markets.</p>
<p>But, I agree, to keep the same car design for 41 years (Classic Mini) was a once in a lifetime thing.</p>
<p>Yes, the old Mini Clubman (with the flat square front) had a two binacle speedo and ancillary guages in front of the steering wheel. The Mini Clubman GT had three gauges as above and rev counter. This concept followed through to the last of the Rover Mini Coopers.</p>
<p>So – stop fiddling, people will think you’re hyperactive.</p>
<p>Let the hand wringing begin! MINI has to have a central location for a nav system. My bet: we move away from the analog central speedo to a multi-function digital display in all cars. I hope that it is still housed in a round pod, but, having lived with that gargantuan central speedo for about six months, I think it could stand to go on a diet, and I think most would agree. I never check it for the speed.</p>
<p>Things that bug me about post-2006 MINI design:</p>
<p>1) Shape and layout of the radio and heater controls, either in silver or in the 2011 black. Too fussy for my taste. Why make everything on the car into the shape of the MINI logo?</p>
<p>2) 2011 front bumper changes; the new “dustbuster” look of the front air intake vents with the oddly vertical inner walls (everything else on the MINI is a graceful curve), and the rear bumper lights (again, too fussy and they look tacked on).
3) Black front plastic grilles on the Cooper S and JCW: these look very cheap and for me they take away from the MINI look. I noticed the chrome horizontal slats were reinstated on the Paceman and Coupe. These should be a factory option for Cooper S and JCW owners (I have a JCW with the factory aero kit and horizontal black bars: but these bars are plastic and seem cheap compared to the rest of the detailing).</p>
<p>Personally I think the Countryman’s exterior styling is pushing the iconic “mini look†to the limits of my comfort zone. People (not just owners) like the Mini because it is unique. Why buy it if it it is just going to look like another face in the crowd when I’ve got half a dozen other “fun small car†dealerships less than 20 miles away?
Dont muck up a good thing!</p>
<p>Comparing the two current generations, the 02-06 gen cars have a much more organic feel to them than the 07-current ones. The current gen, with it’s squared off rear haunches looks very mechanical. While I like the mechanical improvements they made, I still think the first gen are better looking cars.</p>
<p>I hope they go back to the car’s organic, English roots with the new design.</p>
<p>Don’t get rid of the center speedometer! That, along with gauges on the steering column instead of recessed into the dash, is the defining characteristic of the interior of a Mini! You can’t lose that!</p>
<p>Please oh please give me an analog style speedometer next to the tach! I never use the central speedo and always have to rely on the digital gauge in the tach and it drives me nuts.</p>
<p>If you have to leave the central speedo, give me two user configurable digital LCD pods behind the steering wheel and let me choose analog-style tach + speedo.</p>
<p>@Frogberg: English roots is great so long as they loose the “traditional English build quality” LOL. My R56 MINI rattles like it was the last car built on a Friday.</p>
<p>@Hoover, I was thiinking the same thing. So, maybe instead a speedo, per se, they change it to a display. I would not see that as too much of a departure, more like keeping the look up with the tech of the day, as long as there was something there in a round pod.</p>
<blockquote>@Hoover, I was thiinking the same thing. So, maybe instead a speedo, per se, they change it to a display. I would not see that as too much of a departure, more like keeping the look up with the tech of the day, as long as there was something there in a round pod.</blockquote>
<p>That’s how I feel about it as well. It doesn’t necessarily need to be the speedo (although I like the speedo there), it’s just the visual heart of the interior and I’d be very hard to sway away from that convention. I think that area currently looks great with the nav/connected screen in there as a true multi-function display and the speedo around the perimeter. I would just hate to see something so uniquely MINI disappear from the automotive landscape because the focus groups didn’t like it after spending 5 minutes with it. After five years in my MINI, I much prefer that arrangement to more conventional gauge placements. That’s me though.</p>
<p>What I can say is that I recently completed a multifunction driver display interface for one of our clients and it’s no easy process. There are so many things you have to take into account and so much information to prioritize. You’ll never make everybody happy. Best of luck to the design team as it’s a herculean task.</p>
<p>Where is “that.guy” when you need him….</p>
<p>I could definitely live without the dinner plate center speedo. I much preferred the chrono package on the R53 that gave you a tach and speedo next to one another in front of the driver where they belong. They also looked great. And please, include a proper temperature gauge on the next generation!
