New MINI Aceman EV leaked online: honey they shrunk the Countryman!

The all-new, all-electric MINI Aceman is scheduled to be unveiled on 24 April at the Beijing Motor Show, however the surprise has been spoiled slightly because the first images of the incoming Volvo EX30 rival have surfaced online.

The pictures were published by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) as part of its homologation process that every new car must go through in order to be sold there.

The MINI Aceman’s square-jawed design blends elements from the new MINI Cooper hatchback and MINI Countryman family SUV which it will soon sit in between. This being an EV, there’s a blanked-off octagonal grille panel, just like on its siblings, plus a floating roof created by black A- and C-pillars.

Like the larger MINI Countryman, the Aceman sports a set of rhombus shaped headlights and customisable rear tail-light panels. However, it appears that the Aceman has more pronounced, boxy wheelarches, plus lots of black plastic cladding along its side that gives the car a mildly tough, crossover SUV-type look.

We can see the wheels have been pushed out right to the corners of the car, which should help make most of the Aceman’s compact dimensions of barely over four metres long. In fact, the MIIT filing shows the car has a similar footprint to five-door superminis like the Renault Clio, though the MINI does have a longer wheelbase of over 2.6 metres.

The Aceman sits on the same bespoke EV platform as the three-door MINI Cooper, and produces the same amount of power: 181bhp in base form, or 215bhp for peppier variants, the latter version is likely to be badged as the ‘Aceman SE’. MINI had already confirmed to us that the Aceman will only be available with a 54.2kWh battery pack, which we expect to provide around 250 miles of range from a single charge.

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The MIIT also shared images of the various options for buyers to personalise their Aceman, as well as some glimpses of the different bumpers and alloy wheels that racy-looking Sport trim models will receive.

We’ve yet to see inside the MINI Aceman, but it’s sure to feature the same interior as the Cooper and Countryman, the centrepiece of which is an ultra-slim 9.4-inch OLED circular touchscreen that serves as both the instrument panel and infotainment display. There’ll also be a selection of several ‘MINI Experience Modes’ like Go-Kart and Green, and knitted materials on the dashboard and other areas. 

After it’s officially revealed on 24 April, the MINI Aceman should arrive in showrooms before the end of the year, when it will rival the likes of the Volvo EX30, Hyundai Kona Electric and Renault Megane E-Tech.

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