First Spy Photos of MINI Aceman Appear

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The MINI Aceman is on the road. Based on spy photos on Autocar (among others), MINI has begun testing the Aceman in Europe ahead of its 2024 launch. Of course the last time we saw the Aceman was in a lightly disguised concept form a few months ago (which you see above). But what these spy photos show (beyond how good a job MINI’s camo does) is just how similar the final car will be to the concept.

In MINI’s words this is a crossover version of the iconic MINI three door hatch. In other words it bridges the gap from the new electric MINI hatch and the forthcoming (larger) 2024 MINI Countryman. What that means to us is that the MINI Aceman is almost the same size as the original R60 MINI Countryman at 4.05 meters in length, 1.99 in width and 1.59 in height. However thanks to its dedicated EV platform, the interior space will be even greater than that first generation Countryman.

MINI Aceman and the Next Generation MINI Family

Starting in late 2023, MINI will be releasing a new generation of cars and crossovers with a focus on all electrification. Made in the UK, a revised F56 (G66) with internal combustion (ICE) is sticking around for another handful of years (as is the manual transmission) but the focus for MINI is on electrification across the line-up. This will start with an all new electric MINI Cooper which will be made in China and will pack much more range and performance in a smaller package than the current car. That will immediately followed by both an all electric and ICE Countryman (made in Germany) and then the Chinese made Aceman you see here.

An early, undisguised look at the J01 Chinese made electric MINI Cooper. This is MINI’s new design language we’ll see across the line-up. Note the camouflaged version next to it and how MINI has hidden the smaller, simpler proportions of the new car.

How does the Aceman compare to the Countryman? The Aceman will sit under the forthcoming, larger Countryman while sitting on the same platform as the upcoming all electric hatch. It will also serve as a replacement to the much loved but slow selling MINI Clubman wagon.

Will the MINI Aceman Be Sold in the US Market?

If we read between the lines, we believe MINI is working on several strategies in parallel to keep the latest MINI products in the US market. The first would be to use several economic levers to make the next generation (Chinese made) electric MINI Cooper financially viable in the US (despite the 25% tariffs. The second is to begin a parallel sourcing of components (along with what could be a mid-cycle refresh) to bring these next generation cars to Oxford to be produced in MINI’s historical home

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