I do think the curvy bonnet of the R53 looked better than the R55-R56 bonnet but I do prefer the mechanicals of the new generation. It will be interesting to see what the next generation MINIs look like.</p>
<blockquote>Where is “that.guy†when you need him….</blockquote>
<p>How can I be of assistance?</p>
<p>BMW, you are the caretakers of a design which has been around for over 50 year. Don’t forget that there is value in that heritage. Going for Revolutionary vs Evolutionary can work, if done carefully. R50 is a perfect example.</p>
<p>We need a MINI that is instantly recognizable and immediately generates a smile, not one that will take a while to get used to.</p>
<p>Cautiously optomisting…</p>
<p>“We’ll be two generations and nearly 15 years removed from Frank Stephenson’s revolution of the classic car in the R50.”</p>
<p>Wait, what? The R50 came out in 02 so the 3rd gen won’t come out until 2017?</p>
<p>Txdesign, the R50 debuted in Europe before we got it here, and it’ll be a couple years before we see the next gen.</p>
<p>New design guy or not, BMW needs to be VERY careful about how the MINI evolves. When they bought the name from Rover, like it or not, they bought the history and all things that make a MINI a MINI. There are a number of design elements that go into this. The dash design is just one of them. Minimal overhang, front end dominated by the grill, 2 box shape, single headlights, roof line, tail lights at the corners, large glass area with respect to the overall size of the car, etc. are some of the things that define the Mini/MINI. Each of these elements by themselves are not all that significant, but the Whole Is Greater Than The Sum Of The Parts. Everything contributes. Keep chipping away at them and the next thing you know is that what you have left is a high-priced Ford Escort…</p>
<p>Fear not… MINI fans.
The next generation of MINI retains it’s MINI DNA both inside and outside but it becomes more modern and current in appearance with a bit more body sculpture especially in the lower areas.</p>
<p>The mini-MINI Concept car which arrives mid-late February lays the template for future MINI style.</p>
<p>I am interested where they take the interior and exterior designs towards. I don’t envy Mr. Hooydonk and Mr. Warming trying to live up to one of the most iconic and unique designs in decades by Frank Stephenson. He is one of the truly great modern automotive designers in my book. One thing I hope is that with both Mr. Hooydonk and Mr. Warming coming from BMW that we don’t see BMW design ethos move into the mixture. With the R50 Mr. Stephenson created something that felt like a modern English design for the MINI, to me personally its hard to imagine anything he could have done to make it feel anymore English.</p>
<p>My only fear is that BMW has fallen for the Big 3 (used to be) concept that bigger is better. I also think they need to be very careful making the car to refined. Lets hope they left the fat Bigger Motor Works design tools in the Fatherland.</p>
<p>I think if they want to continue on the path of more “refined” they HAVE to dip into the BMW bucket.</p>
<p>Where else can they take this car?</p>
<p>Either way I am sure it will be still fun.</p>
<p>The more I think about it, the more nervous I am… although Herr26’s post is comforting. As much as significant redesigns are useful, the MINI is a classic design like the Porsche 911 that needs to be evolved rather than see huge changes. Honestly, if they could keep updating materials, engines, safety, colors, wheels, etc, it wouldn’t actually bother me if the bodystyle stayed basically the same for many years. The truth is, most people can’t tell an R53 from an R56 unless they are right next to each other and they are LOOKING for differences. That’s how they should be, IMO. Cutting edge engineering for the current models, but styling that doesn’t excessively date the previous generations.</p>
<p>Thank you Herr26, your “cough” inside info has always been spot on and your assurance makes me feel better.</p>
<p>I personally don’t care a whit about the center-mounted speedo (since I never actually look at it). I’d give up that piece of heritage any day of the week to get back some of the raw connectedness of the R53!</p>
