This new leather-free Mini Aceman has a gorgeous knitted textile interior

One of the first things that Mini wants you to know about its latest concept car is that it has no leather inside, nor any chrome on the outside. It’s all about sustainability and carbon neutral manufacturing at BMW’s compact luxury arm, as Mini unveils the new Aceman concept previewing the brand’s upcoming 2024 all-electric crossover.

And it’s likely going to be the most important model launch for Mini this decade, since the Aceman heralds the beginning of a new design era for the company. You may have already noticed the grille, which is now octagonal instead of hexagonal, and all the surfaces are now edgier, crisper than the rounded curves of current Minis.

The bigger changes take place inside the Aceman, which is completely free of leather and chrome. The busy styling we’re used to in Minis has now made way for a clean, light design with knitted recycled textiles everywhere, and a next-generation digital experience thanks to that new OLED display in its familiar setting.

“The purely electric vehicle concept means the design can again be geared more towards Mini’s traditional basic values, in terms of the principle of using space creatively,” says Oliver Heilmer, Head of MINI Design. “This creates models that take up little space on the road while offering even more comfort, more versatility and more emotion on the inside than ever before.”

At just over four metres in length and less than two metres wide, the Mini Aceman concept is still fortunately a Mini, although the company isn’t quite ready to reveal much about the car’s electric powertrain. As it’s first zero-emissions crossover, the Aceman is an important step towards Mini’s commitment of a fully electric line-up of vehicles by the year 2030.