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MINI Dusts Off Vision Urbanaut Concept for Los Angeles Outing

Presented one year ago in the guise of a rendering, the MINI Vision Urbanaut was revealed in the flesh in July 2021 at the DLD Summer conference in Munich. An egg-shaped lounge on wheels that leans into the unconventional rather than useful design, the quirky-looking concept will be exhibited at The [SPACE] by BMW until November 17th.
MINI Vision Urbanaut Concept 42 photos
Photo: MINI
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“The what?” It’s an exhibition space located in The Grove retail and entertainment complex in Los Angeles, and it’s a very pompous name if you ask me. Unfortunately, the marketing peeps at BMW falsely believe that cool-sounding names can supplement a rather boring vehicle with questionable styling, and that’s a little worrying from the company that used to promise the ultimate driving machine a few years ago. Designers who don’t care what you think about the pig-snout grille on the 4 Series and theOK Boomer marketing fiasco pretty much sum up the BMW Group in the modern era.

That said, the Vision Urbanaut’s North American showcase is a perfect excuse to see this one-of-one build in the flesh. The most interesting thing about MINI’s concept is the high proportion of recycled and renewable materials used for the interior, materials that include polyester and Tencel.

Tencel is a brand name for the lyocell process for making cellulose fibers. Developed in 1972 by the American Enka Company in North Carolina, lyocell shares many properties with viscose rayon, linen, cotton, and silk.

A bulbous minivan-like contraption, the Urbanaut features electric drive to ensure zero-emission mobility in the concrete jungle. MINI has never bothered to describe what kind of drivetrain we’re dealing with, how much torque it produces on full song, the projected range, and all that jazz that really matters when you’re in the market for a brand-new vehicle.

At the present moment, the British marque’s American division offers a single EV in the guise of the MINI Cooper SE. It’s the most affordable battery-electric vehicle on sale in the United States right now, retailing at $29,900 excluding taxes, options, and the federal tax credit worth up to $7,500.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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