<p>Keep the power the same, lower the weight, improve the fuel economy, tighten up the steering and call me happy.</p>
<blockquote>the MINI is a classic design like the Porsche 911</blockquote>
<p>Yeah. So…</p>
<p>I would argue that the original Mini was an important “design” in the functional, as opposed to aesthetic, sense of the word. FWD with transversely mounted front engine, wheels pushed to the corners, interior space for four adults maximized within a minimal exterior dimensions. It was the prototype of the modern FWD hatchback. You might notice that there are quite a few cars of that “design” on the road now.</p>
<p>The 911 was arguably a much less “important” design on the functional dimension. The whole <i>rear-mounted, horizontally-opposed, air-cooled engine, driving the rear wheels with independent rear suspension</i> thing did not exactly work all that well to begin with, and clearly never took the automotive world by storm, but Porsche gradually and patiently honed it into some of the greatest driver’s cars ever made.</p>
<p>But where the Mini-911 design-heritage comparison really falls apart is on aesthetics. While you can argue both cars were important works of <i>engineering</i> design, the 911 body was also an important work of <i>aesthetic</i> design. It is not just iconic and instantly recognizable, which you could say about the Mini/MINI, but it is also just perfectly beautiful. There is a reason that basic shape has survived and continues to work 50(!) years later. It is archetypal automotive hotness.</p>
<p>The original Mini had some distinctive aesthetic design elements, some of which were driven by its engineering design, but it was not beautiful. The MINI quoted many of the key elements of the original design, but was also not beautiful. Cute, yes. Distinctive, sure. Beautiful…? Sorry.</p>
<p>So, if BMW designers abandon some of those original design elements in pursuit of something actually beautiful, I’m all for it. The large central speedometer always seemed a bit of a post-modern design gimmick to me. An over-sized historical quotation that called attention to itself as such. Good riddance.</p>
<p>The exterior of the R50/53 was a “big design leap” in 2001. It stood out in a great way. You had to look at it. You wanted it. The R56/55 took a small step back toward the center. The R60 even farther. Not a good trend.</p>
<p>I’m ready for another great leap forward, MINI. You can totally trash the historical references to the original just so long as what you end up with really works.</p>
<p>So, bring it. If you do, I’ll buy it. Promise.</p>
p><b>@MINImofo</b Was that ^ what you were looking for?</p>
<p>The question everyone asks and what the designers are full aware of is “what makes a MINI successful”?
There are of course many attributes that make MINI the stand out car in the small/city car segment.</p>
<p>At the top of the list of course is the look of a MINI.
People would not buy the car and make MINI a success if they did not like the look of the car.
And as pointed out a MINI should have an evolutionary cycle such as the Porsche 911. which it does but attains it’s freshness by expanding on current cues.
A MINI cannot go too adventurous and turn into a typical Euro-hatch.
It wont simply throw it all the way and step aside for the BMW City Compact, the two have to co-exist.</p>
<p>The MINI will retain it’s typical MINI appearance wrap around glasshouse , floating roof , rounded headlights etc. But you will see some interpretation.</p>
<p>The BMW will go for an appearance that allows more freedom within the BMW brand by giving it an entry-model look that shows relation to classic entry BMW’s such as the BMW 1600 but with a very bullet-like shape.</p>
<blockquote>A MINI cannot go too adventurous and turn into a typical Euro-hatch.</blockquote>
<p>Turning into a typical Euro-hatch sounds like the opposite of adventurous to me. Maybe the result of a failed adventure.</p>
<p>The Countryman has been introduced in 2010. Early 2011, they present the Paceman which is very much similar to the Countryman…
My 2-cents, although the Countryman is quite different from the “real” Mini, don’t you think that the next gen of Mini Hatch could look like a shrinked Countryman?
