A Future Car Worth Waiting For: MINI Vision Urbanaut

One of the Future cars worth waiting for is the Mini Vision Urbanaut. This fully autonomous electric car with an odd shape may be the wave of the future. Designers at BMW have been tight-lipped about the Urbanaut but it will be an electric vehicle with partial self-driving capability. While still on the drawing board, the Urbanaut will have obligatory swiveling seats, an octagonal grille, and function as a multi-purpose family vehicle with a large sliding door on the side.

From the descriptions provided by BMW, it appears that the body form will resemble the first generation minivans used by the hippie generation of the 70s. But of course, Urbanaut will be much classier.

The concept for the Urbanaut was just revealed to the public but no date has been set for production. The Urbanaut will follow the same footprints as the previous minis- cute with a minimalist design and effective use of all space in the car. The key difference is that this Mini will be autonomous.

However, BMW has been reluctant to divulge any details about the chassis, power train, or the type of autonomous technology that will appear in the Urbanaut. A few things are known; it will be an electric car with partial conventional driving abilities. When not in use, the steering wheel will retract into the dashboard. 

Another feature about the Urbanaut is that it will be 14 feet 8 inches, which is nearly 7 inches longer than any MINI currently on the road. Besides, it will be taller so that the occupants can stretch out. Many of the external features may be similar to the old minis but the one exception will be the octagonal grille (all minis on the road have a hexagonal grille) and the headlights will only be visible when illuminated.

So far there is no firm confirmation if these concepts will come to fruition or when the Urbanaut will be built. Perhaps only a few of the reported design elements mentioned will make their way into the eventual Urbanaut. If you love Minis, visit Braman MINI.