The following article was produced in partnership with MINI.
At a time when fuel prices are soaring, climate change is speeding up and our cities are increasingly crowded, many cars seem to be getting bigger and thirstier.
Our roads desperately need smaller and more sustainable cars – and that’s why your next car should be a MINI. Eco-friendly, cleverly designed and above all, really quite fun, MINI’s always been ahead of the curve when it comes to sustainable motoring – and now in 2022, MINI continues to lead the pack.
MINI boasts one of the most fuel-efficient and least CO2-emitting model ranges out of any car marque in Australia. Every single one of its cars, from the stylish MINI Hatch to the practical MINI Countryman and everything in between, offer sustainable rides.
That’s perhaps not that surprising – the MINI brand has always been about maximum fun on minimum fuel. The original Mini was designed as a response to the British fuel crisis of the 1950s and its overwhelming success proved that you can be practical and sustainable whilst also being a pleasure to drive. Modern MINIs continue that grand tradition.
Decades later, MINI’s urban mobility revolution continues. MINI”s on track to be the first BMW Group brand – as well as one of the first car manufacturers globally – to go fully electric by 2030. MINI’s product range already includes two killer electrified models: the versatile MINI Countryman plug-in hybrid and the petrol-free MINI Electric, both of which are some of the best electrified vehicles on the market.
DMARGE spoke to Oliver Heilmer, MINI’s head of design, about how important sustainability is to MINI’s ongoing development, and the challenges (and opportunities) the eco-friendly car design offers.
“For MINI, the question of sustainability has always been important for the brand,” he explains. “The classic Mini has shown what sustainability can look like: reduced, practical, maximum space on a minimum footprint. You could say we have learnt from the past how to use space. Elements that have made the classic Mini so iconic have been developed into the future and this will always play a role for MINI.”
Of course, that ‘maximum space on minimum footprint’ concept (and maximum efficiency, performance and so on) is particularly salient when it comes to electric vehicles, Oliver elaborates.
“A purpose-built [electric] architecture offers more space and the centre of gravity shifts downwards due to the battery. It underlines the famous MINI go-kart feeling.”
Oliver Heilmer
Indeed, the fundamental characteristics of MINI cars seem particularly well-suited to electrification – and there are other opportunities EVs open up for automotive design that further improve the MINI design brief. Take sound design.
“The silent battery builds a blank canvas when it comes to sound design – our customers will be offered an immersive sound experience in every MINI model,” Oliver gives as an example.
Where many car brands seem resistant to change; scared of an electric future, Oliver sees it as one big opportunity – to keep evolving MINI’s famous aesthetic and make cars that are ever more relevant to drivers.
“The MINI Design stands for a modern and pure aesthetic combined with an immersive user experience… The MINI design team will keep on challenging the status quo to improve ourselves and our brand – and sustainability will continue to be a core element included in the development of every future model.”
That’s why your next eco-friendly car should be a MINI: it’s an investment in an exciting new future for mobility.
Discover MINI’s eco-friendly and incredibly fun range of cars at their online showroom here.