If there is something Mini could improve though, this is the quality of the plastics. Definitely not as good as BMW…</p>
<p>One recommendation, after having my 2011 JCW for three months now: Please, Please include a temperature and oil pressure gauge. A turbo boost gauge would be very nice too.</p>
<p>As for design, let’s face it, the 3rd Generation Mini will be rounder and you can bet that the bean counters at Bad Motor Works will have their say and it will be bigger.</p>
<p>I’m still concerned about the “more modern” and “more body sculpture” comments. Didn’t we hear a similar story from BMW with the first generation Z4?</p>
<p>Looking forward to the mini-MINI Concept next month, so we can see where the design language is heading.</p>
<p>“Looking forward to the mini-MINI Concept next month, so we can see where the design language is heading.”</p>
<p>hey , I have a sketch on my blog at GermanCarForum as my avatar.</p>
<p>Whilst it is in spirit of the direction of the car, it remains a sketch to show what ideas are being discussed for the concept.</p>
<p>So good bye to Mickey Mouse Center speedo, and hello to just one circle.</p>
<p>It might be obvious to some but there always seems elements of Mini’s concept cars that become adopted across the entire range e.g. I think the air intake vents appeared on the Countryman before appearing in the 2011 hatch refresh. I imagine that HERR26’s comment “body sculpture especially in the lower areas” probably means the doors/sides of the 3rd gen hatch will probably be similar to those of the Paceman (note that horizontal fluid line at the bottom).</p>
<p>Also, in general, I imagining that future cars might have more interesting use of colours (like the green/orange in the Paceman as well as the usual contrasting white roof), more interesting use of materials (leather around the door handles/filler cap in the Paceman) and giant speedo replaced with centre globe (which will have more functions than just a fixed speedo).</p>
<p>Have seen that HERR26, and was wondering if that was the mini-MINI. Looks like a pretty early design sketch, to my eye it looks broadly like a R56 with the section of the rear seats removed and the rear end attached. Pretty much what I am expecting to see. Thanks HERR26 for the info.</p>
<p>I like the big speedo. It is where I put my “remember to check the oil” post-it notes.</p>
<p>I use it for the suction mount for my Garmin</p>
<p>The idea of “more modern†and “more body sculpture†worry me as well.</p>
<p>Please Please PLEASE….keep the simple clean design without adding hard body lines down the side and those ridiculous over dramatic headlights and taillights like all the other stupid looking cars….MINI must remain the alternative choice in the segment.</p>
<p>One of the primary reasons i still own a MINI is simply because all other current offerings are simply hideous. I bought a MINI pretty much immediately after its introduction and there has yet to be a car in the market that is more attractive to me.</p>
<p>So just don’t follow the trend BMW or my next car may be an Audi instead….they know how to keep it clean over there ;)</p>
<p>Jerry, you said:</p>
<blockquote>So, the author thinks that the ONLY thing that makes the MINI a MINI is the center speedo?</blockquote>
<p>Where exactly did I say it was the ONLY thing?</p>
<p>Here?</p>
<blockquote>The center speedo is one of the few truly unique design details in the MINI.</blockquote>
<p>Note the use of “one of”.</p>
<p>Or here?</p>
<blockquote>But can a MINI be a MINI without the center speedo? Does it just become yet another clever european interior?</blockquote>
<p>Those are questions, not statements.</p>
<p>At no point did I say that the center speedo was the only thing that makes a MINI a MINI. It’s not what I wrote, nor is it what I think.</p>
<p>I haven’t seen a spirited discussion on MF like this for a long time, this is fun. Since I ordered an 1M I’ve been reading Bimmerfile daily and it’s not the same as MF. No one comments!!</p>
<p>Mini owners have passion!!</p>
<p>As the past n current owner of 5 Minis I will give my opinion (and everyone’s tastes are valid regargless of how bizarre I feel they are).</p>
<p>Losing the center speedo will doom the brand. It is the soul and heart of Mini and the identifying trait of it’s uniqueness.</p>
<p>I will never buy a Mini without it. ARE YOU LISTENING MINI???</p>
p>@that.guy</p
<p>I think you attributed a little more meaning to my statement than I intended. I wasn’t saying the Mini’s aesthetics were necessarily as beautiful or influential or revolutionary as the 911(though that may be an interesting discussion). I was merely saying that, like the 911, future MINIs should be instantly recognizable as related to earlier generations and not fall into the trap of drastic redesigns every few years that give up classic character for trendy styling.</p>
<p>Don’t really care about the speedo, but whatever they do the Tach must remain as the primary gauge facing the driver – that is what is unique. Don’t know of any other sports car where the Tach is predominate.</p>
<p>Jerry,</p>
<p>I agree.</p>
<blockquote>Rooflines, headlight shapes, bonnet bulges — these can all be pretty fluid in my mind. MINI has shown us over and over in their concept cars how much flexibility there is in the brand’s character.</blockquote>
<p>is <em>not</em> a statement of fact, but my own opinion. I don’t see how those sentences could be taken to mean otherwise. If you look at the top of the posts, at the section this post is filed under, it’s “opinion” and “rumor.” There you go.</p>
<p>There are a lot of other MINI design elements I didn’t even mention. Wheel arches, front and rear overhangs, the angle of the windshield, the glass wrap-around, and the island tail lights to name a few. <em>In my opinion</em>, I think there’s a lot of “sacred ground” when it comes to the MINI design language, <em>including</em> how they do the dash. Feel free to disagree.</p>
<p>Thanks for clarifying and thanks for sharing your opinion.</p>
<p>“The dogs may bark, but the caravan moves on”. Interior wise going back to the R53 dash and tweeking that a bit would be fine. Haven’t a clue what would be done with a digital screen though. I sympathize that’s almost a ‘must have’ on vehicles these days and it’s yet another design challenge. And ditto on the basic gauges for the driver. Are the unpainted wheel arches also as sacrosanct as the center speedo? Aesthetically, too me, they have always been unnecessary and a detraction from a wonderful design. Having the arches only in body color (no aero facia thank you) would be a great option.</p>
<p>Exterior – What worries me is the term in the headline “Big Design Leap.” The R56 is the heart of MINI. The design should continue to evolve within the Mini/MINI heritage. It should be immediately recognizable as a MINI and not be made any bigger. That’s why we have the Countryman.
