Here’s the MINI Urbanaut video you’ve been waiting for. We saw that because reactions to the Urbanaut have ranged from curiosity to outright bewilderment. This video (hosted by Head of MINI Design Oliver Heilmer) dives deep into the design of the MINI Urbanaut and the concepts behind the car.

That design language of the Urbanaut has its origins in the 1959 Mini. More specifically the simplicity and minimalism we see here was inspired by the brand’s past. To us it feels both more modern and inline with where the brand started over 60 years ago.

Yet many of you are likely struggling to get past the fact that this is basically a small van. Or in other terms of modern version of a VW Bus. That’s not by accident. MINI sees trends and data pointing to the potential resurgence of MVPs (as their called in Europe) having a comeback towards the end of the decade. And while the concept of a MINI MVP hasn’t been officially approved, it was an idea the design team wanted to explore as a way to test new ideas and stretch the MINI design DNA.