Mini has released its Vision Urbanaut concept, which the company claims has been designed from the inside out.
The designers completed the interior concept before developing the exterior, using floor plans, pieces of furniture plus wooden scale models to provide an indication of size. Over the course of the project, augmented reality was employed to create a digital model, which was then systematically optimized.
At 4.46m in length, the concept provides an interior space that can be used in different ways and offers ease of movement inside the car, Mini says. For example, it can transform into a living room and occupants enter the cabin through a single, large sliding door in the side of the car; there are no other doors on the driver’s side or front passenger side.
A flexible, four-seat layout provides the basis for the interior. The two front seats are designed to rotate, while the backrests for seat surface in the rear can be folded manually (left rear seat) and turned around (right rear seat). When the car is stationary, the dashboard lowers and the driver’s area becomes a seating corner, dubbed the “daybed”. Added to which, the windshield can be opened upward when stationary.
The darker environs of the cabin’s rear section provide a quieter space, tagged as the Cosy Corner. The textile-covered Loop extends over the seat bench and features the option of LED backlighting. On the side of the car opposite the entry door, a small integrated table with a plant adds a finishing touch to the interior fittings.