Interior – The center display should remain but maybe a little smaller like the R53. I would like a temperature gage somewhere. My only complaints about my R56 are the cheap looking light silver plastic materials and the awkward audio controls with a dinky display.</p>
<blockquote>I was merely saying that, like the 911, future MINIs should be instantly recognizable as related to earlier generations and not fall into the trap of drastic redesigns every few years that give up classic character for trendy styling.</blockquote>
<p>I got you, <b>Blainesta</b>. I’m just saying that a drastic redesign now (a decade in) would be ok with me, so long as it is well executed. I don’t see the basic form and “design language” (hate that phrase with a passion…) of the Mini exterior as sacred ground, unlike the 911. You don’t mess with perfection. Case in point: the 996 headlight debacle.</p>
<p>Yes, the central speedometer needs to be redesigned! This has long been a thorn in my side. Fine, keep the speedometer in the center dash but does it really need to be as large as Big Ben? As soon as the new Mini’s came out, I thought that this was its worst interior design flaw. Sure, go ahead, and reference the Mini’s of old but, please, don’t make it look like a Disney caricature. While I’m at it, how about getting rid of the cheap looking and feeling silver powder coated plastic? How much does it cost to have real chromed metal surfaces, surrounds, and accents in the car? I would gladly pay the extra 100 bucks for this upgrade.</p>
<p>“The mini-MINI Concept car which arrives mid-late February lays the template for future MINI style.”</p>
<p>Do you think that it might make a showing at the New York Auto show? That will be April 22 – May 1.</p>
<p>Putting the speedometer in the center is OK, but why not put some real gauges in there? Like Oil Pressure, Coolant Temperature, and a Fuel Gauge that really works?</p>
<p>Mini is all about handling and racing and yet it can still be driven to the market. Please make it more informative from a drivers standpoint.</p>
<p>David.. Yes, it does need a re-design… or really, just put the old dashboard back in, and everything is back to having the correct proportions.</p>
<p>Re: Frogberg — “I hope they go back to the car’s organic, English roots with the new design”</p>
<p>I couldn’t agree more!</p>
<p>Does anyone know where the MINI Design Team is based? UK or Germany?</p>
<p>Germany — ever since BMW took over. There was talk of a UK design center but it was scrapped last year.</p>
<blockquote>Germany — ever since BMW took over. There was talk of a UK design center but it was scrapped last year.</blockquote>
<p>Yes, that’s what I thought. It may be hard to resist that BMW influence (for Warming) when you just came from a BMW position in Munich. While Hildebrand worked for BMW, I gather that he had returned to the company to work on the MINI. Basically my concern is that Warming may have too much of the BMW DNA…</p>
<p>““The mini-MINI Concept car which arrives mid-late February lays the template for future MINI style.â€</p>
<p>Do you think that it might make a showing at the New York Auto show? That will be April 22 – May 1.”</p>
<p>I am not entirely definite as the Shanghai Autoshow is commencing at the same time – April 19th which is where the BMW M5 Concept will premiere.</p>
<p>I can tell you that a “production” MINI debuting at Geneva will also be in New York for it’s North American Premiere.</p>
<p>I really hope they fix the interior. While a great car, it is far from perfect, and that must be fixed not just because of it being the iconic brand as well as the price and brand positioning. The interior rattles, the unergonomic switch placements, to name a few.</p>