Back in the late '50s, people were coping with a problem that many of us will relate to today.
Fuel prices were soaring in Britain at that time due to the Second Arab-Israeli war, leading to shortages and eventually petrol rationing. Many in desperate need of their cars to commute to and from work were unable to drive them (and this was decades before working from home was even a thought in anyone's mind).
With such a crisis at hand, many in business positions were considering ways to ease people's difficulties. One of them was Sir Leonard Lord, a titan in the British motor industry. His idea was to build a small car that was highly fuel efficient and could carry four people, a project that presented a slate of new challenges for pioneering engineer Alec Issigonis -- and yet, he solved them.
Originally known as the Mark I, this car became an icon of British culture and style. Today we know it as the Mini Cooper. Purchased by BMW (BMWYY) back in 1996, the car has remained popular ever since, making many special editions over the years. But its most recent one, just announced at the Gamescom video game industry convention in Germany, might be the most interesting one of all.
Mini
Mini and Pokémon Join Forces
Mini revealed a concept version of its Aceman all-electric model with a very unusual feature called "Pokémon Mode."
When switched on, the most famous Pokémon of all, Pikachu, appears on the vehicle's main display as digital lightning bolts shoot across the dashboard. Being a Pokémon with electrical powers, Pikachu is the perfect pairing for an electric car too.
A much cooler innovation, however, is a feature that lets you hook up a video game console and project your gameplay from the front of the vehicle. So in the wild you'd drive up to a wall, grab a controller, and play whatever you want wherever you want.
If all this sounds wild, it certainly is -- but the car is a concept, so it's more like saying, "Hey, look at this cool stuff we could do!" It's also a great way to drum up interest in the Aceman, which plays a major role in Mini's plan to eliminate all gas-powered vehicles from its lineup by 2030.
"Playfulness has always been in our blood at MINI, and we want to embrace gaming and the people who make it what it is. We cherish the never-ending joy of playing, so stay tuned for updates, because we’re ready to PLAY ON," Mini says on its official site to promote the fun concept car.
Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group Design, called the Aceman "the beginning of a new design era" back in February when it made its first appearance. "Design features typical of the MINI brand have always been unmistakable. We are returning to these now, but at the same time consistently combining them innovative technology.” With this approach we are redeveloping the MINI design icons, with all their analogue strengths, for the digital future."
