The English Bulldog will debut on the Aceman Concept at the Shanghai Auto Show.
Mini is introducing a new four-legged friend to the family in the form of Spike, the Mini Intelligent Personal Assistant.
A unique upgrade to the BMW technology Mini borrows from, the small CGI dog is based on the look of an English Bulldog and will debut at the Shanghai Auto Show on April 18th. You'll be able to find him in various physical and digital forms, most notably in the Mini Aceman Concept.
When the Aceman Concept debuted last year, it promised to bring even quirkier styling and electric power to Mini's crossover game slotting under the Countryman. With wild colors, exaggerated proportions, and an interior featuring a massive circular touchscreen that can project images onto the dashboard, it's the perfect place to debut something as cute and fun as a canine personal assistant.
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Spike has been a part of the Mini family since 2001, but that was in the form of a real English Bulldog used in some cheeky ads. Mini says that because of the dog's compact and robust nature, British heritage, and likable nature, the animal was considered the perfect equivalent to the brand. This trend continued in the early 2010s with the debut of the new Mini Cooper, and the brand thought the transition to electrification was the perfect time to highlight him again.
“Mini will always be synonymous with emotions and remarkable experiences,” said Oliver Heilmer, Head of Mini Design. “That's why we are now taking Spike into the future as a digital character. And he is not just a design experiment – he is becoming a characterful companion for the user experience.”
Spike will debut as art toys, which are independent works of art that combine elements of toys and sculptures in the style of urban pop culture.
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As mentioned earlier, Spike will exist on the OLED screen, and he will be presented running around the dashboard at the show. The OLED screen will make it to production models, but we doubt the projection ability will, though we think it would be a pretty impressive touch.
“Spike Mode” will be further unveiled as the year goes on, and expect to see it in the production Aceman that is coming later next year. The Aceman will be smaller but will have more interior room than the Countryman and will debut with two different electric powertrain options and much better range than the current electric Mini Cooper.
Spike is likely also coming to the growing Countryman and Mini Cooper, both of which are debuting electrified variants next year. The Countryman will be an exciting model as it will debut with 308 horsepower and AWD.
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Keyword: A British Bulldog Named Spike May Be The Digital Assistant In Your Next Mini