Image: Mini
Mini Australia has announced it will be adding a new all-electric model to its line up before the end of the year, a small SUV which the brand calls the Aceman.
The new Mini Aceman is expected to launch in the fourth quarter of 2024. Pricing is likely to be announced ahead of this, and in Australia it will likely be available in two variants:
The base Mini Aceman E trim offers a 42.5 kWh battery pack that can deliver up to 310 km of range. The Aceman SE variant further improves on that with a 54 kWh battery pack that can deliver up to 406 km of range.
Powering the Aceman E is a 135 kW motor that can deliver up to 290 Nm torque. This helps the base model propel to 100 km/h from a standstill in 7.9 seconds. Like the Mini Cooper electric, the top speed is set at 160 km/h.
The more powerful version sees a bump up in power to 160 kW and peak torque of 330 Nm, helping that car get to 100 km/h in 7.1 seconds. The top speed of this variant is also increased to 170 km/h.
Both battery packs can be charged with an onboard 11 kW AC charger. Meanwhile, DC fast charging varies across the two variants.
For the Aceman E, the DC fast-charging is set at 75 kW while the SE with the larger battery gets an upgrade to 95 kW. This helps both variants get from 10% to 80% in just 30 minutes.
On the design front, the Mini Aceman continues the brand’s design language with a small vehicle that has a few more sharper edges.
This is slightly different from the more traditional offering of a compact design in a 3-door hatchback format of the upcoming Mini Cooper electric.
Size-wise, the Mini is 4.07 metres in length and sits in between the Mini Cooper and the Mini Countryman.
Similar to the Mini Cooper, to keep things fun, there is a large LED headlights that are unique in their design.
On the rear, the taillights offer the design language found in more recent Mini vehicles which make it easy to spot a Mini at night.
Inside, there is a large round OLED screen that’s 240 mm in diameter. This is similar to the upcoming Cooper and is by far a very unique implementation when compared to any other EV found in the local market.
On top of that, a heads-up display is also on offer as standard, making it easier for drivers to concentrate on the roads.
Staying on the inside, boot space ranges from 300 litres on the lower end to up to 1,005 litres with the rear seats folded down. This is over 200 more litres than what’s on offer in the smaller Cooper Electric.
The new Mini Aceman is expected to launch in the fourth quarter of 2024. Pricing is likely to be announced ahead of this.
The latest electric SUV adds to the growing number of models launched by Mini’s parent, BMW Group locally, helping many more drivers consider making the switch to electric.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.
One of Geely's cheapest and most popular electric cars has its 200,000 unit roll off…
Australia needs to get serious about charger maintenance with 13pct of the country's installation currently…
Tesla continues to haemorrhage large losses across Western Europe, with fleet operators baulking at the…
Zeekr's highly anticipated 7X electric SUV, with the fastest-charging battery, lands in Europe, ahead of…
A cluster of 100 autonomous electric mining trucks have been put into operation at a…
Chinese battery giant CATL says its new swappable battery can deliver big savings to truck…