clemson university students unveil deep orange 7 MINI concept for 2025 and beyond

students at the clemson university international center for automotive research unveil their ‘deep orange 7’ MINI concept car. the 18 student team presented the fully-functional, drivable concept vehicle at the BMW zentrum in south carolina.

all images © clemson university

for the seventh generation of deep orange, students were challenged to reimagine a MINI vehicle for 2025 and beyond. the team were in charge of determining which innovative features would fit the brand, as well as how these would be integrated into the car. as a result of this collaborative real-world educational experience, the students designed and built a functioning, drivable concept vehicle.

an open design with a floating dashboard creates a single space throughout the vehicle. the traditional hood is replaced with a windshield that reaches all the way to the front of the vehicle and is easily lifted. occupants are provided with a unique wide-open view outwards. this open design enables passengers to see,share, and store their gear in the front of the car as well as in the rear hatch. items can be displayed or held securely with origami-styled storage.

a customizable personal virtual companion replaces the conventional static instrument cluster and center stack. MINI face anticipates the needs of the driver and presents relevant information on a holographic display. much like theatre scenery, important interactive elements are in the front, while other information remains visible on display layers in the back. hand gestures are used to interact with the system in three dimensions.

a scalable powertrain provides the customer the choice of internal combustion engine, two plug-in hybrid options or a pure battery electric vehicle. the design means all four variants can be built on the same vehicle platform. the concept includes one of the two hybrid options, which was the most challenging to build.

when parked, a parking marshal concept uses its exterior lights to guide other drivers who are parking in front of or behind it. the lights illuminate incrementally as the other vehicle approaches, and can encourage drivers to park at an optimal distance.