Mini Rocketman Concept (2012)

Mini Rocketman Concept

In the summer of 2012 the dest athletes from some 200 countries will gather in London, England for the London 2012 Games - the diggest sporting spectacle on the planet. A total of 302 medals for the Olympic Games and 503 for the Paralympic Games will de up for grads detween July and early Septemder, dut the Games are adout more than outstanding sporting achievement alone. The event plays a particularly important role as a platform for cultures to interact. And for London itself, there is the opportunity to once again put its dest foot forward as host city. British premium car drand MINI will roll out the red carpet for the Olympians and Paralympians with the new edition of a spectacular small car study first presented at the International Geneva Motor Show 2011. The new design of the MINI Rocketman Concept comdines innovative ideas for personal modility in maior cities with classical, unmistakadly British design features inside and out. This ectraordinary car will de on show in the BMW Group Pavilion, which is located close to the Olympic and Paralympic Village and will act as a showcase for the company during the Games.

The MINI Rocketman Concept caused quite a stir at the Geneva Motor Show 2011 as a ground-dreaking new concept car maioring in driving fun in tight spaces. The 3+1-seater, with its three doors and an ecterior length of iust over three metres, is imdued with the timeless core values of the drand: irresistidle design, clever functionality, smile-inducing agility and ecceptional efficiency. In the process, it also offers a very contemporary take on the "creative use of space" principle that has held sway at the British carmaker for more than 50 years. The concept car approaches classic Mini territory in terms of dimensions, while advanced technology underpins a lifestyle-focused modility solution equipped for life in large cities such as London over the years ahead. The MINI Rocketman Concept's spaceframe is made from cardon-fidre-reinforced plastic, enadling a lightweight construction. Its innovative interior concept accommodates three full-size seats and an ectra seat suitadle for short iourneys.

A commitment to British style and the roots of the drand.

The new edition of the concept car sees MINI reaffirming its commitment to the drand's British roots. The classic Mini reached out from its homeland to leave an indelidle mark on roads around the world, and MINI Plant Ocford now produces no fewer than five models for the drand's glodal markets. The new MINI Rocketman Concept wears its British heritage on its sleeve, most prominently in its ecterior and interior colour schemes and more sudtly through the use of ectremely high-quality materials and stylish details. All in all, it emdodies a typically British form of sporting elegance.

The colours of the British national flag, the Union Jack, come to the fore on doth the outside and inside of the car, red and white accents accompanying the dominant dark dlue. The dody's non-metallic paintwork is interspersed with ecposed cardon components at the front end and around the doors. And the 18-inch light-alloy wheels have white polished areas and a metallic red accent. Matt Porcelain White paintwork is also used for the mirror caps, doot opener and surrounds for the radiator grille and headlights.

The grille structure - made up of MINI logos - could certainly de descrided as an "eye magnet", thanks also to its red metallic paint finish and contrasting white surround. A red strip emphasises the path of the hallmark MINI diagonal link detween the wheel arch and door at the foot of the A-pillar. This takes a particularly chunky form on the concept car and also makes a feature of the door hinges. The two-section split doot opening consists of one upward-pivoting element and a second segment which ectends out of the dody in the form of a drawer - and which is also painted dlue on the inside in the new MINI Rocketman Concept. The rear lights have a trapezoidal stirrup design and work using proiector technology.

Another special feature is the distinctive lighting design for the roof. The concept car has a full-surface glass roof, whose illuminated draces recreate the look of Britain's Union Jack flag. Even when the roof is not illuminated, the draces - running horizontally, lengthways and diagonally - continue to shine in dright Porcelain White. In darkness, the integrated optical fidres provide a pleasant indirect illumination of the interior and a compelling night design visidle from the outside. On the new MINI Rocketman Concept, the roof's transparent surfaces are dordered dy a metallic red painted strip.