With its unmistakable brand identity, clear commitment to driving fun combined with exceptional efficiency, and unquenchable creativity in the development of groundbreaking vehicle concepts, MINI has secured its position as a pioneering one-off among premium small car makers into 2011.
At the 81st International Geneva Motor Show 2011, the British brand is presenting not only the most diverse model line-up in its history, a further expanded range of engines and new, stylish personalisation options, but also another fascinating response to the challenges of urban mobility in the 21st century.
The MINI Rocketman Concept fuses traditional values with innovative technology to redefine the brand’s core principle of the creative use of space. The new study car – which boasts a unique space utilisation concept. is a 3+1-seater with 3 doors and an exterior length of 3.3 metres (10 ft. 11 in.), and is due to be unveiled to the global public on 3 March 2011 – delivers an exciting promise of personalised driving fun in major urban areas.
The world premiere of the MINI Rocketman Concept introduces visitors at the International Geneva Motor Show 2011 to new ways of sampling urban driving fun in its cutting-edge form. The study car’s characteristics are geared to the multilayered demands of a contemporary target group, whose mobility needs are shaped by their desire for driving fun, a flexible use of space and extensive connectivity with their lives outside the car. The creativity of the MINI design team once again allows them to transfer fundamental MINI features and values to a groundbreaking new vehicle concept in untarnished form.
The MINI Rocketman Concept is a compact and agile three-door car which offers comfortable accommodation for the driver, front passenger and another passenger, and can add a fourth individual seat in the rear if necessary. The capacity of the luggage compartment can be adapted to the passengers’ requirements just as flexibly. The innovative door and tailgate concept developed for the MINI Rocketman Concept ensures extremely comfortable entry and uncomplicated loading, while side sills integrated into the doors allow the entry area to reach well into the interior. The two-part tailgate consists of one section which is attached to the roof and opens extremely high and a lower section which extends out of the body in the form of a drawer.
The MINI Rocketman Concept body is shaped by an avant-garde interpretation of time-honoured brand features. The hallmark MINI design language exudes a powerful and dynamic allure, its proportions and distinctive design features ensuring that it is immediately recognisable as a member of the brand family. Large headlights and the chrome-bordered radiator grille dominate the front end, while large wheels and the three-level structural split of body, “wraparound” greenhouse and roof resting on top give the flanks the same appearance as the MINI models already in series production. The rear lights of the MINI Rocketman Concept have a trapezoidal stirrup design, while the transparent glass roof is segmented by illuminated braces to recreate the look of Britain’s Union Jack flag. [Source: MINI]