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Live Pics: MINI Vision Urbanaut Concept Blurs the Line Between Car and Living Room

We're coming close to the MINI Vision Urbanaut concept's first anniversary after having started life as nothing more than a digital rendering last November.
MINI Vision Urbanaut concept at the IAA 2021 10 photos
Photo: Stefan Baldauf / Guido ten Brink
MINI Vision Urbanaut concept at the IAA 2021MINI Vision Urbanaut concept at the IAA 2021MINI Vision Urbanaut concept at the IAA 2021MINI Vision Urbanaut concept at the IAA 2021MINI Vision Urbanaut concept at the IAA 2021MINI Vision Urbanaut concept at the IAA 2021MINI Vision Urbanaut concept at the IAA 2021MINI Vision Urbanaut concept at the IAA 2021MINI Vision Urbanaut concept at the IAA 2021
The physical model of the all-electric lifestyle van has had a much shorter lifespan than that (it made its debut on July 1) and, given everything that's been going on for the past twenty months or so, its presence at this year's IAA Mobility in Munich might be the best opportunity yet to see it in person. Alternatively, you can get a pretty good look at the show vehicle in our live picture gallery.

The Urbanaut concept represents a great departure from what we've seen from the BMW-owned British brand lately, but since the plan is to make all of its future products 100% electric at some point, we should probably expect more weird apparitions wearing the MINI badge in the future.

However, since it's one of those concepts that will only have a loose connection with a production vehicle at best - or, more likely, none at all - the MINI Vision Urbanaut is likely the oddest we'll see in a while. Its design follows the current trend featuring clean, swooping lines that carry on seamlessly from where one material ends to where another begins. If it weren't for the different textures, colors, and opacity, you couldn't tell where the body panel ends and where the window begins, for example.

The front end is partially covered in an aluminum mesh that covers the headlights, hiding them from sight when not in use. However, on side effect of this feature, combined with the van's overall shape, is that the Urbanaut looks very much like a boombox, like one of those Bluetooth speakers everyone has hanging from their backpack these days.

This goes hand-in-hand with one of the MINI's modes called "Vibe", where the steering wheel and pedals fold away, the windscreen opens up like a clam, and the sound system, as well as the ambient lighting, are put into overdrive.

Thanks to its swiveling front seats and wonky lounge-like back seats, as well as the plush carpet, the interior of the concept van feels more like a small room than an actual vehicle. The all-glass roof and the wide sliding door give the cabin an airy, welcoming feel that makes us dream of taking the MINI out in nature, opening up everything that can be open, putting the vehicle in "Chill" mode, and just putting our feet up and relaxing. The question is, though, with such a neat interior, do you see any place where you could put your feet up without looking like a proper jackass, because we don't?
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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